synesthesia part 2: the summer edition

I am not a synesthete.  I am just pretending to be one for the purpose of this blog post.  Synesthesia is, according to Wikipedia, "a neurologically based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway."  An example of a synesthete is a person who automatically and involuntarily associates colors with certain numbers or letters.

In my previous synesthesia post, I matched some of my favorite fall and winter perfumes with items of vintage clothing I found on Etsy.  I'm doing the same again, only this time with some of my favorite summer scents, and including vintage and reconstructed fashions from Etsy, as well as jewelry.  This was fun for me--hope you enjoy!

Here's my current top summer scent rotation:

1. Etro Anice.  A sweet, yet clean, black licorice scent.  Like Good & Plenty candy, or better yet, a cool cocktail made with absinthe.  Maybe I'm being too obvious, but this 1940s corde bag from BessGeorgette naturally makes me think black licorice.

2. Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca.  A refreshing blend of mint, citrus, and grass.  Sparkling mint green celluloid buckle from jeanjeanvintage.

3. Miller Harris En Sens de Bois is a woodsy vetiver scent.  Vetiver is a tall, fragrant grass native to India that is often used to control soil erosion.  It has an earthy, rather smoky scent that I love; many of my favorite perfumes include vetiver as a primary note. And I have to share this beautiful quote from vetiver.org:  "Indian poets referred to vetiver scent as 'the smell of the first monsoon shower on parched soil', and 'the perfume of a rejuvenated earth.'"  Moss green lace and satin dress from DearGoldenVintage.

4. CB I Hate Perfume Memory of Kindness.  Probably my favorite summer scent.  Very simple--smells like tomato leaves.  Not tomatoes, but the plant.  Heavenly.  1950s tomato red Lilli Diamond dress with a leafy print, from clostetcaseVNTG.

5. Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Foglie di Basilico.  Straight up basil leaf.  1950s kelly green cocktail dress by missfarfalla.

6. Hermes Hermessence Rose Ikebana.  I am not a big fan of floral scents, but I do like the scent of rose, especially when it's blended with something zingy like--in this case--rhubarb.  Rhubarb rose chalcedony pearl necklace from fiveforty.

7. L'Occitane Verbena.  A sparkling lemony verbena scent, hugely refreshing and energizing, and probably my most-worn summer scent.  The matching scented Soothing Body Ice Gel is one of my summer must-haves.  Shimmery 1960s pale yellow silk shantung beaded cocktail dress from  HinterlandVintage.

8. Rosine Un Zest de Rose.  A lemony rose scent (see my comments about Rose Ikebana).  Pretty reconstructed rose pink dress from AdelaideHomesewn.

xo

K

synesthesia

People who associate colors with certain numbers or letters are known as synesthetes. Synesthesia takes other forms (and you can read more about it here, on the Wikipedia). I don't think I'm a synesthete by nature, but I've been thinking for awhile that it would be fun to combine two of my favorite things--vintage clothing and perfume--in a blog post. The most obvious way was to take a few favorites from my perfume collection and find items on Etsy that evoke the scents for me.

Below is a photo of my perfume tray which holds some of my current rotation of favorites.

1. 10 Corso Como. This is a dark, smoky sandalwood. I think of it as a "serious" scent--there's nothing playful about it, though I do find it comforting and a bit cozy. This military-inspired Emanuel Ungaro dress from allencompanyinc is serious in style and cut, but there's something cozy and comforting to me about wool and about the dress' soft colors.

2. Black Cashmere by Donna Karan. Intensively spicy and woodsy scent (in an uber-cool modern-minimalist laydown bottle). Though called "cashmere," it's not soft, but rather luxuriously warming and dark--like this faux fur coat from swaneegrace.

3. Parfumerie Generale's Cadjmere 18, however, lives up to its name as a milky vanilla and woods blend with a decided note of orange peel on my skin that keeps it from being cloying. It is soft and comforting, just like this cozy cashmere sweater dress from Lolavintage.

4. Lorenzo Villoresi is probably my favorite perfumer, and his Piper Nigrum, one of my early favorites, remains at (or near) the top of my list. Though mainly a black pepper scent, it is rounded out with quite a lot of nutmeg, making it a scent at once cozy, spicy, and sparkling--just like this beaded knit outfit from DearGoldenVintage.

5. Dzing! by L'Artisan. This weird yet wonderful scent is my all-time favorite and my most-worn scent. It was inspired by the circus and smells of leather, sweetness, and a touch of animal. These great leather oxfords from dahlilafound encapsulate Dzing! for me: stylish, goes great with anything, and hardworking.

6. Balmain Ambre Gris. This is probably one of the least "me" scents of my collection. I admit (shamefacedly) that I broke the first law of perfume-buying, and bought this unsniffed, based on some online raves, the beauty of the bottle, and the fact that it was being sold at a deep discount. I was pretty sure the touch of tuberose in the notes would make it something I'd trade away immediately. Quite the opposite! This is a big, sweet, amber-spice scent, and that touch of tuberose gives it just the right dose of femininity. I love it, and wear it yearlong, but just a single spritz to the back of my neck.

