JO MALONE | Visiting the Covent Garden Shop in London
JO MALONE
A Visit to the Covent Garden Boutique in London
Jo Malone is a brand centered around fragrance, offering exquisite lifestyle scents through its products, including body creams and candles. Fashion Director Terumi Hagiwara visited the brand's boutique in London's Covent Garden.
Text by TERUMI HAGIWARA
To the Newly Opened Boutique Dressed in Black
Jo Malone is a fragrance-focused brand originating from London. Unlike established Parisian houses, it was founded in 1994, making it less than 20 years old. However, its rapid growth, with boutiques featuring an ivory color scheme on prominent streets worldwide, attests to its dynamic momentum.
The boutique visited this time, in Covent Garden, has reopened with black as its new image color. Despite it being a weekday, the piazza was alive with street performers and bustling crowds, exuding an energy distinct from Paris or Milan. Upon opening the door, one is enveloped in a refreshing, cool fragrance, a world away from the outside. The spacious interior features a bar for hand massages and a dedicated area for enjoying 'combining'—the art of layering scents.
Experience a New Way to Enjoy Fragrance
This reminded me of a French film I once saw, about a housekeeper from the countryside and a madam living in a Parisian upscale neighborhood. The housekeeper, after enjoying a fragrance tasting at a department store perfume counter, goes to meet the madam. To the housekeeper, whose scent was a mix of various fragrances, the madam sharply declared, "One should never wear more than two perfumes at a time!"
Jo Malone's 'combining' teaches us a new way to enjoy fragrance, overturning such conventional notions. With new releases each season, the possibilities for combinations expand endlessly. It's also delightful to vary scents between exposed areas like arms and legs, and the hidden scent beneath your lingerie.
The allure of combining isn't limited to fragrances alone. A recommended technique is to combine body cream with fragrance. Since the cream lasts for about six hours and the fragrance for three to four, you can enjoy a gradual evolution of scent.
That day, I had a hand massage with Lime Basil & Mandarin cream and then applied Nutmeg & Ginger cologne. While the refreshing citrus notes of orange are often associated with summer, this Mandarin cream has a depth that makes it suitable for autumn and winter as well. Fragrance is truly a magician, capable of transforming the atmosphere of a space. Why not surrender to its magic and discover your own unique combinations?
Jo Malone London Customer Service
Tel. +81-3-5251-3541