Exclusive Interview with Calice Becker: “You Had Me at Hello” + FiFi Nominee Draw

© CaFleureBon collage

Passion. Obsession. Pursuit. I am not writing about a perfumista hunting for the latest ‘lemming’ or vintage fragrance; I am alluding to my own desire to interview perfumers who are change agents in contemporary perfumery.

It took over two years for Ms. Calice Asancheyev Becker to agree to do this interview. Ms. Becker is the nose behind two fragrances that are Top Ten Finalists in this year’s Fragrance Foundation Awards May 25th, 2011Rose Oud (Specialty Luxe Men) and Love and Tear, surrender by Kilian Specialty Luxe Women. This is her second trip to the Fifi’s in as many years;

Ms. Becker was there with Yann Vasnier as les nez for Marc Jacob’s Lola (2010 Fragrance of the Year) and for the nominated Black to Black, Aphrodisiac by Kilian (2010)

Remember the famous line from the movie Jerry McGuire when Tom Cruise said to Rene Zellweger, “You had me at hello” (Ha and you were thinking ‘Show me the money’!)? Ms. Becker ‘had me’ at Tommy Hifilger’s Tommy Girl in 1996 and again in 2000 for J’Adore by Christian Dior. I often quote Chandler Burr . . . He regarding perfumistas with a superiority complex about any fragrance marketed as niche; he said this regarding Dior J’Adore by Ms. Becker in 2007’s NYT Scent Notes: A perfume’s becoming a wild financial success seems to engender the assumption that it is inferior. This is snobbery”. A true olfactive artist can do both..

A special interview …on many levels; it’s one of (if not the first) granted to a blogger, Ms. Becker has created some of my personal favorite perfumes, we both believe in creative ‘collaboration’ share a mutual love of ALL the Arts and of MOVEMENT.

Courtesy of Calice Becker

Describe yourself in your own words:


Calice Becker: I am curious and eager to learn, a care giver and a doer. But quite impatient and can become anxious when things are not moving along!

I developed my curiosity for scent at a very young age- when I was about 4 years old; I wanted to know how flowers got into a perfume bottle. So funny, that now I can actually answer my own question! I am a French perfumer and like to think of myself as one of the “cooks in the kitchen.” I say this because there are so many people involved in the development of the fragrance- and my job is to write the recipe.

Your Perfumed Path?


Calice Becker: As a young child, I was the one in the family to smell if something was burning in the oven and noticed if two women were wearing the same fragrance. It was my mother though who encouraged me to become a perfumer. This was not easy -especially being a woman in a male dominated profession. At that time, a woman was not especially welcome. I was rejected by several companies I approached. One CEOs got me so upset that I told him, “With or without you I will become a perfumer!” And, I left his office. The story goes that he ordered someone to go after me stating, “We need a perfumer with guts.” I was hired that day.

Courtesy of Yann Vasnier: Calice Becker,Yann Vasnier Rodrigo Flores- Roux

How do you feel about creative collaboration?

Calice Becker: Like a chef and cooking, some dishes are enhanced by teamwork. It is very important to have a circle of friends and creators with a critical nose. Collaboration with my fellow perfumers is so valuable and is an integral part of the fragrance development process. We rely on our colleagues to give us their insights and this allows us to focus on the creation and the consumer, so we can get to the final design much faster. Of course there is always one creator -the one who had the main idea-but there is always the reality the final creation would not have been possible without outside touches. I participate very often in helping to finish my colleagues’ creations but I don’t consider them to be mine. If one of these creations wins, I am proud of my colleagues, who deserve all the praise.

Kilian Hennessy : From our 2007 interview


Commercial vs. haute niche perfumes … differences?

Calice Becker: It takes the same amount of knowledge, craft and care to create for a more commercial brand vs. a niche one. It comes down to the end user and who you are ultimately creating for- the consumer. When creating for a more commercial project, I am mindful of the tastes of many, of designing with a more broad appeal and the need to please a wide spectrum of tastes. When working on niche projects, I have the ability to take more risk with a creation that is truly craft and that can eventually become a trendsetter- but it doesn’t start out that way. A niche brand can build slowly over time in terms of achieving commercial appeal. While a commercial venture does not have the luxury of time for the masses to understand. My customer becomes my muse, and so my work for example with Kilian, he is like a muse to me and more in tune with the emotion of his vision. We have more time to collaborate and there is space to listen to you and to think of the person who will wear my creation.


Courtesy of and all rights reserved to Yann Vasnier: Yann Vasnier and Calice Becker at the 2010 FiFis

Marc Jacobs LOLA…..L-O-L-A


Calice Becker
: You know, perfumers are artists. And, just like at the Oscars, when the winner is announced, that moment of hearing your name- it is almost an “out of body” experience to hear your creation… that your work is recognized and valued. This was very emotional for me. And, especially to hear this from your peers, from your industry- there is nothing like it and it is both exciting and humbling. Lola was a very special project and process – and to collaborate on this with my colleague, Yann Vasnier, was a wonderful shared creative experience.

Your favorite city to travel- and olfactive memories

Calice Becker: My favorite city is Paris. More for its historical appeal and visual beauty and the smells from the patisserie!


Pierre Auguste Renoir: Landscape 1902

But, I am truly my happiest self when in the countryside. My country home in the western corner of France is a place that I cherish. It is family time and time spent outdoors with nature and my horses. It is in many ways a true peasant lifestyle ! The olfactive memories here are so rich for me and are all about nature: the hay drying in the sun before we bale it for the horses; the scent of Hawthorne blooming in the early winter and early summer with its subtle, light coconut,(suntan oil note) ice-cream expression- transports me to the seaside. Passionflower that grows like wild vine and the scent of it at dusk- it is invasive, but not pungent with a light, soft watery effect (but not marine) salicylate character, redolent of a gardenia. The elusive Belle de Nuit also is a flower of such rare beauty. Nothing brings me more joy than to cook for my beloved family and add touches of aromatic herbs from my garden. I love the smell of my horses, their skin. They are vegetarian, so their skin has a soft scent that combines hay with leather- but soft and enchanting to me.

