paper on snow on chalk. Photo editing, creative direction, and digital editing by a_nose_knows for Grossmith London Hasu-no-Hana

 

White is the loneliest color

That we’ll ever do

“Night” is as bad as white

It’s the loneliest color since the color white.

To live in idleness, immobile and grand; to start, to end, to mourn, to open; to never receive, lest it changes you–that, indeed, is the loneliness of white.

dana’s white. Art, photo, creative direction, and digital editing by a_nose_knows for Grossmith London Hasu-no-Hana

As a function of light, White is, indeed, a manifesto of our human need to end cacophony; for it is not only a recomposition of rainbows (as Isaac Newton discovered, through his crystal pyramids, in 1666), but also a result of addictive mixing: our sensory experience is the same whether all light, or only opposing colors, clash. We need white so much that we see it where it’s not, chromatically adapting our surroundings until clouds, light sand, raw silk, or the limestones of Dover look perfectly milky even in the most overcast days. We crave and fabricate white; yet  we are so particular about its nature that we immediately call it out when it’s anything other-than. Blue will never be “off-blue” to our mind’s eye; neither will fuchsia, beige, Mikado, vermillion, or sarcoline. White, on the other hand, when it’s off-white, it becomes another color.

vintage white mink. Photo, creative direction, and digital editing by a_nose_knows for Grossmith London Hasu-no-Hana

To be white, a surface has to fully reflect and scatter all visible wavelengths of light—any exception, and white is no longer. So stark is this rule, in fact, and so universally accepted, that true White–and the neutrality it brings–has long been on lease with humankind, offering a coat of temporary safety to those who, alone, are in transit. White is there when we’re born, in every maternity or midwifery supply basket; it’s also there when we die, both in our shrouds and in many a mourning attire, from Scotland to Japan. White is what minks and foxes wear in winter, and what pilgrims wear, and volunteers; white cranes connect us to the departed; a white flag brings peace.

 hand-spun raw silk. Photo, creative direction, and digital editing by a_nose_knows for Grossmith London Hasu-no-Hana and  Fragrance Vault.

I would have never placed, on the vast field of artistic concepts, a power formula next to white. I’ve sometimes encountered Gershwinian monochrome ambers, or Anne Leibowitz B/W woody portraits, or even cinema noir balsamic landscapes; but white, in and through itself? Why, never. Grossmith London Hasu-no-Hana, however, straddles the same fine balance one finds in an all-white architecture, haute-couture piece, or painting: it’s large enough to allow a birds-eye view and permit variety (resins are multiple, and so is the kind of sweet it endures), textured enough to permit shadowings depending on the light (floralcy is understated but complex, and at different levels of wetness), and intentional enough to display personality (spices are very present but with just enough aplomb, much like the tannins and greenery). And, yes, to me, Hasu-no-Hana presents like an amber; in fact, it leaves me with the untouchable notion that it rejects all ambers by being all ambers at once. It doesn’t take acumen to recognize its acumen, neither does it command much knowledge to be recognizable and known; for it resplends in soleness, and—through it—endures.

Official notes: bergamot, bitter orange, rose, jasmine, ylang, iris, vetiver, patchouli,  oakmoss, cedarwood, sandalwood, tonka

Other perceived notes: vanilla, benzoin, musk, allspice, cyclamen, geranium, clove, labdanum, pepper, soap, wet rock, rosehip fruit, frankincense

 Disclaimer: a Grossmith London Hasu-no-Hana partial tester was sent to me by Jana Menard  founder and master curator at Fragrance Vault, after our most animated conversation moved from online to a phone line. We reveled in its beauty, and both wished it to gain more mindspace in those with classic tastes. This truly is an atemporal beauty which I will forever cherish. Thank you.

– dana sandu, Editor

 

Photo editing, creative direction, and digital editing by a_nose_knows for Grossmith London Hasu-no-Hana

Thanks to the generosity of Fragrance Vault and Grossmith London, we have a 50ml bottle(valued at $295) draw available in the US ONLY for one registered reader (you must register on our site or your comment will not count). To be eligible, please tell us what you enjoyed or found interesting about dana’s review of Grossmith London Hasu-no-Hana and if you’ve tried any Grossmith London perfumes? Draw closes 3/18/2021

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