Grace Coddington is Vogue's secret weapon (or last hope)

It's no secret that most (all?) magazines are struggling. Vogue has done very little to remain relevant in recent years. As a matter of fact, the most publicity it probably got was when Meryl Streep donned a pair of Manolos to play Miranda Priestly, a character based on Anna Wintour in The Devil Wears Prada. Then came another movie. This time a documentary, The September Issue, which has brought to the public's attention that Vogue is more than Wintour and Andre Leon Talley with their society obsession and celeb anti-culture. The movie allowed Grace Coddington, Vogue's wonderful creative director, emerge and shine from behind her boss' tiresome bob with her dry sense of humour and dry red hair.

It looks like someone in Vogue's PR department has been paying attention, which explains the email I and other subscribers got yesterday. The message, titled "What's Your Story" was signed by Grace Coddington and featured the above picture (photographed by Didier Malige) as well as a longish blurb in which Coddington told about her Welsh childhood and how Vogue has inspired her dreams and made her move to London and become a model.  Apparently, the magazine is finally trying to engage readers and urges us to send them our own personal Vogue stories, promising that the best ones would be published in the April issue.

You know what? I'm sending them mine. After all, who can resist either one of the faces in the photo?

Mona di Orio Chamarre (and more disturbing news)

The good news is that Chamarré, the new perfume from Mona di Orio, is quite lovely and doesn't have the disturbing opening found in so many of Di Orio's scents*. The bad news is that if you're in the USA, there's no way to buy it (unless one of the few remaining European distributors is willing to ship).

The even worse news is that the only place that still carries the Mona di Orio line here, Spafumerie (2nd Ave. and 48th st, NYC. A must-visit destination), will not be getting Chamarré and according to the SA with whom I spoke today, is most likely to stop offering the other MdO perfumes. The reason? It's a hard sell. Customers just don't get it and are unwilling to give the fragrances the time of the day once they smell the unpleasant opening. The store still has a few bottles of the older perfumes (Lux, Nuit Noire, Carnation, Amyitis and Oiro) and the scented candles, but as of right now, they would not be getting any more.

But back to Chamarre. The opening is very friendly with a burst of lavender and clary sage. The official notes also include aldehyde, but this isn't what you expect from an aldehydic perfume- the ghosts of No. 5 and Arpege are definitely not here. There's just a light and airy burst that keeps the lavender from smelling like a traditional cologne. The first time I wore Chamarre, it made me think of the top notes in Tauer's Reverie, but it might have been just a craving on my side, as the perfumes are nothing alike, despite the herbal aspect.

As the opening wears off, Chamarré becomes much more of a skin scent. The florals are powdery and subdued, I get more violet than rose and it all dries down into an almost fuzzy, nubby texure. It has a musky presence, and just like in Carnation, the result is more than a little carnal. The effect has also reminded me of Frederic Malle's Dans tes Bras (sans earth and mushrooms), though Chamarré is brighter.

I wish Chamarré had a better sillage and was longer lasting. After three hours one risks a neck injury from the nose-to-cleavage action (there was nothing left on my wrists). The leftover scent on my clothes reveals a warm and dry violet, elegant and not too rich. I'm starting to think of is as a violet scent the more I wear it, probably for this reason. My husband tried it once and found it pleasant enough and men-friendly, but nothing to rock his socks. I like it quite a bit and think it could have been more popular than the other di Orio perfumes (personally, I still prefer Carnation), if not for the little problem of marketing and availability.

As I've mentioned in my previous post on the subject, Mona di Orio perfumes are no longer sold at Bergdorf Goodman and Aedes in NYC. If I understand correctly, the problem is not limited to the US and other European distributors have also removed the line from the shelves, though unlike the USA situation it is not confirmed. Liberty London only has Lux, Nuit Noire and Oiro, but Les Senteurs actually has Chamarré in stock, which is a very good sign. If any of my readers know more details, please comment. The MdO web site does not have e-commerce at this time (why? You'd think they'd learn something from Ormonde Jayne, Andy Tauer, Vero Kern and many others. It's not that complicated). It's sad how such a deserving line is getting lost not because of quality, but because of poor marketing and communication from the house and mostly an oversight when it comes to the house's biggest and best potential fan base.

The perfume enthusiasts are online. We read (and write) blogs. We post on message boards and join Facebook groups. We email , we Twit and most of all: we shop online. That is, if you let us.

