The Diary of a Nose: A Year in the Life of a Parfumeur

Jean-Claude Ellena

იან. 2013 · Rizzoli Publications

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Hermès’ longtime master perfumer offers a rare glimpse into the mysterious, intoxicating world of creating luxury perfume.

How does one capture the essence of emotions, of desire . . . in a scent?

A scent has incantatory powers, capable of transporting you to your past, of kindling fantasies, of creating a vivid mise en scène—literally out of thin air. In the hands of the truly great, perfume creation is a kind of alchemy.
 
Jean-Claude Ellena has a sublime gift. As parfumeur exclusif—or “the nose”—for Hermès, he elevates fragrance to an art form. A “writer of perfume,” his concoctions are as finely composed and evocative as a haiku. He is also a conjurer of sorts: “I create an illusion that is actually stronger than reality . . . you enter the scent and follow the path.”

The Diary of a Nose is a collection of Ellena’s meditations on the world of scents, and what stirs his creation of some of the world’s most desired fragrances. Inspiration can come from anywhere—a market stall, a landscape, or even the movement of calligraphy. Though each smell has its own distinct character, a gifted perfumer creates olfactory experiences that are intensely personal and unique, that blossom on the body and leave a trace of us lingering after we have left a room. Seductive, delicate, and elegant as any of Ellena’s creations, The Diary of a Nose seeks to capture the most elusive facets of this rarefied and mysterious art.

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Jean-Claude Ellena has been the exclusive perfumer to the house of house of Hermès since 2004. Over the course of his career he has created some of the world’s bestselling fragrances, including "First" from Van Cleef & Arpels, "Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert" from Bulgari, and "Déclaration" from Cartier.