Which of your six senses do you rely on most..


Calice Becker: For me, it is my sense of smell. As the sense of smell is the strongest sense connected to the brain, I am always on alert for smells. I am extremely hard wired for scent- and my sense of smell is super heightened for scent signals. The scent messages that go to my brain are very very sharp- and I am very in tune to receiving them!

Basket of flowers:Pierre-Auguste Renoir

 

The Calice Becker signature…


Calice Becker: Of course, it is flowers. Always flowers have inspired me and have become a signature for me. I am endlessly fascinated by flowers. They are the original “perfumers” (!) as for millions of years Mother Nature has put together molecules to achieve the most perfect formula. Compared to flowers, perfumers are super beginners in creativity ! The most perfect natural smell of flowers is my personal quest, and one that never ceases to excite me.

by kilian.com


A Kilian Anecdote?


Calice Becker: Kilian and I work so well together, truly simpatico
! Our creations take a lot of development time and trials, to achieve the results we both want. During the development of “Beyond Love,” there was this moment that was most amazing. It was my first trial and Kilian smelled it and proclaimed it was “the one.” It was love at first sight.. or smell! He said to me, “Leave it. Don’t ruin it. It is perfect.” This was a magical moment.


He is the only one in my career that has ever done this and I imagine the last!

Child French of Russian parents... Cultural influences


Calice Becker: I have lived an international life; I’ve lived in Brazil, Los Angeles, New York, Germany and France. All of these cultures and regions have informed who I am today and how I work as an artist -it comes through in my work.


But I am probably most in touch with my Russian roots. Russia is a cultural of aesthetes, where tastefulness is so valued… even it has no commercial value…or maybe, especially if it has no commercial value! The details are everything. When you think of the great Russian writers, like Pushkin and Chekhov, with their very elaborate, rich writing about the details you can get an idea. My mother has always inspired me in this way and growing up I was surrounded by beauty and to find the beauty in the everyday… to always think of pleasure & beauty, no matter how simple. I can remember her serving tea outside in the garden, and she would cover a simple wooden table with an ornately embroidered cloth and place a shiny samovar of tea to serve from. And,
of course, flowers in a pretty vase. The aesthetics were everywhere. My work is aligned with this aim to make everything a pleasure.
I don’t like to shock with my fragrances. I want people to feel comfortable and smell the beauty.

The scent your mother wore?


Calice Becker: Shalimar

Adam and Eve: Albrecht Durer

The first fragrance you bought?


Calice Becker: My mother bought if for me when I was 16, the fragrance was Durer, named for the artist. It was a fruity Chypre fragrance and I wore it when I met my husband, so it has a very romantic attachment for me.

Chandler Burr- MAD. Is perfumery an ART?

Calice Becker: Yes, I do believe perfume is an art. And, I am very excited about Chandler Burr’s new venture as curator of the Center of Olfactory Art at MAD. It is a first. It will be amazing to see fragrance exhibited in the same way as the visual arts. Our industry really needed it and most especially perfumers. Chandler has such a passion for perfume and the opening of the first exhibit this fall will bring great recognition to the artistry of scent- to the art world and our industry as well. I am very much looking forward to the opening and to Chandler’s plans for future exhibits. The public awareness and appreciation for perfume as art is so important.

Favorite Artists:


Calice Becker: Michelangelo– for his strength. Renoir– for his tenderness and care with depicting children and family – softly and beautifully

Last Book Read?


Calice Becker: La Carte et le Territoire, by Michel Houllebecq
Not for story but there are several pages on art and very well annualized passages on how one define’s the artistic value of a masterpiece, that I often go back and re-read.

Jean Baptise Lully left , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart bottom, Jules Massenet top, Joahnn Sebastian Bach right

Music?


Calice Becker: JB Lully for his talent to recreate figurative music “air des trembleurs d’Isis”, JS Bach for his prolific creations of perfect harmonies. Rossini for his fun. Mozart for his depth in the Requiem, and perfect use of instruments in the orchestra (Horn concerto….) Padre Antonio Sollers, the fun monk.
Prokoviev knows how to dramatize a situation. Paganini for his violin virtuosity. Schubert and Chabrier … I would have loved to spend the happy hours together around a piano! Jules Massenet who was inspired to write one of the most beautiful arias (Meditation de Thais)

Oh my God! I almost forgot Beethoven… everything is good, just pick… etc etc… I couldn’t live without music!

Movies…


Calice Becker: Le Grand Bleu- Luc Besson. This film transports me.The underwater photography of dolphins completely moves me. When I first saw it, I was enchanted and Molière-Ariane Mnouchkine, a historic trailer filmed as a theater piece, all the historical details were so real it was almost a 4 hours documentary filmed with an extreme feminine sensibility.

Frequent Flyer miles?


Calice Becker: Not too many as I don’t enjoy the experience of flying anymore. And it is sooo polluting for our planet!

Best song for Karaoke


Calice Becker: I will spare you the embarrassment- no one wants to hear me sing!

Introvert/Extrovert


Calice Becker: Extrovert


Maurice and Me!!!

Perfumers you admire


Calice Becker: Maurice Roucel because he has a quality that I do not have: boldness. Even if he can shock, his formulations are sharp, short and with strong meaning.

