How it all began

1970s-era Guerlain 'Mitsouko'. A cherished find, even without the label.

fumie (n): A perfume or cologne enthusiast; see also: fumehead, perfumista.

I've often read that a perfume obsession progresses in stages, not unlike the stages of falling in love.

Lust
First, there is the initial spark and attraction. Perfume is exciting, luxurious, and kind of sexy. Perhaps you intend to find a signature scent. Instead you are embarking upon a quest. Your explorations most likely begin at a department store or Sephora.

Attraction (infatuation)
As with a new lover, thoughts of fragrance consume your waking hours. You read, sleep, and eat fragrance.  One perfume is not enough! You are no longer interested in finding a signature scent because you have developed monomania. This is internet shopping blind buy* prime time- the desire to develop your fragrance palate exceeds will power.

Attachment (love)
Perfume is a comforting, companionable presence in your life. Blind buys are rare, and your collection becomes more carefully curated. You know you are in it for the long haul.  (for the "Now Smell This" take on becoming a perfumista, click here)

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Piguet's 'Bandit'

Mandy Aftel, in her wonderful book "Essence and Alchemy", proposed the idea of scent-guided meditation. She focuses on finding a specific fragrance, a distinct sensual pleasure, to clear the mind. Not unlike tantic sex or yoga, perhaps. I am too rooted in my corpus for traditional meditation, but ruminating on scent is something I understand.

When I wear Serge Lutens' 'Chergui', the sweet, smoky incense lingers at my wrist all day. I get a surprise jolt of pleasure whenever I reach up to adjust my hair and catch a whiff. I press my arm to my nose and inhale deeply. It is this unmitigated sensual delight that drives me to seek out new compositions.

As I am exiting 'stage 2' of fumie development, I decided to start a blog as a small mercy to my beleaguered friends and boyfriend. I am going to share my musings and enthusiasm for new smells and sweet hauls with a self-selecting audience: the internet. Who but another fumie could appreciate my excitement over finding vintage Mitsouko and first run YSL Champagne at a thrift store? Who else has the patience to hash out the different flavors of vetiver?

This blog is going to be a collection of my explorations and research into the world of perfume. I will have some reviews, but I cannot make a claim to objectivity. There are some notes I reliably enjoy. Amber, incense, benzoin, and leather are all scents I find addictive. I also tend to take Coco Chanel's position on floral fragrances** for women (that is, I do not like them), and I just can't do aquatics.

I named my perfume blog "The Modern Fumie" because I love many classic fragrances, but I have struggled with others. Specifically, Chanel 'No. 5' and Robert Piguet's 'Bandit' are historic and all but unwearable on me. I cherish their places in perfume history, and I am confident they wear beautifully on other women, but I am unable to appreciate them in any way beyond the cerebral. And a purely cerebral stimulation is not what I'm chasing with perfume. I want to be moved in body and soul.

And now for another controversial reveal: the first perfume I truly loved was an 'Angel' flanker. I'll write more about that next week.

YSL 'Champagne', before its rechristening as 'Yvresse'

*Blind buy: the purchase of an unsniffed perfume, a decision often based on listed fragrance notes and reviews. Frequently (but not always) leads to disappointment.
** famous (apocryphal?) quote: "A woman shouldn't smell like flowers. A woman should not smell like another substance in nature. She should smell like herself, but better."