There must be some kind of a grand plan to have me familiarize with the city of Brussels through briefest of stints, using – quite exclusively – my olfactory senses. It’s like one of those memory games where a card flashes a part of a photo and with every card you have to do your best to figure out the larger picture – in my case, the Brussels I know consists of: the pungent aroma of a sack of cocoa beans (with a chocolate factory attached to the end of it), the whiff of cinnamon sugar on my very genuine Belgian waffles*, and a fruity, sweet note of Elixir – the new Flower by Kenzo perfume – a note that graduates into a scent bathed in rose, and ends with a tinge of bourbon vanilla.
A couple of us girls arrived via Eurostar on a snug Autumn morning, and weaved our way through the city towards the launch of the fragrance at MAD (Mode and Design) Brussels, curated by artist Jean-François d’Or. The exhibition is a play on words and a performance of scent. A little trivia would reveal, that ‘Coquelicot’, or French for the word poppy, was oft written coquelicoq – where Coq means rooster. As a tribute, the most notable installation – “Le chant du coquelicot” (the song of the poppy) – fanned golden leaves into the air, every time the sun rose in the world. The campaign is a nod to the power of flower and celebration of peace and justice. By the dawn in Panama City, we shuffled out to catch the train home, pockets full of silk poppies doused in Elixir, leaving golden leaves dancing in our wake.
In collaboration with Kenzo
*contrary to doughy wannabe’s on Oxford Street (aka Does sir know the Heimlich Maneuver), the original proves to be quite fluffy in texture, and therefore makes sense to inhale with a layer of melted chocolate, and ask for seconds at the next block.
Absolutely beautiful pictures … So much beauty all around . . . :)
La Bijoux Bella | by mia
That exhibition looks interesting. Poppies are my favorite flowers. :)
This was literally a whirlwind of a trip wasn’t it? I NEED to go to Brussels as waffles are my favorite food group. Lovely photos, Shini, as always <3 x
<3
Gorgeous images as always. So inspiring!
Rose and bourbon vanilla sounds great, but is it too weird if I’d prefer a waffle scent? It would probably be borderline criminal, because I’d get high on it all day. Yummy.
All this aroma talk nearly distracted me from your outfit which is all shades of awesome!
XO,
Izzy
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Beautiful work just like you. :)
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Getting fat just from reading this post. Sweet~
Amazing photos as always…. Your photography and looks are always stunning. Thanks for the constant inspiration! :)
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[…] 6| Join blogger Park & Cube as she visits Brussels in recent post Song of Poppy. […]
Okay, as there always has to be at least one Belgian to react to posts mentioning “Belgian waffles”, I’ll be that one here. Belgium does not have a national waffle. Brussels has it’s own waffle, which is light and crisp and rectangular, Liège (down south) has it’s own waffle, which is dense, roundish and flecked with sugar pearls. Both are “Belgian”, both are delicious.
I love your pics. you are stunning….flawless.. good job
The pictures are beautiful and inspirational.
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