Mary's Greenwell's Scent, Plum
Last Monday I spent the morning with the make-up artist, Mary Greenwell. It was the Monday after Kate Moss’s wedding and Mary had just got back. They go back a long way.
Mary is the original star Brit make-up artist – Mary made being a make-up artist, sexy. If you had a passing interest in British Vogue in the Eighties, you’ll know this well.
The Eighties, my Vogue-will-only-do, fashion-chanelling, formative years were spent pouring over fashion stories created by the big three: Lucinda Chambers, the Fashion Director at British Vogue, Mary and the hairdresser, Sam McKnight. Plus one of a handful of Vogue photographers – most often, Mario Testino, Mario Sorrenti or Patrick Demarchelier.
Mary and Sam were hair and make-up’s leading lights. They were the first celebrity hair and make-up team and Vogue profiled their double act. I remember lapping it up lying at home in bed, in the Oxfordshire village where I was brought up.
Still. Back to early July 2011 and from wedding talk (i. No photos or tweeting – naughty Sam tweeted a wedding table posy – but ONLY the posy so he’s off the hook; ii. John Galliano in great form; iii. Anna Wintour, brief but present; iv. Happy day) to scent talk – Mary’s – she’s called it Plum.
Until now, I hadn’t got around to smelling the scent she created with the perfumer, François Robert last year. To me, it’s just how a fabulously glamorous woman holidaying in Puerto Banus in the early Eighties would smell. Expensive and wildly glamorous, with its palette of white flowers tuberose, jasmine and orange blossom and with those classic chypre notes of oakmoss and patchouli. It’s a classic chypre, which was the scent of a glamorous woman in the 70s and early 80s. Yet it is modern, and it fits in with the growing yen for proper scent. If any of the above tick your nose bud, boxes, Plum is most definitely worth a sniff.
by email
RSS
