First of all, apologies for radio silence. Like many other bloggers who started out around ten years ago, my perfume and blogging fervor has waned significantly in recent times. A large part of that is no doubt down to the passage of time but the pandemic certainly played a part in my case. At this point, I can’t imagine going back to regular blogging but I am keeping the blog live so the old posts aren’t lost and in case our beloved Val ever wishes to write again.
All the same, I’m very happy to hear that Perfume Lovers London is returning after being on hiatus since Covid. It is being organised and hosted by lovely former member Brooke, who has sent me all the details below:
Barbara Herman, founder and creative director of New York based niche perfume brand ERIS PARFUMS will be flying over to meet with the group on Friday 28th October at the October Gallery in Bloomsbury. She’ll be sharing the stories and exploring the ingredients that comprise ERIS’s seven fragrances, all composed by master perfumer Antoine Lie. Everyone who attends will be able to experience natural ambergris, hyraceum, seaweed, tuberose and more alongside each of the finished scents.
Barbara started out as a blogger for Yesterday’s Perfume (2008 – 2012), writing her impressions of the vintage fragrances that she started collecting in 2008. This exploration turned into a book, Scent and Subversion: Decoding a Century of Provocative Perfume, which looked at the cultural, political, and aesthetic history of 20th century perfume, with an original focus on its queer, subversive nature and how it upended conventions around gender, gentility, and even our sense of smell as the lowest in the hierarchy of the senses.
Barbara’s talk will begin at 7pm in the October Gallery’s Club Room. Tickets cost £25, which can be used towards an ERIS fragrance on the night of the event. Copies of Scent and Subversion and ERIS Discovery Sets will also be available for purchase. You can book a ticket here.
It would be good to catch up in the comments. Let me know how things are with you.
A Bottled Rose 