*My husband's intitial reaction to Nuit Noire on a scent strip was "vile". Then I sprayed it on and he agreed it was beautiful and sexy. Take that, Luca Turin.

Art: Violet Nude by John Keaton

The Mysterious Case Of Mona Di Orio

The latest online kerfuffle among the perfume-obsessed centers around niche brand Mona do Orio. There were some speculations that the house is going out of business, as the bottles were pulled of the shelves and no longer available. On the other hand, Mona di Orio's web site is up, running and lists a new fragrance, Chamarre.

I emailed the Mona di Orio rep as well as Aedes, trying to figure it out. Karl from Aedes confirmed they will no longer carry the brand. Getting a direct answer from the house itself proved to be a bit harder. First, they tried claiming that some of their US retailers do have an online service and that I should look at the MdO website for details, and by the way, did I know they have a new perfume?

Seriously? Head, meet desk.

I sent a second email, pointing them to the fact that out of the three US retailers listed on the Mona di Orio website, two (Bergdorf and Aedes) have officially stopped carrying it, and the third, Spafumerie* in NYC, does not have e-commerce or any mention of MdO. That, at least, got them to admit that, indeed, Mona di Orio no longer has a US outlet. According to Jeroen Oude Sogtoen who corresponded with me, they are now searching for a good distributor.

So there you have it. Mona di Orio is still producing perfumes. It's the selling part that's gotten a bit tricky.

*Spafumerie NYC (on 2nd Ave and 48th st.) seems like a wonderful place worth checking. It's gotten rave reviews from recent visitors, but their website takes you back to 1996 when merchants had their nephews who knew a couple of HTML tags do a little website with a badly taken photo and horrible graphics.

Is Henri Bendel Owned By Young Mr. Grace?

I considered writing a long rant in which I'd question the genius business minds behind Henri Bendel, and their decision to keep their online presence to an absolute minimum. Yes, there's a web site, but you can only buy the store brand signature items. If you desire a striped makeup bag you're in luck. If you want to buy Secretion Magnifique, not so much.

But then, why bother?

Here's the link, see for yourself how one of the top department stores in NYC (and the US) operates its web business in 2008:
http://www.henribendel.com/shop

Yes, there is a concierge service, which I'm guessing means you can order by phone, but the website doesn't even list what exactly you can buy there.

Are you being served?

Original store image from Henri Bendel site. Botched photoshopping: Mine. Harold Bennett as Young Mr. Grace from somewhere on the net.

Ôverhype- Lancome Ôscillation Mascara

A first edition tube of mascara. Seriously.

I probably shouldn't be speaking, considering I attended three Harry Potter parties when the last books came out. I couldn't wait for the morning and had to get my paws on a copy at midnight (and spend most of the night reading). But I just can't wrap my mind around the idea of people supposedly standing in line to be the first ones to buy a vibrating mascara. I'm staying home.

What do you think?

Image: Lancome.com

Exceptionnel de Chanel: An eMarketing Campaign

Regular readers of this blog know I'm usually a big fan of Chanel makeup. Getting me interested in a new product shouldn't be hard, right?

But watching the ad on Chanel's new Exceptionnel mascara mini-site (turn the volume way down if you're at work) was more annoying than intriguing. From the (really bad) music to the ad copy ("she prepares to perform black magic that'll transform her eyes", "the black that puts the world at your feet". Seriously).

The design of the site is flawed: It doesn't take into account laptop users with smaller screens. I have a 15" widescreen and had to scroll down in search of any possible links to more information. Many would just close the tab quickly to escape the muzak and never know there were application tips and a preview of the entire Exceptionnel collection (not yet available, but looks interesting enough).

Also, a note to the good people of Chanel: your customers are a sophisticated bunch. They want real info about the new formula (what the hell is Volumeplast Complex?) and a better description of the brush (SculptVolume? Can we stop with made-up names?). That brush ballet in the mostly empty Design section (more of the bad music) is not helping.

To add insult to injury, the email newsletter promised "a limited time opportunity for Chanel.com subscribers". The great opportunity, apparently, is being subjected to that ad, because the option to buy the new mascara is readily available to any visitor of the regular Chanel website.

As far as I'm concerned, the great review of the new Givenchy mascara written by Cavewoman for Blogdorf Goodman is a lot more effective in getting me to the store.

Image: Chanel