The Three Graces: Rapahel

Apprentice to a painter:

Calice Becker: It would be Raphael. He painted with an easiness- beauty with ease. The result looks effortless, yet I always imagine what he as an artist poured into his work. To be touched by his grace!

What century to live and why?


Calice Becker: NOW! I love the amount of knowledge we have access to today and the exciting discoveries in science which is incredible. The knowledge we have of the human brain is endlessly fascinating. So maybe next century to discover more…

Next project- hint


Calice Becker: I always have a mix of projects on my plate that emotionally involve me- from more commercial ones to niche.

There is one project (I can’t say with whom!) that is in development. I am working with a beautiful quality of orange flower blended with a special Benzoin material from Laos, which is one of our ethically sourced ingredients. This special benzoin has a sweet smell, but not sugary- somewhere between vanilla and caramel- a bit powdery and milky and I love it!

Did you create this for ME?

Calice Becker: (smiles)

Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief

Our FiFi 2011 draw is sponsored by Eau Yes! NY, a Perfumerie you will be hearing a lot more about over the next several months. EauYesNY.com will debut its e-commerce site and CaFleureBon will be the first to report on the many vintage, niche, luxury and natural fragrances that will be available (GUERLAIN! Bond No.9!!!!! By Kilian and so many more we are sworn to secrecy). Owner Sudhir, has one of the largest vintage factice and discontinued perfume collections in the New York (which will be on display in a museum within the shoppe). For more information and free samples with every order

MENTION CAFLEUREBON and call 1-888-3358 or email sbang@susanbang.com. Eau Yes! Sudhir ships worldwide…

One winner will be eligible to receive: Love and Tears Surrender: Purse spray and refills

One winner will be eligible to receive: Rose Oud by Kilian

Please leave a comment on ALL: your favorite fragrance by Calice Becker, a special quote from Ms. Becker that resonated with you, Your favorite ‘artist’ from this interview and which rare and hard to find INDIE or NATURAl brand you would like for Eau Yes! to carry. Draw closes April 8, 2011

Fragrances by Calice Becker:

Balmain Vent Vert – reformulation (1990), Balmain Monsieur Balmain- reformulation (1991),Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Girl (1996), Joop What About Adam (1997), Mulberrry (1997), Avon Women of Earth (1998),Christian Dior J’Adore (1999), Inez de la Fressange Inez (1999),Avon Dreamlife (2002),Donna Karan DKNY Energy for her (2002), Donna Karan DKNY Energy for him (2002),Estee Lauder Beyond Paradise for men (2004), Estee Lauder Beyond Paradise for Women (2004), Keiko Mecheri Mogador (2004), Keiko Mecheri Peau de pêche (2004),Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Girl 10 (2006, with Stephen Nilsen), Donna Karan Gold (2006 with Yann Vasnier and Rodrigo Flores-Roux),Estee Lauder, Beyond Paradise Blue (2006), Lancôme Cuir de Lancome (2007, with Pauline Zanoni),By Kilian A Taste of Heaven (2007),By Kilian Beyond Love (2007),By Kilian Liaisons Dangereuses (2007),By Kilian Love (2007), BBW chocolate amber (2007), BBW blackberry amber (2007), BBW Breath romance (2007), By Kilian Prelude to Love (2008), Davidoff Silver Shadow Private with Jacques Huclier (2008)Calvin Klein Secret Obsession (2008), Mexx xx by Mexx Wild (2008), Laura Mercier Pistachio Panache (2008), *By Kilian Back to Black: Aphrodisiac (2009) By Kilian Pure Oud (2009),Tom Ford Private Blend Jasmine Musk (2009), Mexx xx by Mexx Very Wild (2009), Payard Bergamot Truffle (2009), Payard Lychee Mousse (2009), Payard Pistachio Ganache (2009),Marc Jacobs Lola (2009, with Yann Vasnier), Dior J`Adore Collector Anniversary Edition fragrance Vera Wang Rock Princess (2009) Ed Hardy Born Wild For Women (2010), Avon + Hervé Léger Femme (2010)DKNY Delicious Ripe Raspberry (2010), Marc Jacobs Lola velvet (2010) DKNY Juicy Berry (2010),*By Kilian Rose Oud (2010), *By Kilian Love and Tears, Surrender (2010)


Special thanks to Yann Vasnier for allowing me to raid his Facebook Photos!
And this quote about creative collaboration from your colleagues at Givaudaun Rodrigo and Yann:

 

RODRIGO AND YANN: Donna Karan Gold is actually the fruit of a “trifecta perfecta“: Calice Becker originated the gorgeous lily accord,Yann made it wearable and domesticated it, and Rodrigo worked ad nauseam on the wet, dewy, lush top note. We three brought something important and priceless to this fragrance that unfortunately was overlooked. Too edgy for its time???

 

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71 comments

  • My favorite fragrance by Calice Becker is Back to Black. It was love at first sniff. I have to have it! 🙂  I enjoyed so much that I am saving my little sample and I never wear it.

    The quote I have loved the most is: "I am endlessly fascinated by flowers. They are the original perfumers as for millions of years Mother Nature has put together molecules to achieve the most perfect formula". I think the same.

    Michaelangelo is my favorite artist of all times, but I was really impressed the first time I saw Renoir paintings, last December in El Prado (Madrid). I was amazed and fell in love with the picture "Venice, the Doge's Palace".

    I would like Eau Yes! to carry Illuminated Perfumes.
    Thanks for this drawing!

  • JAntoinette says:

     
    Back to Black, Aphrodisiac is my favorite Celice Becker fragrance; I adore the honeyed tobacco and spices.
    My favorite quote from the interview? “With or without you I will become a perfumer!" To break into the “boy’s club”, you need a little audacity. It has obliviously paid off!
    Like Calice, I stand in awe of the grace and beauty of Raphael’s work.
     I would love to see Liz Zorn’s work (Soivohle) carried by Eau Yes! NY.
     

