NAOMI GOODSIR - Or du Sérail

I'm sure you'll forgive me for a moment for championing some home-grown talent, but watching Aussie milliner extraordinaire Naomi Goodsir's star rise in recent years has been an absolute joy to behold... particularly where her stunning fragrances are concerned. Goodsir has built her international reputation on the back of her quirky, newfangled and luxurious headwear which has had the spotlight trained to it since the early 2000's. More recently however, it has also been in part, for her parfums d'exception.

In October 2012, Sorcery of Scent reviewed the exquisite Bois d'Ascese and Cuir Velours - a pair of striking scents that marked Naomi's first foray into fine fragrance. In 2014, Parfums Naomi Goodsir have launched Or du Sérail - the latest in the trio which speaks of Asiatic opulence and richness.

Or du Sérail is a Bertrand Duchaufour creation with an enchanting Oriental slant... it captures the sensation of warm skin, hazy air and golden light. A citrusy, fruity opening tickles the nose with the scent of plump berries and tropical fruits... a cornucopia of dewy, nectar-like accords that stimulates one's saliva glands. Moments in, a huff of chocolatey / coconutty lavishness appears over a steadily-thickening seam of warm, ambery accords that swell from beneath. A sweet, heady wisp of ylang ylang imbues the heart with a staunchly sensual feel, whilst a swirling ribbon of golden brown tobacco and fragrant woods bring with it a bittersweet richness reminiscent of the air trapped in a hookah den. As Or du Sérail unfurls, one cannot help but be enchanted and consumed by its narcotising lavishness. It's trail lingers on skin for many hours - a caramel-like whisper left behind to beckon and cajole.

Hats off (no pun intended) to Naomi and creative director Renaud Coutaudier. Or du Sérail takes its place amongst its older siblings as not only a very worth successor, but also one of the most interesting niche releases of this year.

Or du Sérail is available in Australia at Peony Haute Parfumerie in Melbourne, or internationally at e-tailers such as Ausliebezumduft.

NAOMI GOODSIR PARFUMS - A Tip of the Hat to Consummate Craftsmanship

Australian milliner Naomi Goodsir has been producing unique and fanciful work for well over a decade - her eye for innovation and her love of using non-traditional materials render her exquisite hats highly desirable and collectable works of art. After a rewarding mentorship working with one of Schiaparelli's protégés, and having collaborated with acclaimed fashion designers the world over, Goodsir's name has fast become synonymous with bespoke couture millinery pieces that both shock and surprise. In 2008, Naomi expanded her imaginative oeuvre to fashion a signature collection of handbags and accessories, and now, in 2012 she is set to make a splash in the independent perfume world.

Naomi Goodsir Parfums debuted at Fragranze in Florence just a few short weeks ago, and instantly commanded the attention of the niche perfume community. In bringing this line to market, Goodsir joined forces with Creative Director Renaud Coutaudier and the pair worked hard to combine their creative sensibilities and intuitiveness to see the series come to fruition. Following the vast tradition of unique, artisanal perfume houses that have gone before them, Naomi Goodsir Parfums are created and hand-packed in France; presented in time-honoured glass flacons with black bakelite caps. To date, two fragrances constitute the Goodsir perfume portfolio: Cuir Velours and Bois d'Ascèse... both of which in terms of style and approach, manage to tippy-toe the line between the 'au courant', and the classic perfume pillars of the past.

Cuir Velours is a Leather Oriental - one that opens with a striking 1930's apparition of waxy vermillion-painted lips and powdered faces. It has a delicate felt-like texture, and the steadily growing sensation of an ambery / tobaccoey warmth pressing up from beneath.

A moderately bitter leather accord furnishes the scent with a whimsical sigh, and a scattering of papery immortelle blossoms; a certain spiced piquancy.

There is a comforting rummy syrupiness that grows at the heart of the scent... it intensifies until a rather wonderful transformation takes place: Cuir Velours suddenly shifts into a shower of sugar-dusted blossoms which tumble over a traditional oriental labdanum/vanilla base. The trail is satisfying and lingering, with flashes of bitter leather that re-emerge from time to time to keep the saccharine qualities in check.

Whilst the beautiful floral heart is devoutly feminine in style, Cuir Velours can be worn and enjoyed  by men for its tobacco warmth and deeply satisfying acerbity.

Bois d'Ascèse loosley translates to "Wood of Asceticism"... "asceticism" meaning the practice of severe self-discipline and abstinence. I find this a fitting title to bestow upon this scent, as it is a wonderfully smokey, resinous, woody fragrance which calls to mind the many woods and incenses burned in ascetic rituals that span from the pagan to the ecclesiastical.

Bois d'Ascèse opens, however, with a quality very familiar and quite personal to me and my profession - it conjures memories of hours spent rummaging in art supplies stores; heavy oak shelves lined with papers, the smell of sweet gouaches in tubes, sharpened pencils, and dry conté sticks by the dozen. This indulgent recollection is quite fleeting though, as a fine grey ribbon of smoke meanders its way through the topnotes, imbuing the composition with a dry, coal-like texture. Bois d'Ascèse is a spectacular scent with a an emphasis on charred cade wood, bittersweet tobacco leaves and beautifully unfolding resins. Its glorious oakmoss / frankincense base makes for a fragrance which not demonstrates a cognizance of perfume-making tradition, but also rivals the best I've smelled in a long time.

The nose behind Cuir Velours and Bois d'Ascèse is Julien Rasquinet - trained by perfume royalty, Pierre Bourdon. A third perfume is already in the works, Nuit de Bakélite, and this time it is Isabelle Doyen of Annick Goutal doing the honours.

Naomi Goodsir Parfums excite and enchant every bit as one of her exquisite handbags or made-to-measure chapeaus. Her perfumes are currently being rolled out to select perfume retailers globally.

For more info on Naomi Goodsir's collections, visit: www.naomigoodsir.com