This stunning Emma Domb dress from 13bees makes the same femme-but-not-too-delicate statement as Ambre Gris, I think.

7. I wish I had a better photo of my bottle of L.T. Piver Cuir de Russie, as the label has a charming illustration of a pair of Russian dancers. This is a honeyed leather scent. Actually, specifically, it smells to me of soft leather and beeswax candles, and is kind of how I imagine this wonderful leather coat from figandtwig smelling.

xo

K

done got tagged

I have been tagged by fellow Michigander and vintage lover, Jessica, who sells great vintage in her Etsy shop, LolaVintage. You should check out Jessica's shop, as well as her blog--she is adorable and bubbly, and has been posting some really fun novelty print dresses and skirts!

I'm supposed to share ten interesting things about me. Hm. Well...

1. I have no musical talent, but it's not from lack of trying on my parents' part. They signed me up for marching band when I was in first grade. I played the cymbals. Later in life I took piano lessons and really enjoyed them, but slacked off and never continued after I went away to college.

2. I have had a perfume problem. Let's just say I have more than a few bottles. I now avoid sampling new scents because I really do not need any more perfume, but it doesn't help when I read intriguing things, like the recent review of Serge Lutens' pine-y new Filles en Aiguilles at Marina's Perfume-Smellin' Things blog.

3. I know the very best people in the New York greater metropolitan area. I first became acquainted with them at college, and they are the most fun, the cutest, the crazy-dancingest, funniest, dearest people, and I miss them every single day!

4. I was a children's book editor in New York for several years before I moved to Michigan. It was a really great job--I still (literally) dream about it!--and I got to do cool things like talk to Judy Blume on the phone, edit Encyclopedia Brown books, travel to George Lucas' ranch, and meet people like Robert Cormier, the Duchess of York, and Patrick Ewing.

5. I grew up in Colorado, a mile from the mountains. I lived there for 11 years and never went skiing once...until after I left. And then, only cross country skiing, because...

6. ...though daring in some respects, in others, I am a big chicken! I do not like downhill skiing or rollercoasters or anything that involves fast speeds down steep inclines. My mother would tell you I have been cautious like this since I was a child.

7. These beautiful creatures rule my world.

8. I am a punk rock kid. Here I am with my ridiculous hair and Murphy's Law t-shirt, in high school.

9. I became passionate--some might say "ranty"--about politics after I moved to Michigan. That's probably the last you'll ever hear from me on that. Unless something makes me REALLY mad.

10. I want to live in the Tunnel of Trees!

I am supposed to tag 10 other bloggers, but I'm going to be an ornery slacker and just tag these six:

The Homey Economic
Bruises Easily
Brown Bag Vintage
Rust Belt Threads
13bees
Zwzzy!

Thanks for the tag, Jessica!

xo
k

surviving summer

Yes, it's mid-August, but it just so happens, summer--in all its icky-sticky humid glory--only just now arrived in Michigan. (Okay, well, right now it's actually pleasantly dry and lovely, but I'm sure it will soon be icky-sticky again.)

I adore autumn. I am the only person in the state of Michigan who does not complain about the long gray winter--I love it! Spring is delightful, but always makes me a bit edgy because I know my nemesis, Summer, is right around the corner. And in my case, it truly isn't the heat. It's the humidity. And the mosquitoes.

How do I survive summer? Sometimes it's so sticky and hot that even getting out onto the lake for a dip is too strenuous. These are the times for a tepid soak in the bathtub with a LUSH Big Blue bath bomb. Its gentle lavender and lemon scent somehow evokes the ocean--or maybe it's the blue water and bits of seaweed.



On the most humid days I require L'Occitane Verbena Soothing Body Ice Gel. Smells lovely--citrusy with just a slight touch of spiciness--sinks right in, and actually does have a slightly cooling sensation. I also wear the matching perfume all summer long; it's the best citrus scent I've ever smelled (and I've smelled a lot of perfume).



My other go-to summer fragrance is Hermes Hermessence Rose Ikebana. It's rhubarb and rose, with a touch of grapefruit (which, come to think of it, sounds like a lovely cocktail). Only available at Hermes boutiques or via decanters like the fine folks at The Perfumed Court.




I'm not a shorts girl--at least, not in public. I think skirts are much prettier, and also, cooler (temperature and fashion-wise). I love the kitschy cool fairy tale/alpine-inspired skirts in madewithlovebyhannah's Etsy shop, like this Red Riding Hood skirt! (I am pretty sure I need one of her velveteen Winter Woods skirts for fall.)



Skirts and pretty, full-skirted dresses, like this one from VintageRoseClothing on Etsy, are my summer wardrobe staples. This pretty pink dress is perfect for a hot summer day, and VintageRose has a great selection of other dresses in her shop.



Of course, an icy cocktail, like a gin and tonic with frozen blueberries, a drink my friend Roberta introduced me to, always helps. Booze and antioxidants, all in one delicious dose!



And sometimes, only a viewing of a snowy film like Doctor Zhivago will do.



I hope you're all keeping cool this summer! Got any heat-beating tips for this summer-hating grouch?

xo
k