by Johanna Osborne

Introducing ‘Mrs’ – the first official scent of the Wellington Wedding Show!

Some people are born with a nose. Not necessarily a prominent nose like Gerard Depardieu’s famous one, but rather a nose that is keen and sensitive to the smells of the world around us. If you have ever read ‘Le Parfum’ by German author Patrick Susskind you will know what I mean. For out of all of our senses, smell is sometimes underrated, when in fact it determines so so much.

We all have our first memories of fragrance and how it affected our lives. From the musky scent that you recall on grandma’s cardigan when she squeezed you close, to the crisp aftershave your grandfather heavy handily splashed on, to the precious first bottle you ever owned. I remember the perfume I wore when I first met my husband and so does he. There’s nothing like a smell that awakens the senses and brings back amazing memories, or even better, helps you create new ones.

And of course I’m not alone, for there are those that are so passionate that they have made an entire career out of the wonderful world of fragrance. And that is who we are talking to today, the master of scent, Francesco van Eerd himself. Francesco is the talented and charismatic owner and Director of Fragrifert Parfumeur. You may recognise Francesco from his performances at the Frank Kitts Market or his ‘Pecha Kucha’ presentation at Downstage, or perhaps you have been lucky enough to have been gifted one of his marvellous creations by a loved one. Regardless, being a Parfumeur is a true art and we are extremely lucky to have someone of this talent right here at our fingertips.

Right now the hottest thing globally is to have a scent crafted specifically for you. Your very own signature scent, your personalised fragrance! It’s all the rage in Hollywood, and we never thought we’d have the same privilege. But we are very excited to announce that is exactly what we have done – right here in little old Wellington! Francesco van Eerd has created for us an exclusive fragrance called ‘Mrs’ which we will be giving to some of our lucky brides-to-be at the Wellington Wedding Show on the 5th of May in the TSB Arena. Nothing beats that!

The brief for our ‘Mrs’ fragrance was simple – we wanted it to be a light perfume that makes brides feel happy. For Francesco this allowed a fair amount of latitude and scope to delve into the various fragrance families, and he did not disappoint. He shares; “After spending some considerable time exploring the floral oriental and chypre categores, I decided that while classically beautiful and chique, they would be too heavy to fit the brief. In the end I chose instead to go for a bright and sunny floral combination of the heliotrope, rose petals and lily, adding undertones of white musk to give stamina and maturity. I then added just a touch of the incredibly refined Italian Iris for finesse and sophistication, and voila! Mrs was born!”

Francesco proudly goes on; “While it is obviously impossible to please everybody, I am confident that ‘Mrs’ will make most brides feel ravishingly beautiful, sophisticated and vivacious and add a ‘frisson’ of splendour to the most important day of their lives!” We could not agree more with his prediction!

We could not help but ask Francesco for some tips when selecting a fragrance; “Never choose a perfume without having tested it for at least a day. Impulsive perfume purchases often end up languishing in a forgotten cupboard somewhere. Never smell a perfume directly from the bottle. You will only get the top notes and miss the heart and base almost completely. Smell from a smelling strip, or better still, spray some on yourself so you will get the full ‘picture’.” To experience a slow-motion version of a perfume and get a better appreciation of the various stages of development, Francesco recommends spraying it onto your clothes or handkerchief instead of your skin. It will ‘develop’ at a much reduced speed when compared to spraying it on the (much warmer) skin. He also advises to trust your instincts; “Asking your friends which perfume they like on you is all good and wonderful, but you are the one who has to live with it. If you don’t like it, don’t let anyone talk you into using it. Trust your own nose.”Francesco cites the classical L’Heure Bleu (Guerlain) and of the more recent offerings Black (Bulgari) as some of the best the perfume world has to offer.

We feel giving a perfume as a gift is a great idea, particularly a Bespoke one that has been carefully created especially for the recipient. It is an involved process, which makes it all the more special and unique. Francesco agrees; “Perfume is communication. If you care to learn the language of fragrance (or use someone who has), you can use them to not just give your beloved compliments but affect their feelings, even touch their innermost beings. It truly is a most intimate and personal of presents, and the gift of a well-chosen perfume will instantly propel you into the inner circle of your recipient’s friends.”

So next time you are at a loss as to what to buy your loved one, remember there really is nothing sweeter or more romantic. Just ask the master himself, Francesco!

Francesco van Eerd
Perfumer/Manager
Fragrifert Parfumeur
The best perfumes that never were…
Wellington, New Zealand
(04) 9348290
027 6071852
www.fragrifert.co.nz

Francesco distilling daphnes