Salvatore Ferragamo, who passed away in 1960, is a legendary footwear visionary. Whenever I’d accompany my late mother to Italy in the late 1970s, the Ferragamo boutiques would be one of her first shopping destinations — whether we were in Rome, Milan or Florence. The cage heel shoe, and the Vara patent ballet pump are just two of the innovations in ladies’ shoewear intimately associated with the Ferragamo name. In time, they expanded into bags, silk accessories (my mother loved their scarves), eyewear, watches, apparel and in 2001, Ferragamo Parfums was established.
Known for its Incanto line and the variants of Incanto Heaven, Charms, Shine and Dreams, the very latest is the Incanto Bloom, and it’s a celebration of the grosgrain ribbon that adorns the Vara pump. The bottle top is precisely the signature Vara Bow, and the scent is a fresh, playful variation on the fruity-floral scents Incanto is known for. The white flacon bottle is designed by Sylvie de France, and pink and black dandelion blooms dot the main body of the bottle. The top notes of the Eau de Toilette are Grapefruit flowers and Freesia, while the heart of the fragrance consists of Tea Roses and Champaca flowers. The bottom notes are Musk and Cashmere Wood; and they all add up to a scent that’s refreshing and light, yet maintains a veneer of sophistication, and lasts in a way that others don’t. This fruity-floral concept really works, as the scent subtly changes and transforms through the day, keeping it suitable even for the evening, especially in a tropical country such as ours. I’ve often griped about how, if one stays purely floral — say Rose, the lingering scent may at times be cloying or “heavy”; and reminds me too much of my lola. With Bloom, as the name suggests, we find something young and vibrant.
Ferragamo today is an artful and tasteful blend of classic and contemporary. Maintaining a reverential eye to the past, its legacy and tradition, it has also found ways to be relevant and forward-looking within the arena of fashion and luxury goods.
Around the world in letters
Literature has always been a global phenomenon, with quality writers sprouting all over the world. In the past, the problem had more to do with access and exposure, which thankfully, is now less of a roadblock. While Ian McEwan is a firmly established star in contemporary British literature, Spaniard Yann Martel’s Life of Pi was all the rage a couple of years ago, and Tash Aw hails from Malaysia — their new novels are this week’s entries.
Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel (available at National Bookstore): After the breakaway success of The Life of Pi, almost anything Yann Martel would come up with would pale in comparison. He acknowledges that fact head on, by making the main protagonist of this story a writer who has had a bestseller, and now has problems deciding what next to write. As he explores the city he lives in looking for inspiration, he comes upon a taxidermist’s shop, where the donkey and howler monkey on display in the window beckons to him in a strange way. The taxidermist, having survived the Holocaust, becomes the springboard for reflections on art and life. An interesting, tersely written tale, but will likely be regarded as one of Martel’s minor works.
Solar by Ian McEwan (available at National Bookstore): The world of Science, of researchers, come into focus in this latest from McEwan. Michael Beard is a Nobel Prize winning physicist, and coasting on his Prize, we’re treated to the life of a man relying on greed and deception in order to stay ahead. A fatal accident to one of his junior colleagues leads Michael to take on a “green” mantle and be relevant. Fatherhood at the age of 60, a cavalier disregard to commitment, we’re asked to stay interested in this main character, even when the man is insincere, callous and without any marked redeeming social-value. Allegra Goodman’s Intuition is still the book to read when it comes to research facilities, and the passions and frailties of its inhabitants.
Map of the Invisible World by Tash Aw (available at National Bookstore): Author of the superb Harmony Silk Factory, which was set in his native Malaysia, this time Tash Aw has Indonesia as the backdrop for his story of family and identity. Set in the tumultuous era of Sukarno, the Year of Living Dangerously, this novel has the orphan Adam as its main protagonist. Separated from his older brother Johan when still at the orphanage, Adam is eventually adopted by Karl, a Dutch national living in the rural coastal land. When the local army begins to arrest foreigners, Adam is forced to travel to Jakarta, seeking Margaret, and American who once had links to Karl. Unwittingly recruited for a terrorist act, Adam’s tale is a rich, engrossing one; and reminiscent of Kazuo Ishiguro, Aw is a very sensitive storyteller.