The Phuong Dang Collection: Leather Up, Obscure Oud & The Calling (+ Cryptic & Vermillion Promise)

Ms. Phuong Dang. Sources: her website & girlboss.com

Ms. Phuong Dang. Sources: her website & girlboss.com

Phuong Dang Perfumes is a new luxury brand that recently debuted this year with 10 fragrances, 9 of which were created by Bertrand Duchaufour. According to her biography, Ms. Dang is a mixed-media artist who was born in Vietnam and now resides in Singapore. She’s had a varied career, ranging from the high fashion industry, to being the Creative Director for Elite Modeling Agency, a makeup artist, and, now, a visual artist. Her biography states that her sculptural paintings have been exhibited around the world, but that she’s also had a longstanding interest in perfumery and created fragrances for herself from her collection of oils.

She chose Bertrand Duchaufour to turn her perfume dreams into reality. According to an interview that Ms. Dang gave to a site called Girl Boss, she wrote to him blindly and presented her ideas and artwork. He replied, “This is the project I’ve been waiting for.”

The Phuong Dang Collection. Photo sent to me by Autumn PR, and lightly cropped at the top and bottom by me.

The Phuong Dang Collection. Photo sent to me by Autumn PR, and lightly cropped at the top and bottom by me.

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Atelier des Ors Iris Fauve & Lune Feline

Today, we’ll look at two fragrances from Atelier des Ors, its upcoming, new Iris Fauve, and one of the fragrances it debuted last year, Lune Feline. The first is a floral woody musk centered on iris; the second is an intensely spiced and rather delectable vanilla oriental with a strong gourmand streak. Both fragrances are eau de parfums that were created by Marie Salamagne under the artistic direction of Jean-Philippe Clermont, Atelier des Ors’ founder. So, let’s get straight to it.

Iris Fauve & Lune Feline. Collage: my own. Original Photos: Atelier des Ors.

Iris Fauve & Lune Feline. Collage: my own. Original Photos: Atelier des Ors.

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Hermès Galop d’Hermès

Galop d’Hermès is a new leather-rose parfum and marks the first, full, solo release by Christine Nagel as Jean-Claude Ellena‘s successor and as Hermès’ in-house nose. The fragrance hews closely to the Ellena/Hermes aesthetic, and isn’t an abandonment of tradition or a new direction. Depending on how you feel about the brand’s style, that will either be a good thing or a disappointment.

Galop d'Hermes, ad. Source: Fragrantica

Galop d’Hermes, ad. Source: Fragrantica

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Louis Vuitton Parfums: Mille Feux & Dans La Peau

Different treatments and interpretations of leather are the focus of today’s Louis Vuitton reviews. Last time, I looked at Matière Noire, Turbulences, and Contre Moi, and now it’s the turn of Mille Feux and Dans La Peau. Like the others, they are also eau de parfums in concentration and created by Jacques Cavallier. So, let’s get straight to it.

MILLE FEUX:

Mille Feux. Source: Fragrantica.

Mille Feux. Source: Fragrantica.

Mille Feux translates to “A Thousand Fires”, a bold name that I find highly ironic for such a sheer and translucent scent.

On its American website, Louis Vuitton sums up Mille Feux as “fireworks” and an “emotional bombshell,” in addition to comparing it to aurora borealis. If my eyes rolled any further, they would fall out of my head. I mean, seriously, “emotional bombshell”?? For this fragrance?! One that basically copies a very well-known and popular designer scent from Tom Ford? If you ask me, LV’s marketing department needs to be dunked in iced water, and any hallucinogenic drugs that they might have used while concocting this balderdash should be removed pronto.

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