Dollars For Scents

Summer fragrance -- the smell of fresh cut grass, flowers, the sea air -- exquisite.  Then, there's car exhaust, rotting garbage and sweaty strangers packed together in a subway car slipping against one another as the train jostles them around.  Okay, that wasn't meant to sound like a Danielle Steel novel, but if you want to picture Fabio, go ahead. 

heehee...

I'm not a fan of "The Fab," but there's never anyone even remotely romance "novelesque" squished up against me in that subway car!  Murphy's Law, I always get stuck with the smelly guy -- the one who needs to take a shower or the one who smells like he showered in Hai Karate or bathed in Drakkar Noir.  If you ever needed an excuse to start wearing perfume, summer in the city is a good one.  Just don't overdo it!  And don't wear the cheap stuff, spend a little more cash on something refined and subtle.

I particularly like Prada for everyday since I find it to be light and soft.  I wish it lasted a bit longer, but that could just be my personal body chemistry.  Speaking of that, I once had a guy tell me that I should bottle my scent because I'd make millions.  If anyone can help me figure out how to package and market it, I'd be more than willing to share the wealth!

Prada--blend of: mandarin, vanilla, rose absolute, labdanum, bergamont, tonka bean, bitter orange, and sandalwood

I also love Agent Provacateur, but I tend to wear it in the evenings as I find it a bit stronger than the Prada. The packaging is fab and their lingerie is even more fab, so how can you go wrong?  But, perhaps I'm just partial to it because Jospeh Corré (the founder) is the son of British designer, Vivienne Westwood and the late Malcolm McLaren.

AP purse spray

And since I'm a packaging whore fanatic, I still keep a couple of bottles of Bulgari around even though I don't love the scent (for me).  But, that doesn't mean they aren't sublime for someone else.

Bulgari Black and Bulgari Blue

(Bulgari "Bitch Slap" not pictured)

What are some of your favorite fragrances?  Men, you can play too!  I'm dying to hear from my amazing, beauty editor pal, Candice Sabatini.  Candice regularly attends Sniffapalooza and she has quite the nose! 

Bye for now taffetadarlings!  Smell ya later!  LOL

McLaren... The Original Anarchist

Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the U.K.

Over the past several years, I have become much more interested in karma, fate, destiny and the energy in the universe. I've never been a religious person, but I can definitely say that I am spiritual. I have experienced some strange and unexpected situations lately, so it's possible that I put too much stock into little coincidences.

Malcolm McLaren with the Sex Pistols, circa 1976

Photo Credit: mirror.co.uk

In any case, I found it a little weird that I had mentioned the entrepreneurial leader of punk, Malcolm McLaren in my post on April 7. I also talked about him in my post about Sex Pistols front man, Johnny Rotten (aka John Lydon) back on January 31 (Johnny's birthday). When I heard of McLaren's passing yesterday, I got chills. I know that I am, but a little speck in this big universe, so it would be unbelievably egocentric to think I had something to do with it, but I did find it odd that I had just mentioned him the day before his passing.

 

Sex Pistols in the trash

As if that didn't freak me out enough, I had just featured Vivienne Westwood in my "Happy Birthday" section of this blog because Ms. Westwood turned 69 years old yesterday. As most of you know, McLaren and Westwood were an item in the late 60's through 70’s. Strange that he passed away on her birthday, no? The couple have a son together, Jospeh Corre, who happens to be the founder of my favorite lingerie line, Agent Provocateur.

McLaren & Westwood, circa 1977

In 1971, Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood opened a shop in London where they sold clothing that they designed for theatrical productions. McLaren met the band the New York Dolls (yep, Buster Poindexter!) in NYC in 1972 and upon returning to London, he started to create costumes for the group.

New York Dolls

Photo Credit: bbc.co.uk

By 1975, McLaren had renamed the shop SEX, selling a variety of S&M style apparel. Original Sex Pistols bassist, Glen Matlock (later replaced by Sid) worked at the shop and McLaren started to manage the band (called The Strand at the time). When McLaren was introduced to the eccentric John Lydon, he recruited him to be the lead singer of the band and renamed them the Sex Pistols. In 1977, their first single “God Save the Queen” was released. McLaren was arrested after he arranged for the Pistols to perform outside the Houses of Parliament.

Johnny Rotten

MaLaren managed other bands such as; Adam and the Ants, Bow Wow Wow and the New York Dolls. Apparently, McLaren was interested in managing the group the Red Hot Chili Peppers and approached lead singer Anthony Kiedis in 1985, but was unimpressed with them after a live set. He proposed to reinvent the band and Kiedis and his mates rejected the offer.

Adam & the Ants

Bow Wow Wow

McLaren also had a solo career in the 80’s and 90’s collaborating with Jeff Beck, Bootsy Collins and even Catherine Deneuve. Then in 2004, his song “About Her,” based on the Zombies hit “She’s Not There” was used by Quentin Tarantino in his cult film, Kill Bill Vol. 2. McLaren was accused of plagiarism for allegedly copying the work of a French musician, but was cleared of the charges.

McLaren circa 1975 in front of his shop in London

McLaren spent his later years living with his Korean American girlfriend Young Kim between Paris and New York. Malcolm McLaren died on April 8, 2010 at age 64 of mesothelioma in a clinic in Switzerland.

UPDATE 4.11.2010 :  The brilliant WendyB kindly sent me this post that she did back in October 2007.  It's chock-full of McLaren info.  She also mentions him here.  What can I say, great minds think alike!  Or, at least they like the same music!!  Thanks Wendy... you ROCK!