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Laura Tonatto - scorned in Italy?

post #1 of 10
8/9/10 at 8:10pm
Thread Starter 
I spent a week in Torino, Italy last spring, and during my trip I also attended one day of the Esxence art perfume show in Milano.

Products by Laura Tonatto, who lives in Torino, were not sold in any of the shops I visited in Torino, and neither was Laura Tonatto a participant in Esxence. None of the shop owners had anything nice to say about Ms. Tonatto or her products. One of the people I spoke with went so far as to described her as a horrible woman and said that her products were excrable!

I thought this was rather odd, as she is a native Torinese, lives in Torino, and makes her fragrances in Torino. Her fragrances have generated some interest among Basenoters, although only among a relatively small group, and appear from the reviews to be well made and interesting, with some of them having unique characteristics.

Does anyone have any idea why Laura Tonatto is so scorned by retailers in her native city and apparently neglected by the organizers of Esxense? Perhaps it is all personal, but it may be a business decision by any of the parties involved. Whatever the reason, it was obvious that the retailers in Torino had no love whatsoever for Ms. Tonatto.

I thought this was so odd and have been wondering what was behind it all.

noggs
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post #2 of 10
8/9/10 at 8:41pm
I envy you going to Esxence!

Interesting questions/speculations about Tonatto. It does seem personal, if no one had anything nice to say about her and someone went so far as to call her "a horrible woman." Does seem odd.

Her absence at Esxence, on the other hand, is probably her choice. I assume that anyone legitimately in the industry is eligible to register and participate. That's how most trade shows work, it's not usually by invitation. So it's usually a business decision -- what does it cost in registration fees, display materials, staffing, travel, and so on; versus what do you stand to gain from the new exposure and contacts. If the company has few new products, or none, there may be less reason to participate.
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post #3 of 10
8/11/10 at 12:50pm
I found her range in Venice some weeks ago, but in "my" local perfume store in Frankfurt, her perfumes don't sell well at all and will be removed from the shelves. Personally, I would rate them ranging from below average to very, very odd... - not at all in accordance with my idea of "un buon profumo". At least I found only one scent I'd consider wearable ("September" - if I remember correctly).
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post #4 of 10
8/11/10 at 1:28pm
So, that's it? Poor quality?

I am so disappointed. I was hoping to learn she was a public menace, intemperate, cavorting around recklessly at night, thieving, lying, and in all ways immoral.

Like a young Caravaggio...
Or even like Van Morrison who is hardly tolerated anymore in Bath, England due to his incessant public outbursts and destruction of property....

Oh, well...
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post #5 of 10
8/11/10 at 4:34pm
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I've sampled a few of her scents, and I generally enjoy them. Albi is my favorite citrus scent and one of my best scents in general. I've heard (maybe even read) that she can be a handful to deal with, which would explain why she isn't held in high regard in her town. I have noticed that her scents are getting harder to find. Beauty Encounter used to sell most of her stuff, and now most of it is out of stock...

I wonder if she quit the business altogether...
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post #6 of 10
8/11/10 at 7:30pm
Professional jealousy maybe?

I guess I am among that small group of people who find her work interesting. From what I've sampled, I can't say I liked everything, but they were all worth trying. In general, she avoids using notes that cry 'synthetic' into my face. Albi is also my favorite, I find it very unique and a welcome change from your typical citrusy cologne.
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post #7 of 10
8/11/10 at 9:39pm
Thread Starter 
Albi is also the only one that I own.

I've encountered her frags in only one shop in the U.S., and they didn't carry the entire line. I would like to try some of the others, especially the odder sounding ones like Oltre.

Most of the frags listed in the Basenotes database are still for sale on her online boutique, although there a few missing, probably discontinued.

http://www.lauratonatto.com/

One thing I definitely like about her products is that they aren't exorbitantly priced.
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post #8 of 10
8/11/10 at 10:12pm
Odd to think that the creator of the magnificent Re is not held in high-esteem. I haven't a clue as to why, but Ms. Tonatto is alright with me. BTW, I love the city of Torino, one of Italy's Baroque gems!
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post #9 of 10
8/12/10 at 2:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin Guyer View Post

Odd to think that the creator of the magnificent Re is not held in high-esteem. I haven't a clue as to why, but Ms. Tonatto is alright with me. BTW, I love the city of Torino, one of Italy's Baroque gems!

I adore Torino, too.
The scent by LT I like is "Magnifico" - just found my nearly empty bottle of it. I thought it was called "September" because in the press material there was some blurp about this fragrance being an incorporation of "September mood" (whatever that is).
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post #10 of 10
8/13/10 at 5:32am
I haven't gotten around to exploring her scents. I have tried Iss and liked it. There's simply so many houses to try and not enough time or money...

I do like that her EDP's are sold for reasonable prices.
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