  • A Taste of Heaven is my favorite Calice Becker perfume. I love the lavender/anise depth of is.
    My favorite quote from the interview is" It takes the same amount of knowledge, craft and care to create for a more commercial brand vs. a niche one. It comes down to the end user and who you are ultimately creating for- the consumer". This tells me so much about how perfumes are created.
    My favorite artist mentioned: Renoir of course. I've always loved the wash of colors.
    I would love to see Sonoma Scent Studio carried by Eau Yes!
    What a wonderful interview and draw!!

  • chayaruchama says:

    I adore the 2007 Cuir de Lancome, and both Rose Oud and Back to Black…
    There are SO many.
    I'm loving all the art / music references; so dear to my bohemian heart !
    What a terrific interview !

  • My favorite is probably Cuir de Lancome. I love the Kilian's but the prices seem to be a bit too much.
    I'm from Easter Europe too and the quote regarding the Russian roots rings most familiar. Funny that she should like Beethoven too.
    I love SSS too but it looks like they have a goor marketing strategy already so I'd probably like to see some etsy brands like Roxana Villa's.

  • My favorite CB scent is Killian Beyond Love, tuberose perfection. I loved her musical references, in particular Bach. "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" never fails to move me. The quote that resonated was the paragraph on her Russian roots. Excerpt, "My mother has always inspired me in this way and growing up I was surrounded by beauty and to find the beauty in the everyday… to always think of pleasure & beauty, no matter how simple".  I find a common thread in artists lives…that they were often exposed to beauty in all it's forms as a child. I loved the quote about the tea table her mother set.  As for indie scent to be carried, I would vote for Ajne.

  • Great interview!
    My favourite scent by Calice is Cuir de Lancome, such a wonderful birch tar and saffron scent.
    The quote that resonated most with me was "The public awareness and appreciation for perfume as art is so important." I agree – I don't think most people view perfume as an art form and I'd love that to change.
    Michelangelo is my favourite artist mentioned in the interview and I would love Eau Yes! to carry the gorgeous natural brand, Aftelier Perfumes.
    Many thanks for the chance to enter this draw, I love both Rose Oud and Love and Tears.

  • Wow!  Great interview!  Thank you CFB and Calice Becker!  My favorite from Ms. Becker – Love and Tears.  Second favorite – Liaisons Dangereuses.  I also love Tommy Girl, and just ordered samples of the Payard Pistachio Ganache and Kilian Rose Oud.  I want to try DK Gold again…

  • Oh sorry – wish there was an edit button after posting.  🙂  To answer th rest of the questions – favorite quote:  "I don't like to shock with my fragrances.  I want people to feel comfortable and smell the beauty."  Love this aesthetic.  My favorite artist from the interview?  Well, Calice Becker of course.  😉  I'm very excited to hear about Eau Yes! NY!  I'd love to see them carry Histoires de Parfums and one I'm curious about – Technique Indiscrete.

  • Great interview!
    My favorite Calice Becker scent is probably Back to Black, although I also really love Cuir de Lancôme and A Taste of Heaven. Own all three!
    My favorite artist mentioned in the interview is maybe Raphael.
    I felt her excitement about living in the current century resonated with me most.
    I’d like Eau Yes! to carry DSH Perfumes.
    Thank you for allowing me to enter the draw!

  • Alexander Rachev says:

    I enjoy a lot of Calice Becker work but I find as most valuable J'adore and her colaboration with one of my favourite noses Yann Vasnier on DKNY Gold.
    I agree with her, nature has created the most complexed and beautiful scents.Even a single oil as Oud,used in her Rose Oud can create such a complexed aroma.Exploring the eastern parfumery in which the key is in using the best natural materials,I'm getting more excited about natural parfumery.Which leads to the next question but it will be difficult to deside there are a lot of good indie brands.I love to discover something new and exciting so let's say as many as possible.If I have to pick up one it will be difficult but I would say Sonoma Scent Studio,Laurie deserves attention and from the botanical scents may be Lord's Jester I love his "Demeter".
    I do belive the perfumey is an art too and as all others its inspiring.I find all of this artists valuable and important but  Chekhov is one that I admire.
     
     

  • Loved "I do believe perfume is an art." I believe that also.  I love and own J'adore and Vent Vert and also love Killian's Back to Black.  My favorite artist would have to be Renoir and I love the art in this article.  I would love to see Sonoma Scent Studio carried since that is the indie brand that I am most familiar with and she has some beautiful creations.

  • And YOU had me at "Exclusive Interview with Calice Becker!"  I actually read this twice – thank you!
     
    "Leave it. Don't ruin it. It is perfect."  That was one of my 2 favorite quotes (the other being "I don't like to shock with my fragrances.  I want people to feel comfortable and smell the beauty.").  So often things are just right the first time, but we feel the need to tinker to reach some other level.  So pleased he knew to leave it alone but it amazing she got it on the first trial.
     
    Favorite artist visually would have to be Renoir and musically Beethoven or Chopin.
     
    I love DK Gold and knowing the collaboration makes it that much more interesting.

  • I want to thank our readers and Ms.Becker. We all are a little richer for this tribute to the Artist and our love of all the arts Although Ms Becker likes the 21 st century she is it’s Renaissance woman

  • Queen Cupcake says:

    What a prodigious output of fragrances by Calice Becker! I am grateful to learn of many of them. My favorite by CB, to date, as I have not tried them all, is Christian Dior J'Adore, a beautiful floral composition, IMHO.
    The quote that most resonated with me is definitely: "My work is aligned with this aim to make everything a pleasure. I don't like to shock with my fragrances.  I want people to feel comfortable and smell the beauty."
    My favorite artist(s) from the ones CB named: Kiilian! And also Renoir…
    And I would like to suggest that Eau Yes! look into carrying the perfumes of Parfums de Nicolai,  Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, and Les Nereides if they haven't already.

