Episode Summary of PODCAST – The Paris Adventuress
The world of perfumes and their creation is beautifully shown and outlined in this new documentary film that features Francoise de Marchy the famous nose of DIOR fragrances. He shares at the beginning of the film that his goal is to literally ‘up the game’ and improve the sources of his fragrance portfolio.
All the personalities, people and places this world famous nose travels, makes this a BEYOND Paris experience. His personality is creative; he is a bit of a wanderer and his friends might even consider him to be a bit eccentric but everyone who works with him share their love for him. We are able to travel with him as he makes his journeys from France to Italy, to Sri Lanka, Bali and India in his search for the perfect elements. We are even shown the unique Irish fellows who forage for AMBERGRIS an element of perfume that is so rare, it has to roll up on the shores of a particular island beach. The film reminds the audience just how complex a bottle of perfume can be.
This is a unique moment when the curtains of the world DIOR fragrances is pulled back and we can follow the journey of their creation. There could be as much as 50 elements in one fragrance and the recipes, much like fine wine, can be altered and changed through the creative process as the fragrance and brand merge into what will become a world famous fragrance.
Grasse is the center of the world of perfume and we begin here. We meet the farmers who grow the beautiful flowers that make up the essences of fragrances. Growers and farmers are the kings and the fragrance creators are their clients. The distillers are the supporting players and the NOSE is the maestro who puts it all together. The art of distillation is how the flowers are boiled down into concentrated essences. What you will learn is that fragrances are much like wine in their creation with the various notes such as the BASE NOTES or TOP NOTES of a fragrance. This is how we experience fragrances in stages, much like a good wine.
A fragrance is a evocation of a memory, an experience and a moment in time. What is most important is that Francoise is like a purveyor of memories and moments; his pursuit of the perfect fragrance make him like FATHER TIME. He has a unique place in the world of fragrances, indeed, along with a couture designer his role is very clear: he or she is the person who makes a fragrance happen as they guide it along and finally ending up in the glorious bottle on your dressing table.
Join me and my guests as we discuss the world of French fragrances and their creators with friends of mine from the world of fragrances who have stories to tell. Look for our podcast at SPOTIFY and wherever you get your podcast.
