THRILL OF THE BESPOKE
Because having your very own perfume is a symbol of your identity, an expression of your soul.
POET AND AUTHOR C. JoyBell C. describes the romance of an exquisite fragrance so aptly: “To be wrapped and cradled in an enchanting scent upon your skin is a magic all on its own! The notes in that precious liquid will remind you that you love yourself and will tell other people that they ought to love you because you know that you’re worth it. The love affair created by a good perfume between you and other people, you and nature, you and yourself, you and your memories and anticipations and hopes and dreams; it is all too beautiful a thing!”
A sur mesure or bespoke scent, in particular, is like an extension of yourself – and therein lies its allure. And when it comes to scents crafted exclusively for their wearers, few houses do it better than French perfumer Henry Jacques. Much like an haute couture house, its history comprises fragrances, each composed for an individual, that bring to life thousands of exceptionally personal olfactory dreams.
The luxurious and decadent experience of creating your very own Henry Jacques scent begins with a consultation at its boutique at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, which lasts anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours. Once your preferences and tastes are determined, three different samples of bespoke perfume will be formulated by in-house perfumers at the brand’s laboratory, which has nearly 3,000 formulas in its archives, in the south of France, using preserved age-old techniques.
Within two months – the actual amount of time depends on your preferences and the
raw materials used; some compositions need to macerate or sit for a longer time to enhance the desired scent – the three samples will be validated by Anne-Lise Cremona, daughter of the house’s founder, and then sent to you. More back and forth follows as the brand works with you to fine-tune your bespoke scent.
In the Marina Bay Sands boutique itself is a selection of vintage crystal flacons from which you can choose to house the liquid gold. Should you wish to have an existing design in a different colour, that option is open too. If you wish to go the route of a truly bespoke flacon design, there could even be a possible meeting in Paris with the house’s artistic director, Christophe Tollemer, who would work with you to conceive a design that is exclusively yours. Note, though, that these options would add time to the bespoke process, as the crystal makers would need to manufacture the flacons from scratch.
The entire bespoke process takes three to six months and costs upward of $46,000, but the result – your very own perfume, housed in 10 vials (15ml), 10 perfume sprays (100ml) and two couture crystal bottles with daubers, presented in gorgeous one-of-a-kind antique boxes that have been lovingly restored – is well worth the wait and investment. Your exclusive fragrance will be safeguarded in the Henry Jacques perfume library as it becomes part of the HJ Club.
If delayed gratification is not your thing, there is the Les Classiques collection, comprising 50 essences, that you can purchase in 15ml or 30ml bottles at the Henry Jacques boutique.