At last! Oribe hair care has launched their new signature fragrance collection, and they celebrated with a breakfast for beauty editors at Harlow on Tuesday. Allure’s beauty director Patricia Tortolani, Teen Vogue’s beauty director Elaine Welteroth, W’s beauty director Jane Larkworthy, and InStyle‘s beauty director Angelique Serranowere a few of the VIP names attending the event for Oribe’s first…
Jane Larkworthy is an original. There are no bones about it. A blonde bombshell with an insatiable appetite for knowledge and an unmatched appreciation for fine fragrance.
Amber & Smoke is thrilled to pick the brain of the industry powerhouse - W Magazine's Beauty Director, about her relationship with scent. Enjoy!
I first met Jane Larkworthy back in 2011 as my role as a fashion/beauty publicist. In meeting her I was struck by her energy and enthusiasm. Watching Jane smell fragrance is like watching a kid let loose in a candy store - such is her love for the art form. That understanding of fragrance and the wider beauty industry is what sets Jane apart and makes her one of the most important voices in the field. Every time I have the opportunity to meet Jane, I feel inspired and left with the same thought, "How incredible would it be to work with Jane Larkworthy?"
I could go on endlessly about the role she has played in shaping the industry but I will keep it concise. Having worked in the industry for more than twenty years, Jane has spent the last ten at W. In 2012, the magazine launched a signature page in-book and online, titled "Jane's Addiction," where Ms. Larkworthy features her favorite products and services each month, which became an instant favorite among readers. Previously Jane served as Beauty Director at Jane Magazine and as Senior Beauty Editor at Mademoiselle, before that.
It would be a fair statement to say where Jane leads other's follow. Her tireless support for niche fragrance set the industry alight and allowed the perfumer's art to once again take centre stage, in the mainstream. If you have ever read about Le Labo, Francis Kurkdjian, Frédéric Malle, Serge Lutens or D.S & Durga, chances are Jane did it first!
What do you or those around you consider to be your signature scent?
Le Labo Santal 33
How did you come to adopt this fragrance and what do you think is says about you?
I first wrote about Le Labo's founders Fabrice and Eddy when they opened their boutique in 2005. They gave my husband and me Santal 26 candles as gifts for our wedding guests, so there already was a strong connection. When they turned it into a perfume, I remember spraying it on for the first time. It was like trying on couture. It felt made for me. I think that's what makes it such an amazing scent - everyone who wears it feels quite possessive of it. We try to keep the club small.
How old were you when you started wearing fragrance and how did it make you feel?
Highschool. Cachet. With bad acne, extremely poor makeup skills and hair that didn't discover blonde yet, it made me feel closer to polished.
Who in the industry do you admire for their creativity with fragrance?
Frédéric Malle is a genius at tapping the right perfumer for each particular fragrance. Case in point: Olivia Giacobetti, who created Malle's En Passant, which I think is one of the best scents ever. I think Francis Kurkdjian is this generation's Edmond Roudnitska, and David and Kavi of D.S & Durga are right up there, too. I love the scent they made with Linda Rodin. And CB I Hate Perfume's Christopher Brosius is a God. On the eighth day, he created Burning Leaves.
Are there any scents that you love but feel you cannot wear yourself?
This might sound egotistical or egocentric, but if I don't receive a compliment when wearing a scent, I'll feel i've failed it, or it's failed me. It happens with Annick Goutal's Vetiver. I LOVE IT, but never hear a word of encouragement when I wear it. Otherwise, most scents I can't wear are ones I wouldn't want to wear.
Every year there are hundreds of new fragrances released onto the market and yet there are those who stand the test of time. Which classic scents still impress you today?
Roudnitska's Diorissimo is perfection and always will be. Caléche by Hermés, Norell, and Chanel No. 19 all make me swoon every time I smell them.
Can you recall a moment when a fragrance has stirred a memory within you or reminded you of something you had otherwise forgotten?
The first time I smelled a note called "Encens," which was part of Chanel's Coco Noir, it immediately transported me to to the antique shops and barns that my Mother used to drag me to as a kid. It was so powerful, I had to struggle to keep it together and not burst into tears. Musty incense mixed with fireplacey smells (which is a Dad related memory)...I can't get enough of them. CB's Burning Leaves, Armani Privé's Bois D'Encens, Diptyque's Feu de Bois candles, and of course, Santal 26.
Do you wear fragrance to bed?
Unless you include the remnants of my Kneipp Valerian bath, no.
If you had the opportunity to create your own bespoke scent, what notes would you give the perfumer to work with?
A bunch of freshly cut tuberose, gasoline, new car smell and my Father's fireplace. Sounds gross, but we'd make it work.
If God wore fragrance what would he/she smell like?
Cool and calming. I imagine. Definitely ozonic. Calvin Klein's Escape or L'eau d'Issey.
