"If you want someone to miss you, go secretly and spray your fragrance somewhere". -- Blake Lively
I’ve always been very aware of and appreciative of fragrance. As a child, my dad always completed every outfit of his with a spritz of some fancy French cologne which he had brought back to Pakistan from trips to Dubai. The importance of finding your signature scent, being loyal to a brand, splurging on a 50 ml of something special - none of this is foreign to me. That being said, I thought I had learnt and experienced everything I personally needed to know about cologne. And was I ever wrong.
Before we kicked off PFW, we were invited by Atelier Cologne to a special olfactory experience where they transformed their already chic Parisian offices into a unique visual experience for each of their signature scents. To enter the world of the California orange, to walk on the rooftop terrace of the Barcelona hotel, this was all amazing. But to have a chance to sit down with the Founder and Director of Atelier Cologne and go through a full scent exercise, to experience the elusive and ever-changing nature of natural scents like vanilla and citrus, that is what blew me away!
- the different rooms -
To commemorate each of Atelier Cologne's most popular scents, the different spaces in the Paris offices were completely transformed. In the Clémentine California space, tons of oranges were suspended into a seemingly endless orange expansive space. Other spaces evoked a rooftop atop a luxury Barcelona hotel.
- the workshop -
We had the privilege of congregating in the office of Atelier Cologne's founder, with a view of the Eiffel Tower, to go through a deep exercise of smelling and experience the different natural scents like rose, citrus, and vanilla, and understand the intricacies that go into producing signature colognes.
- the dinner + dance -
As the sun set in Paris, it was time to dine, and we were met with custom illustrated place cards (drawn by the Founder's friend!), and a three-course gourmet meal that included scallops, duck (hello wedding feast food!) and decadent French desserts, all topped off with unending Champagne. We got to sit and connect with the husband-and-wife Founder duo, and a whole bunch of amazing bloggers + creatives from New York and LA.
I can't even imagine a better first day in Paris and the perfect way to kick off Paris Fashion Week. Special thanks to your Atelier Cologne family for having us, we were truly spoiled! Have you ever tried this cologne?