  • This is an addendum to my comment up above…..EauYesNY.com should consider A Wing and Prayer Perfumes at etsy.com.  I've now tried several of their perfumes (all natural ingredients) and each was pretty in its own right.

  • Calice Becker is a master artist.  Back to Black is in my top five fragrances – truly a work of art.
    Thanks for the great interview, and thank you to Ms. Becker for giving of her time and of herself so we could read more about her.
    Best,
    Geordan

  • My favorite CB fragrance is Back to black..it is amazing.  A quote that resonated with me was: "My work is aligned with this aim, to make everything a pleasure."  Raphael was my favorite artist from this piece. And I would like to see Roxanna Illuminated Perfumes carried at Eau Yes.
    Thanks,
    Ceil

  • sonia garcia says:

    My favortite from her is Cuir de Lancome, is sooooo beautiful. The quote that really got me was when she told the guy who was interviewing her: "With or without you I'll become a perfumer!" and she did and what a great perfumer she is! Ilove Back to Black as well and A Taste of Heaven. The artist that we shared a common admiration is Mozart and last but not least I'd love to be able to buy the IUNX line from Eau Yes! that line is so rare that only the ones going to Paris can experience, we want that line here too!!! Thanks for this amazing draw and for this super amazing interview!

  • My favorite = 3-way tie between DK Gold, Cuir de Lancome and Beyond Love, three of my favorite fragrances EVER!
    I liked what CB said about Maurice Roucel because I love them both for their different qualities. 
    My favorite artist from this piece is Calice Becker!
    I'll second Liz Zorn for the indie perfumer, I'm just getting to know her fantastic work.

  • Oh Michelyn!  I always learn so much about these wonderful artists, when I read your interviews 😀  Such a way of drawing people out to share.
     
    I have not had the pleasure of trying Ms. Becker's fragrances, so any of them would just please me to no end.  This part, being a music major in college, spoke to me.  I appreciate the care with which Calice describes the composers: 
    Music?

    Calice Becker: JB Lully for his talent to recreate figurative music "air des trembleurs d'Isis", JS Bach for his prolific creations of perfect harmonies. Rossini for his fun. Mozart for his depth in the Requiem, and perfect use of instruments in the orchestra (Horn concerto….) Padre Antonio Sollers, the fun monk.
    Prokoviev knows how to dramatize a situation. Paganini for his violin virtuosity. Schubert and Chabrier … I would have loved to spend the happy hours together around a piano! Jules Massenet who was inspired to write one of the most beautiful arias (Meditation de Thais)

    Oh my God! I almost forgot Beethoven… everything is good, just pick… etc etc… I couldn't live without music!
     
    I know that feeling of not being able to live without music.  Part of my soul would wither up.
    As for which line I would like to see EauYes to carry, well I'd be lying if I didn't say Esscentual Alchemy 😀
     
    Thank you for a bright uplifting part of my Monday!


  • Favorite fragrance: Keiko Mecheri Peau de pêche (it’s a guilty pleasure)
    Favorite quote: One CEOs got me so upset that I told him, “With or without you I will become a perfumer!"  
    Favorite artist: Michaelangelo for his audacity.
    Indie or Natural Brand for Eau Yes! (which I intend to visit): Tauer perfumes, because Andy Tauer deserves to be supported in his venture and New York City deserves his line.

  • Michelyn, you have done it again. Your interviews bring the artist  to life for me. The paintings are magnificient, It's like reading a biography & visiting a wonderful musuem.
    I have never tried any fragrance by Calice Becker. I would love to start with Eau yes NY.
    You made my Monday a very bright Day….Thank You

  • Michelyn, thank you for this interview! Your interviews are like a window into a world of an artist.  Yes, "perfume is art", said Calice Becker, and Cafleurebon takes it seriously.  I always enjoy an opportunity to think about connection between the arts.  My favorite one by Calice Becker connects together, at least in concept, myth and perfume — an aphrodisiac!  Back to Black it is.
    I love Bach, and Raphael, and Michelangelo, as well as Maurice Roucel, but my two very favorite artists, close to my heart, mentioned in this article, are Rossini in music and Renoir in visual arts. 
    One can tear up this interview for quotes, but I chuckled when I read about Calice Becker contemplating her Russian roots, "Russia is a cultural of aesthetes, where tastefulness is so valued… even it has no commercial value… or maybe especially if it has no commercial value!"  How true.  I recognize the same theme in my own upbringing.  And more, "the details are everything."  Very true as well.
    Hard to find line… well, my favorite indie perfumer is — DSH! But I am one of these people who is not intimidated by the dshperfumes website.  So, not that hard to find — for me.  I'm sure it is for many others, and they need to have access to Dawn's beautiful creations.  But it's hard to decide, I'd like to give a vote for Andy Tauer as well.  Harder to find for me.
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  • Claudia Kroyer says:

    I will spare you the embarrassment, no one wants to hear me sing….yep that should really be my quote. What a beautiful and fun interview. My first favorite fragrance from Calice was A Taste of Heaven. Now the one i would love and cherish one day is the Kilian Rose Oud. Talk about beautiful.  Favorite artist Renoir…most definitely. Using art in connection with fragrances is perfect. I would love to see DSH carried at Eau Yes. 🙂

  • taffynfontana says:

    I am impressed at how Ms. Becker  knocked down the doors and reached for her dream to become a perfumer. I really love Donna Karan Gold. My favorite quote is "My work is aligned with this aim to make everything a pleasure." My favorite artist from the interview has to be Bethoven he was a musical genius ahead of his time. Eau Yes! should carry Ajne and Sonoma Scents.  

