July 18, 1991
Dear Everyone:
“Jeannie” and I went shopping (again!) last
weekend, this time for fragrances. I
used to have a favorite fragrance called Fiji by
Guy Laroche, but they
took it off the market some years ago. Actually
yanked stock off the shelves and shipped it back to France.
The salespeople assured us that
there was nothing wrong with the product, that the recall was because,
for some reason, the manufacturer had decided not to market it. In the
United States anymore.
At that time, I had laid in a supply of what was
still available; but fragrances are like wine:
Once you've opened the bottle and
exposed to air, it starts to change. After
a few years, it can really turn on you. So,
it was time to find a new fragrance. And,
so on, off to the shopping mall, to the fragrance counters at
Macy's and
Emporium (in matters of fragrance, Pennies is only a step up from
Kmart--forget it).
The trouble with fragrance counters this that there
are so many to choose from. Once
again, “Jeannie” prove to be invaluable (she reads
Vogue and
Vanity Fair
religiously). She approaches
fragrances like a wine connoisseur: “This
one has a mossy base note with fruity top notes”. “This one has a good
advertising campaign, but you'll hate the way it smells on you.”.
For your information, by the way, fragrances come
in three basic types: Perfume,
with an oil base; Cologne, with an alcohol base; and Eau de cologne,
with a water based. You can guess
which one is the most expensive.
The salespeople were very helpful, handing out free
samples and letting you use the testers.
There is a new wrinkle in using testers now:
You spray the cologne on a piece of paper, or a card.
That way, your individual body
chemistry doesn't interfere with the fragrance…and three hours later,
you may still be able to remember which smell is which.
This is better than spray one
brand on your right wrist and another on your left and then asking
yourself later: “Is this
Opium or
Poison?”
Inevitably, of course, you have to take the acid
test and try it out on yourself. This
is because as soon as the fragrance hits your skin those merry little
molecules start rushing around, bumping into each other, recombining and
throwing off electrons. After a
few hours, what smelled good in the store may smell great on you--or it
may smell like rancid carrot juice.
All the cosmetic houses are in the fragrance
business now, as are a lot of designers,
Anne Klein,
Ralph Lauren; and
celebrities, like Elizabeth Taylor and
Baryshnikov.
Taylor, I can see, but how does
being a (male) ballet dancer make you an expert on women's fragrances?
On the other hand, if
Monet and
Renoir were alive today, they'd probably be pushing perfumes.
“Try ‘Sunday Afternoon in the
Park’, created especially for you by
George of Paris!”
“Jeannie” went through the list, offering some,
summarily rejecting others. “What
about this one?” “Okay, if you
want to smell like a magazine.”
“Try this one.” “Smells
like grandma's soap.”
With so many to choose from, I finally decided to
try out a fairly “inexpensive” cologne put out by
Victoria's Secret;
something “inspired” by the love affair between Anne Boleyn and Henry
VIII, which conveniently ignores the fact that he had her head whacked
off three years later. I also got
lots of free samples to try out at home.
But I've already discovered the fastest, cheapest and easiest
way to try out a free perfume:
Just rub your Macy's bill behind your ears and go.
Ashland update…
|
Monday |
7/29/91 |
Drive to Ashland |
|
|
|
Tuesday |
7/30/91 |
2:00 |
Bowmer |
|
|
Tuesday |
7/30/91 |
8:30 |
Eliz |
|
|
Wednesday |
7/31/91 |
2:00 |
Bowmer |
Some
Americans Abroad (?) |
|
Wednesday |
7/31/91 |
8:30 |
Eliz |
|
|
Thursday |
8/1/91 |
10:00 |
Black Swan |
Backstage Tour |
|
Thursday |
8/1/91 |
2:00 |
|
Free afternoon |
|
Thursday |
8/1/91 |
8:30 |
Eliz |
|
|
Friday |
8/2/91 |
Drive Home |
|
|
We’re still on the waiting list for
Some Americans Abroad; but I
haven't heard anything yet, so don't hold your breath.
It may end up being another
“free” afternoon. I use the word
“free” loosely, since it's most likely we’ll all spend it spending
money.
Love, as always,
Pete
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