It's a pretty exciting time in the fragrance world: not only are more independent perfume houses coming to the fore with truly creative scents, but there's also a ton of literature coming out about fragrance-making and the industry around it. Just witness the rise of Chandler Burr, the NY Times' in-house fragrance critic, who pens a regular column and posts about fragrance on the Times' blog The Moment. (He also wrote the amazing The Perfect Scent, which I've been reading since forever, but which I promise to write a review of soon!) The latest addition to the perfume lit canon is Perfume: A Guide by Tania Sanchez and biophysicist turned scent scholar Luca Turin. The book takes a critical eye to assess 1,000 perfumes, from old classics to current launches and even compiles a top ten list of the best fragrances of all time, which includes classic old faithfuls and niche brands alike. And is it any surprise that the famed Chanel No. 5 made the list? I still have a soft spot for this one; even though I'd probably never wear it myself, it always brings to mind memories of my grandmother, who dutifully wore it on special occasions.
The top ten list, in no particular order:
Angel (Thierry Mugler)
Apres l'Ondee (Guerlain)
Black (Bulgari)
Bois de Violette (Serge Lutens)
L'Heure Bleue (Guerlain)
Joy parfum (Patou)
No. 5 parfum (Chanel)
Mitsouko (Guerlain)
Rive Gauche (Yves Saint Laurent)
Shalimar (Guerlain)
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