miller harris: 5 posts

Miller Harris just launched a new fragrance called La Fumée [Arabie]. It’s the first of several limited edition perfumes  inspired by La Fumée, a smoky woody blend. According to the description: “Created in celebration of the rich beauty and magic of the Arabic cultures, La Fumée Arabie is a sensual oriental fragrance centred around the exotic woods of the Middle East.”

The notes include incense, oud, cistus absolute, cardamom, coriander seed, Egyptian cumin, incense from Yemen, Moroccan cedarwood, birch tar, rose and vanilla. The glass bottle is embellished with the 23 carat liquid gold. Available now via millerharris.com, 50ml Eau de Parfum/£110. Via millerharris.com

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

While the average US perfume buyer is put off by the idea of an animalic note in fragrance, for many fragrance aficionados (your author included), the mention of leather, civet or horse sweat is a selling point. Whenever I read about Miller Harris L’Air de Rien, a fragrance created in 2006 for the actress Jane Birkin, it would invariably be described in terms of dirty underwear and cats’ rear ends. Perhaps I draw a line somewhere after all, because it took me years to finally try L’Air de Rien. So now I can report that the musky amber of L’Air de Rien is reminiscent more of a moss festooned garden shed, rather than an outhouse. In fact, its slightly rough charm perfectly fits my image of Jane Birkin.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

While the newest Miller Harris fragrance, Fleurs de Sel is inspired by the traditional fragrance concept, it is a modern composition with a nod to the classical past. Our love affair with chypre fragrances—those complex and intense harmonies of citrus, floral, woody, mossy and animalic notes—has always been tumultuous. If some families such as florals have an immediate and familiar appeal, abstract chypres require more patience in order to appreciate them. Yet, witnessing the revival of the family over the past few years leads me to conclude that we are once again in a chypre-infatuated decade. …

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Lyn Harris founded her perfume line Miller Harris in 2000 and included fragrances ranging from the crisp Citron Citron to the delicately pretty Fleur du Matin. Nouvelle Line is a separate range of fragrances, having limited distribution, higher prices and exotic descriptions. The names alone are rather enticing: Cuir d’Oranger, Piment des Baies, Terre d’Iris…

En Sens de Bois is the newest fragrance from Miller Harris, and it was inspired by the scents of Japanese temples. The mere allusion to temple incense was enough to capture my attention, as my imagination immediately began to paint images of smokeless Japanese incense, the silky embrace of cedarwood and the resinous clarity of pine wood. …

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