  • Another WONDERFUL interview, Michelyn!  Brava!!  And so interesting to look into the world of Ms. Becker.  Fascinating!  Thank you to all who feel that DSH would be a perfect fit for eau yes!.  I think it would be a great collaboration indeed! 🙂

  • I absorbed every word – fascinating interview!  It was wonderful to read of her collaborations, her inspirations and her life story. 

  • Congratulations Michelyn on securing this wonderful interview. I so enjoy these insights into the perfumers.
    As I haven't had an opportunity, yet, to try the By Kilian fragrances, my favourite Calice Becker to date is J'Adore. From this article my favourite quote has to be her impassioned, "With you or without you, I will become a perfumer!"  I also like her comment that "It takes the same knowledge, craft and care to create for a commercial brand vs. a niche one."
    Favourite artist is a difficult pick. I agree with Ms Becker that perfume is art so I would have to include her and M. Roucel among the artists, but from all the others she cited I will, for today, choose Renoir.
    And for Eau Yes! NY, I would encourage them to carry Andy Tauer's fine line of fragrances. In any event I applaud their venture and wish them every success.

  • My favorite quote: "I don't like to shock with my fragrances. I want people to feel comfortable and smell the beauty". My favorite fragrance Beyond Love. I also find it a good example for the quote I picked. 
    Favorite artists: Bach and Beethoven. And Renoir. 
    An indie brand I just discovered: Slumberhouse. It would be a great if Eau Yes! will carry it. DSH would be a great choice as well. 

  • ElizabethN says:

    My favorite scent of CB's is Kilian Back to Black.
    Favorite quote: "Like a chef and cooking, some dishes are enhanced by teamwork."
    Favorite artist: Raphael and Bach. I would like to see Eau Yes! carry Soivohle, one of my favorite indie/natural perfumers.

  • Elizabeth N: That is my Favorite quote too: “Like a chef and cooking, some dishes are enhanced by teamwork.”
    Why? because that is our mission at CaFleurebon.com

  • Brilliant interview! I have to say I do love her work. My wife has a few of her works. My favorite one being Rose Oud by Kilian. I can't wait for her new one. She proves that there is no limit to what a woman can do in this industry! She is one of the best woman in the industry today!
     
    Cheers!
     
    Todd

  • I love Cuir de Lancome! I love her quote about Paris being her favorite city (mine too!). My favorite artist mentioned is Becker herself! She's brilliant and I would love to enter the drawing. I hope the new eshop carries I Profumi Di Firenze more Villoresi, and YOSH!

  • Dear Michelyn, I continue to hope that some day you will publish a book of your wonderful interviews.  There's nothing else like them anywhere.
    My favorite Calice Becker perfume is  Rose Oud. I really like Donna Karan Gold, too.  I loved Calice Becker's description of what she values in her Russian background: "Russia is a cultural of aesthetes, where tastefulness is so valued… even it has no commercial value…or maybe, especially if it has no commercial value!"  This is a welcome counterpoint to a growing current in world culture of rampant cynicism, defined by Oscar Wilde as knowing "the price of everything and the value of nothing".
    My favorite perfume artist mentioned n the interview is Maurice Roucel.  I love the sensuality and joie de vivre in his work.  And as for an indie perfumer I would love to see carried by Eau Yes, I keep wishing for a US outlet for Ormonde Jayne perfumes. 

  • Okay this is my new favorite interview on CaFleurebon. Really—she’s fantastic. From this, I feel like I really know Calice Becker. CB was one of the first perfumers on my radar, when I first got into niche frags, because she created two of my favorite commercial fragrances (J’Adore and Beyond Paradise). I actually went through 2 full bottles of J’Adore, which I’ve only ever done with one other perfume. And even now, after trying probably over a thousand perfumes, I love the way this wears on me and moves with me. Today, my favorite perfume of hers is Killian’s Love and Tears, which to me sort of smells like J’Adore but better (smoother, with more complexity and more radiant). But that new secret perfume that she describes in the interview sounds like it will be the BEST when it comes out—I love orange blossom and the idea of melding it with caramel sounds exquisite! The part of the interview above that most radiated with me is a simple one: when she talks about Durer and how she wore it when she met her husband (“the fragrance was Durer, named for the artist. It was a fruity Chypre fragrance and I wore it when I met my husband, so it has a very romantic attachment for me.”). It’s funny, because I never thought that a perfumer would feel the same nostalgia for perfume as I do. Since they work in it all day, I often wonder if CB and JCE and others start to think of it as a functional product and stop feeling the emotional pull of the smells of perfumes. I remember how I agonized over which fragrance to wear on my wedding day, and I find it touching that a brilliant perfumer like CB equally keeps perfume close to her heart. Can Chandlerr Burr be my favorite artist mentioned above? He’s an artist too! I am rereading his book right now for the 4th or 5th time and I just love it. I love how he writes and how his book opens up the world of perfume for me (in the same way that this blog does). His writing makes me smell perfumes differently. I also really like Renoir. And I am excited to hear about Eau Yes! and see their site (and museum!). Hopefully they will carry Andy Tauer’s fragrances, which I hope to explore more in the near future…

  • What a fabulous post!
    Favorite Becker fragrance: Killian Back to Black (which smells good on both me and my wife)
    Quote from Becker interview that I liked: "During the development of "Beyond Love," there was this moment that was most amazing. It was my first trial and Kilian smelled it and proclaimed it was "the one." It was love at first sight.. or smell! He said to me, "Leave it. Don't ruin it. It is perfect." This was a magical moment. He is the only one in my career that has ever done this and I imagine the last!" 

