August 25, 2012

Clayton on skin

Oh, this Clayton on the other side of the planet... When I started writing this blog after having decided to make something concrete out of my scent obsessions, Claytons articles on his blog What men should smell like, were among the first texts that I read for inspiration in my search for my kind of perfume rhetorics. I didn't want to write reviews per se, there is an abundance of perfume reviewers which is great for the market and some of them are striking. But I was interested in diving into a world of reflections rather. And I have a major issue with the kind of language you find in oh-so-many perfume ads and descriptions filled with clouds about "unique fragrances that evoke the sensuality in the soul of what is woman" etc etc... To find Clayton's work was inspiring and refreshing. For some reason he makes me think of one of my house gods, AA Gill. I think I like them for the same reasons, eloquence, sophisticated stringent sense of humor, directness and profound knowledge of matter.

Some time ago I went all OH! about Clayton's article on Ambergris. And today I am all OH! again. Read this article. It is from The Perfume Magazine and it just might make your entire weekend. Made mine.

"So perhaps the aphrodisiacal reputation of these animalic 
odors does not come from the materials themselves. It comes from 
the connection made as they remind us of the scented human 
body, a smell we remember from life’s intimate moments." - C.I.


Clayton, writer extra-ordinaire

4 comments:

  1. Hi Sylvia. Thanks for sharing my article with your readers. I am really chuffed to know my words can stir emotion in someone on the other side of the world! That is a cool thing indeed. Best regards,
    Clayton

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    1. "Chuffed", oh, I never heard this word! I love it! Please feel chuffed! You're welcome and you do you do stir and also I feel somewhat less lonely about thinking about how strangers on planes smell now thanks to you! Btw - thought about you just the other evening having a perfume theme dinner with friends - we discussed Pomegranate Noir and I remembered how you perceived it as a rather masculine fragrance whereas I had this velvet red diva applying it in my head. :)

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    2. Lol. It's funny how you use words often without thinking about their origins. I am thinking 'chuffed' would be British slang and not a word younger people commonly use. Your dinner sounds fun! I hope it was a success : )

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    3. I take it then that using 'chuffed' will make me sound mature. And with that comes sophistication and profound insight... :))) Oh, it was such a good dinner... we identified gaps in each others scent wardrobes and experimented with pour femme on male skin and our homme on female skin. I mean, how much more fun than that can people have? ;) So jealous that you will get to hear Burr on JCE... but relieved that this means you will write about it and reading your reflections will be second best to attending.

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