Perfume Pilgrim

I know a place where glamour and beauty still exist. This hidden chamber on the fifth floor in Harrods is accessible from the Egyptian escalators. I have lost count of the number of times I have been there to shimmer and indulge in luxury. I have never been there and not received a wonderful reception and erudite service. Each guest I have brought there has been impressed and cooed and purred. My mother found her dream fragrance there, Le Dix, a sublime perfume concentrate and they have the last 65 bottles in the world.

Lo and behold, yesterday I met the man in person, and even if I hadn’t seen him before, I would know it was him as he has the aura of a superstar. My guess is he was wearing a silk Versace chemise in Gold and black which matched the black lacquered furnishings. If you are lucky you may also meet him, but if you want a “voyage of discovery” to find your signature fragrance you can book a personal appointment with him. He is the most quoted expert on perfume fragrance in the world, and had I not been overawed I may have been able to remember exactly what he said.

I fear I  may have made some inane comment about perfume but he delightfully responded by sharing something about cleaning his house recently and being able to recognise scents in his cleaning liquid that smelt like certain perfumes, and like a wine expert hinted at the nuances and subtleties.  (I was left wondering what cleaning fluid he uses, mine just smells like lemons.) He has put all his perfume wisdom to some more good use and created some gorgeous perfumes of his own, which just have to be smelled to be believed.

Lucky Londoners will be able to hear him give a talk on Fragrance this Friday evening, 14 Dec at the V&A museum. Yes, yes, I will be there too, so come and say hello.