    My favorite artist in the interview is Chekhov


    The Line I'd like Eau Yes! to carry: Ormonde Jayne!

  • My favorite Becker creation is definetely Killian A Taste of Heaven, it is my favorite lavender ever. A quote from this awesome interview is "Like a chef and cooking, some dishes are enhanced by teamwork"
    My favorite artist from the ones she mentioned is Mozart. And now that you guys have been reporting from Milan I'd love to see that Carner Barcelona line that you mentioned in Esxence – The Scent of Excellence.

  • mariotgomez says:

    Michylen,  I always enjoy reading your Interviews. 
    I will have to admit, that it was not until By Kilian was introduced that I became familar and in love with Calice Becker's work.  Prelude to Love would have to be one of my favorites from the By Kilian line, with A Taste to Heaven in 2nd place.   I am looking forward to adding either (both eventually) Back to Black or Pure Oud when I attend Kilian H. personal apperance in May here in San Francisco.
    This interview has peek my interest to check out some of her other creations.

  • Scentabulous says:

    I never thought of flowers as "perfumers" … but of course they are.  This statement will open a vista of olfactory awareness for me.  Thank you Calice.  I have recently been given a sample of Oud Incense and intend for it to be my next By Kilian purchase.  I love it!  My daughter has worn Jadore since she was a teen.  Lovely on her! 
    CaFleureBon, you continue to entice, educate and illuminate … BRAVO!

  • you smell!!! says:

    My favorite C. Becker creation is Back to Black, and the quote from her interview that got me right away was when she told the guy "with or withouth you I'll become a perfumer" I love that! so much passion and love for what you do. And for the artists my favorite of the ones she mentioned is Beethoven. From the lines that I'd like Eau Yes! to carry are IUNX (impossible to find) and Ormonde Jayne.

  • Wow! Rose Oud is amazing. It's my favorite scent by Calice Becker, and I've been using up my spray sample. It's so rich! My favorite quote in the article was "It will be amazing to see fragrance exhibited in the same way as the visual arts." – I agree. I am normally very bored with museums but can almost get too focused on a smell. My favorite artist is Bach in the article, unless you consider Calice Becker herself– she's a great artist in my mind. I'm excited to see what Eau Yes! will offer. Like some others, I'd like to see them carry IUNX and Ormonde Jayne. I love Eau Sento. I hope I win! thanks for all the great contests!

  • Thank you for the very insightful interview.
    The quote that truely resonated was "Schubert and Chabrier … I would have loved to spend the happy hours together around a piano", since my love of music started with Schubert, singing his songs, I would have loved to join Calice Becker at that Schubertiade. Perhaps wearing my favourite Cuir de Lancome. ( Back to Black is on the absolute top of "to try" list, and now love and tears too)
    Just to pick one artist from the interview would be difficult, but since I can't decide on one composer over the other, I'll take Raphael; I can never tire of watching his art.
    Hmm, so many good ideas to brands, but I would say that I profumi di Firenze has wonderful stuff, which is hard to get hold of outside Italy.

  • Oh wow! By Kilian was one of the first niche perfumes that really peaked my interest. The fragrances are all so bold and decadent smelling! I’d be so happy to add either of these to my collection!
    My favorite Calice Becker is probably Love and Tears. I also really like Back to Black which reminds me of the smell of my father smoking. My favorite Becker quote from the article was “ They are the original “perfumers” (!) as for millions of years Mother Nature has put together molecules to achieve the most perfect formula. Compared to flowers, perfumers are super beginners in creativity !” I think that the perfumers make better scents than most flowers, but I agree that flowers are the inspiration of so many great perfumes. My favorite artist that she mentions is Schubert. And it’s exciting to hear about Eau Yes! and I look forward to hearing more. Hopefully they will carry Parfums de Nicolai– is that considered indie? I’m never quite sure though I know that they aren’t owned by IFF or any of the Big Boys, as Chandler Burr refers to them. I also think it’d be nice for them to carry more from the Maison Francis Kurkdjian line. His fragrances are SO PRETTY!!!
    I hope I win! Thank you for having such a great giveaway, and please thank Eau Yes!

  • PS – I was just looking at the photos of Kilian’s perfumes on Flicker and just had to say that the bottles look like they were made for me! They have a K on the front (like my name) and are black like my attitude. Ha! Whoever wins that Rose Oud is very lucky. I can’t believe that Eau Yes is new and is sponsoring such a great big giveaway! It’s so decandent!!!

  • Tourbillion says:

    Perfume:  So far Cuir de Lancome, but I haven't tried all of her scents yet!
    Quote:  "For me, it is my sense of smell. As the sense of smell is the strongest sense connected to the brain, I am always on alert for smells. I am extremely hard wired for scent- and my sense of smell is super heightened for scent signals. The scent messages that go to my brain are very very sharp- and I am very in tune to receiving them!" 
    Why, because I feel the same way about scent.
    Perfume to carry:  This one is hard for me, since I'd like to see so many.  However, I am currently looking for Ormonde Jayne, so I'll pick that one.  

  • the way you connect with your readers through your posts is amazing,be it a video,image or a post, you seem to exactly know what fits in the criteria.beleive me i read 10’s of blogs every week, but your posts are quite engrossing than the rest. I just hope you continue writing and updating this blog!

  • I would love to claim this to wear it to my four year old daughter's fancy tea parties! We like to dress up in faux furs and pearls with hats and wear fragrance and make up! Its lavish!!

