“Two households, both alike in dignity”:Shalimar, Guerlain 1921 versus Opium, Yves St Laurent 1977. I thought it would be fun to play off pairs of iconic fragrances and see what I make of them. These are two big hitter, famous oriental* fragrances from two of the huge French houses, created 56 years apart. (*The term […]
A sister at the perfume counter
If Beale Street Could Talk, Barry Jenkins, 2018 This is a beautiful, subtle scene from If Beale Street Could Talk. Kiki Layne’s acting as Tish, her voiceover, the costume and the set design of a high-end New York department store in the mid 1970s communicate volumes about race, class, gender and the power dynamics of […]
The smell of fear in No Country for Old Men
He took two steps back and stood, his hands at shoulder level. Moss came around the end of the bed. The man was no more than ten feet away. The whole room was pulsing slowly. There was an odd smell in the air. Like some foreign cologne. A medicinal edge to it. Everything humming. Moss […]
Ada Marie, Ada Marie, Said Not a Word till the Day She Turned Three
Some of my favourite children’s books are the lovely series by Andrea Beaty. These books are joyous representations of the positive hopeful side of America, and show us that history isn’t just rich white dudes tellin’ everyone what to do. The series features young plucky racially diverse girls learning to be engineers (inspired by Rosie […]
