Penhaligon’s Portraits Collection: A family affair with plenty of more stories to tell
There is something inherently noble that courses through Penhaligon’s iconic Portraits Collection. Each character in this reimagined aristocracy offers as compelling a story as any, producing scents that do justice to the animals that shape those cheeky bottlecaps. The more one smells the fragrances, the thicker the plot becomes.
This is all in the spirit of fun fiction, of course. The collection’s different chapters were designed to add more layers to Penhaligon’s 150-year tapestry. To keep the narrative going, the Maison called upon the services of some of the leading perfumers in the world to tie the story elements together. Alberto Morillas, Daphné Bugey, Christophe Raynaud and Alienor Massenet had all brought a unique flair to the different characters.
Lord George, for instance, enjoys a masculine profile, with hints of shaving cream, tonka bean and brandy. Introduced in 2017, his lover, Clandestine Clara, meanwhile, embodies a temptress on the outside looking in, with a bolder mix of musk and patchouli. It’s a fragrance that was meant to provoke, to say the least.
Roaring Radcliff takes on the role of the bad boy in the pack. Here Bugey noticeably went in the direction that resembled royal excess, with notes of tobacco, spices and good, old-fashioned rum. The Duke and Duchess, on the other hand, are characterised by a more rosy blend, albeit a difference in spice and oak.
Artist Kristhana Williams can be credited for each exotic animal’s tongue-in-cheek representation in the bottlecaps. The ornate illustrations are rendered in hyper-stylicised compositions, incorporating natural textures, fantastical patterns and rich jungle motifs. Williams’ eclectic touch, of course, just brings this endearing piece of olfactive fiction to life. Lord George would surely be proud.
Visit Penhaligon’s for more information.
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