  • Two of my most beloved perfumes of all time are the 1990 Balmain Vent Vert and Love & Tears. I love reading about these perfume artists and being able to feel their personalities and passions as it lends a whole new level to enjoying their perfumes. I always thought Mme Becker's interpretation of Vent Vert was nothing short of miraculous as she used a mere fraction of the notes used in the original version and created a modern Vent Vert. To this day, one of my favourites in my collection- I have the parfum and edt and would not be without. My mother wore Shalimar as well and I love Mme Becker's romantic scent memory. Maurice Roucel is my favourite artist from this article! We all love his boldness!
    I would hope that EauYes! might carry Keiko Mecheri!
    Thanks for a wonderful Easter Sunday read Michelyn xo

  • She did Back to Black?? I bow down….
    "During the development of "Beyond Love," there was this moment that was most amazing. It was my first trial and Kilian smelled it and proclaimed it was "the one." It was love at first sight.. or smell! He said to me, "Leave it. Don't ruin it. It is perfect." This was a magical moment."
    I have always enjoyed Durer's art.
     
    I think Smell Bent deserves a bit more distribution – it is quirky but Brent does some amazing work.

  • First of all i love her comment about that she will spare us the embarrassment, that no one wants to hear her sing…i can sympathize…i cannot sing well either. On the other hand i love some of her perfume creations….i tried a tiny sample of Rose Oud and was swoon it is a WANT on my list i am such an Oud girl too, but i also love Herve Leger i used to wear this many years ago and it was instant love for me. I would love to be entered to win the Rose Oud…….lucky for me it was not claimed. 🙂

  • Carlos Powell says:

    I had no idea she worked on a TF. Artist: Michealangeo Music: Bach Fav CB: Pure Oud and Vintage Diors. TY.

  • Frangelica says:

    My favorite fragrance by Calice Becker is Kilian's "Pure Oud" for it is pure blissful heaven! It makes me feel like a Persian princess!  “With or without you I will become a perfumer!"is  my favorite quote because I too eat, drink and sleep perfume, essential oils etc and although money is an issue; I will become a master aromatherapist! I love Michaelangelo because he was simply a genius without an extreme ego! I love Rich Hippie and Strange Invisible Perfumes! They are both divine but Rich Hippie needs more exposure!

  • I liked her comment on hay and horses. I can really quite good imagine that smell right now.
    And I like J'adore, Beyond Paradise for women, Lola and I have DKNY Gold in my collection and I just couldnt figure out one note in it that it makes sth special.

  • i really want to sniff back to black by by killan actually. and i really like chandler burr and agree that perfume is an art (something so beautiful). btw i like mozart too 😀

  • Even if I didn't know what Calice Becker looked like, I would have
    imagined her a beautiful woman – beauty and grace come out of each and
    every word she says, much like her perfumes betray a sense of
    contentedness. It is therefore hard to choose a favorite quote, but
    for the comment's sake, let it be the one about her life in her
    country house, her horses and the microuniverse of scents she inhabits
    there. Also, when she explains the aim of her aestethics, which is to
    make people feel comfortable rather than to shock. No wonder I, the
    self-professed gender-benderer, cannot wear any of her feminine
    creations – they are quintessentially feminine artworks. I am truly
    amazed by how much our tastes are alike: I love Michealangelo and
    Renoir for the exact same reasons. Tenderness, she says, which is what
    I think of when I smell J'Adore or Beyond Paradise, for instance. I've
    yet to try BP for men, but out of her masculines my favorites are
    Monsieur Balmain and What About Adam. Haven't smelled anything by By
    Killian. As for what Eau Yes! should carry, I honestly have no idea as
    I'm shamefully unfamiliar with indie perfumery, sorry.
    This is likely my favorite piece on CaFleurBon. Thank you for this
    rare insight into Ms. Becker's personal life. She truly is the epitome
    of grace and beauty.

  • taffynfontana says:

    Calice Becker is an inspiration to women of all ages looking to break barriers and go for their dreams. Your article was as always fresh and inspiring My favorite Calice Becker perfume is J'Adore for its versatility and beauty. My favorite quote is "My work is aligned with this aim to make everything a pleasure." My favorite artist from the interview has to be Bethoven he was a musical genius ahead of his time. Eau Yes! should carry Ajne and Sonoma Scents.  Thanks again for a wonderful draw!!

  • I love your interview Michelyn;  My favorite is By Kilian Liaisons Dangereuses The quote that resonates with me is " Calice Becker: Kilian and I work so well together, truly simpaticoOur creations take a lot of development time and trials, to achieve the results we both want. During the development of"Beyond Love," there was this moment that was most amazing. It was my first trial and Kilian smelled it and proclaimed it was "the one." It was love at first sight.. or smell! He said to me, "Leave it. Don't ruin it. It is perfect." This was a magical moment." 

     
     

  • "I don't like to shock with my Fragrances. I want people to feel comfortable and SMELL THE BEAUTY"
    Loved this quote. She is a very inspiring Woman. Rapahel  The Three Graces 😉 Must say I love  Pure Oud. Fantastic read on a truly remarkable woman.

  • RusticDove says:

    These interviews are so interesting to read – i love learning more about the artists who create for my favorite 'hobby'.  Calice has created several fragrances that I adore: Vent Vert, Cuir de Lancome, Peau de Pêche and BKs Rose Oud. I haven't had the pleasure of trying Love & Tears yet – maybe I will get lucky!  😉 Thanks for the chance.

  • ElizabethN says:

    I feel like I already posted a comment on this topic. But here it is again: Pure Oud is my favorite, my favorite quote of hers is "Compared to flowers, perfumers are super beginners in creativity. Favorite artist: Raphael. 

  • Nyal Dillimore says:

    Wonderful interview! Truly insightful! I have only tried J’adore and Beyond Paradise. They are both entirely different scents but I can sense her fascination with flowers. She seems very intellectual, composed and also humble and vivacious! As well, I now understand why many new creations have several noses attached to them. Thanks Cafleurbon!