The intoxicating fragrance of carnations wafting on a warm breeze, is Summer - incarnate! They may be growing along a white picket fence, or in terra cotta pots on a terrace. One deep breath, and I am gone. The flower's spicy clove scent transports me to Spain, or Italy...or the Chilliwack, British Columbia radio station where at 19, I wrote and read my first newscasts. I wore Bellodgia perfume every day, that first Summer. The spicy carnation scent creating an imaginary Mediterranean garden in the blue haze of a cigarettes-and-coffee-fueled newsroom.
Bellodgia is the creation of perfumers Felicie and Ernest Daltroff, who worked for the Paris perfume house of Caron. The Caron website describes the inspiration behind the fragrance this way, "some people return from their holiday with a few dried petals between the pages of a travel guide. Felicie and Ernest wanted to immortalize in a fragrance the charm of a small Italian town overlooking Lake Como: Bellagio."
The fragrance was introduced to the world in 1927. Described as an "Oriental" fragrance with top notes of carnation and rose, it has middle notes of jasmine, lily-of-the-valley and violet; and, base notes of musk, clove, vanilla and sandalwood. It is said that over 100 essences make up the final notes. Caron says the "warm and lively fragrance evokes sun-drenched fields of carnations, dotted with roses, jasmine, violets and lily-of-the-valley".
The fragrance was introduced to the world in 1927. Described as an "Oriental" fragrance with top notes of carnation and rose, it has middle notes of jasmine, lily-of-the-valley and violet; and, base notes of musk, clove, vanilla and sandalwood. It is said that over 100 essences make up the final notes. Caron says the "warm and lively fragrance evokes sun-drenched fields of carnations, dotted with roses, jasmine, violets and lily-of-the-valley".
Scent does that. It transports you to a time and place, and stirs memories.
The scent of carnations...Bellodgia...the rural radio station...remind me of goats. If you're thinking cloves and cloven hoofs, it has nothing to do with that. One of the first news stories to come across my desk, was that of a theft of goats from a goat dairy in nearby Agassiz. Everybody in town knew the couple who had owned the dairy were in the midst of a bitter divorce. Overnight, twenty-six milking goats, and two bucks vanished.
"Who wrote this?" I thought to my little city slicker self, and immediately re-typed the news story to read: "twenty-six milking goats, and two dollars". I broadcast the story through the night.
It really gets my goat that commercially grown carnations have barely a trace of their spicy scent. It's been bred out of them. The oils which produce that iconic fragrance, also lessen the vase life of cut flowers, and cause problems in shipping. The flowers are bred for ease of shipping, and longer vase life. Cultivators are working on re-introducing scent to the new breed of carnations.
So, until then, you may wish to include a bottle of perfume along with your Valentine's bouquet of carnations.
You can now wear these lovely carnations on a flare dress, bodycon dress, or draped kimono (see links below)!
http://bit.do/flare-dresses
http://bit.do/AOWbodycon
http://bit.do/drapedkimono
Photographs Copyright of: Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.
So, until then, you may wish to include a bottle of perfume along with your Valentine's bouquet of carnations.
You can now wear these lovely carnations on a flare dress, bodycon dress, or draped kimono (see links below)!
http://bit.do/flare-dresses
http://bit.do/AOWbodycon
http://bit.do/drapedkimono
Photographs Copyright of: Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.
I think I can smell those carnations this very moment. It is a Proust moment.
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