I enjoyed scenting The Muppets so much that I’ve decided to create an entire series of celebrity-based perfume posts ingeniously entitled the ‘Scent a Celebrity Series’. Celebrities are a funny bunch that on the whole cannot be trusted in the world of perfume, you only need to look at the shelves of your local department store for proof of this, and I’m thinking they could do with a fair bit of scented help from yours truly.

Celebrity culture can at times be incredibly frustrating and for that reason this series isn’t simply a ‘what would they wear’ feature, I only want to focus on those celebrities that I admire, the ones with true talent, charisma and purpose. You will not find the cast of The Only Way is Essex and Jersey Shore here, nor will you find such sucky-celebrities as Paris Hilton or Justin Bieber. No way. Instead you will find MY celebrities, the ones that I love and to kick of the series I have chosen to scent one of my absolute favourites – Björk.

I love Björk. This is a fact that many of my friends and family don’t quite understand. “She’s weird!” they shout, “when she sings she sounds like an angry walrus kicking a dolphin.” But I do not rise to these silly comments because I am in the know, I ‘get’ Björk, I know that she is nothing short of a musical genius. Don’t believe me? Simply take yourself off to a dark room and listen to her Vespertine album and you will be converted. Go on, off you pop, you may return once you have finished.

 “You push me up to this state of emergency, how beautiful to be.”

Björk is born from rock and fissure, she is as volcanic and carnal as her homeland of iceland. All of this raw, organic nature is hidden deep within a shy, introvert and pixie-like woman. At times the creative lava of this petite vulcan bubbles over and the animal inside explodes outwards spraying thousands of years of Icelandic history, the history of ice and nature, over those who happen to be lucky enough to be listening.

For Björk I have chosen four perfumes that I think would perfectly suit this most unusual songstress. Four perfumes as unique, charismatic and raw as this force of nature.

Dans Tes Bras
Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle

Dans Tes Bras (In Your Arms) smells like warm salty skin laying on damp earth in a field of violets. This perfume resonates with the earthy, innocent nature of her first album Debut, an album written in hues of brown, green and beige. Dans Tes Bras also speaks to the introverted, shy side of Björk’s personality, for you to smell it you need to get close to unravel the mystery. Like Björk, Dans Tes Bras has to let you in.

Eau des Merveilles
Hermès

Eau des Merveilles has to be one of the greatest perfume of all time. It is a perfume that is intended to smell like ambergris, a material that Björk references on the soundtrack to the Matthew Barney movie Drawing Restraint 9.  Eau des Merveilles’ many layers call to mind the complex layered sound of Björk’s almost entirely a cappella album Medülla and the song Oceania specifically. It is a richly textured perfume that at once feels bright & sunny and deep & resinous. A perfume of contrasts and layers is perfect for such a intense and complex artist such as Björk.

Archives 69
Etat Libre d’Orange

Of course I couldn’t scent someone as weird and unique as Björk without throwing an Etat Libre d’Orange perfume into the mix, that would be letting the side down, and as I’ve said before I am the ELD’O fan boy, I have a reputation to maintain!

Motherhood is a recurring theme right throughout Björk’s discography and Archives 69 is a warm, cosy fragrance that speaks of a close bond, and not in the sexy way that the creators intended it to be. Archives 69 is rich, spicy and milky thanks to a nice dose of warm, cosy lactones. It is also one of those perfumes that I would describe as ‘human’ rather than ‘animalic’. This one is for Björk – the mother.

Where We Are There Is No Here
CB I Hate Perfume

Björk is at her very best on her 2001 album Vespertine, which is arguably the highlight of her career. It is also in my top 5 favourite albums of all time, so it would feel utterly inappropriate not to include a perfume that represented this incredibly important album. I would describe Vespertine as an intricate and introverted album, but it is also highly emotional with a strong contrast of ‘micro-beats’, Icelandic choirs and soaring strings. Seeing as it is also an album inspired by snow, any of my ‘Five Scents for Snow’ would be suitable, but there is a beautiful solace to Vespertine that none of these five scents quite encapsulate.

For the quiet solitude of Björk’s personality that Vespertine represents I would choose the latest perfume from CB I Hate Perfume wonderfully called “Where We Are There Is No Here” (full review to come shortly). This ‘invisible perfume’ is a supernatural jasmine, a silver stream of idiosyncrasies that feels clean and filthy at the same time and just like Vespertine it speaks of love and sex in equal measure. Where We Are There Is No Here is Björk at her most avant-garde.

Join the Discussion?

Björk – love her or hate her? Discuss.

What perfume would you choose for Björk?

Do you agree with my choices?

Please leave your thoughts in the comments box below!

Disclaimer

Image 1 Bjork’s Facebook
Image 2 shop.fredericmalle.com
Image 3 parfumall.ro
Image 4 nkdman.co.uk
Image 5 needsupply.com