Guerlain’s Biogenetic Law by Luca Turin

NZZ Folio has an interesting new article by Luca Turin in which he compares cars and fragrance houses. "...Dior is the refined and ladylike Carrozzeria Touring, Caron the shockingly angular Fratelli Zagato, and Guerlain the endlessly graceful Pininfarina." He also talks about Insolence ("This one is the family Ferrari, the 612 Scaglietti" and "is going to be a hard sell unless the staff gets proper training"). He also wonders about the future of Guerlain, where, "after five generations, no Guerlain seems to be willing to take over from Jean-Paul when he retires". One of the options for Guerlain, it seems, is to hire an in-house perfumer, and, as far as Turin is concerned, Maurice Roucel might be a prime candidate. "His very French style of perfumery, that of a man who likes to make women feel gorgeous, suits the house perfectly. " Hear! Hear!