This edition’s Scent Story is centered around the interpretation of fragrance. It demonstrates how one image, one costume, one concept, can produce very different results depending on your interpretation and approach. These were all created by me. However, if we introduced 10 different perfumers to make their version, it would result in 10 very different renditions. With that being said, I wanted to paint a clear picture between a photorealistic fragrance take, and a fantasy one, by allowing you to smell them side by side in comparison.
First, we have the sheet ghost costume. For the literal accord, I wanted it to smell like a freshly laundered sheet, trapped skin and breath, and the occasional waft of crispy air and leaves. A very literal, photorealistic interpretation of a person wearing a sheet on a cool autumn evening. Upon smelling the sampled fragrance, you’re first hit with the aroma of clean sheet. It smells like detergent and cotton and it hits strong up front. Reminiscent of opening a dryer and the clean aroma that wafts out. Sit with it a little longer and you start to get the aroma of skin that mingles closely with the aroma of warm breath. It smells warm, salty, and possibly even mildly off-putting. Peaking through from time to time, you’ll pick up on what feels like leaves in autumn. Crisp, earthy, and a touch snappy.
In comparison, we have next, the fantasy accord for sheet ghost. Fantasy accords are typically attributed to what one feels like something would smell like, if it doesn’t already have a distinguishable aroma. This can apply to pairing an aroma to an experience, to a story, to romanticized versions of things (think pirate themed aromas smelling of rum and ship wood as opposed to scurvy and poor hygiene), and to fictional characters, among other things. In order to take a more fantasy approach, I interpreted that someone wearing a ghost costume may want to smell like a ghost, a phantom, something subtle and elusive. To do so, I blended gently, the aroma of dusty floorboards, white musk, and mist. Evoking the experience of something gracing your presence, but not distinctly enough to quite put your finger on. It still comes off as “clean”, but the more it unfolds, the more elusive it becomes. The subtle woody, dusty notes come forth, as if shrouded in a cloud of mist.
On the following page, we have the zombie costume interpretations. Starting off with the literal accord, I chose to take the direction of a corpse, once buried, coming to life and climbing out of a grave. Had a taken a disease-ridden and rampant spreading type of zombie approach, it would have taken on a different life. This version, however, smells much of embalming fluid, coagulated blood (however, if embalmed, there would be no blood, if I am not mistaken- we'll look past that), flesh and dirt. This one is quite pungent at first. It regrettably tells a better story on skin than in sniffing form (do not apply to skin). Once it breathes a moment, you can smell past the embalming aroma and to the fleshy and earthiness of it. It takes on a quite animalic essence. The more I sit with it, the more it smells like animal, dirt, sweat and almonds. A unique experience from start to finish but not the most inviting aroma. Much as I’d imagine a zombie to be.
Lastly, we have the fantasy zombie accord. This gives off the essence of “living dead” without scaring away your company. It combines dirt, grass (like a freshly dug grave), musk, cumin and black pepper to add a tinge of sharp “ick” that isn’t quite as repulsive as embalming fluids and rotting flesh. The more I smell it, the less fresh earth it smells and the more sweaty and flesh-like it smells. This could be a good fragrance pairing for a zombie costume, as it is wearable and still tells a story.
It all boils down to interpretation and personal preference. For me, If I were to choose one as a fragrance pairing with a costume, I would have chosen the fantasy accord for the sheet ghost. As I will already be first-hand experiencing the literal interpretation, and would want to smell more ghost-like for costume sake. However, if I were to make a perfume called “Sheet Ghost” (which I once did 😉), it would be closer to the literal interpretation. For the zombie, I would have chosen the literal interpretation for the costume pairing. If I look dead, I want to smell dead. I’ll happily scare away the company. Plus, this one tells its best story when worn, a regrettable side effect of sniff-only samples. However, if I were to make a perfume of zombie essence, I must admit, I am torn. Both could fit the part. Perhaps a combination of both. I would love to hear your feedback. Did your nose pick up on the same things, or was your experience different? Would you wear any of these essences? How do you feel about the concept of Scent Stories and having more interactive spreads like this in future magazines?
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Adding this comment to say, future Scent Story samples will come labeled, so you can take them off the page and smell them without worry of mixing them up or confusing which scent went where. I hope the experience is still enjoyable given this oversight for this first edition. Much love!