Andy Tauer has certainly taken the perfume industry by storm since he launched his first fragrance in 2005. Originally born out of an idea at a dinner party, Andy has gone on to create twenty-eight (at the last count) of the finest scents in the “niche” market, and he’s also a really nice guy. So, I thought it was time to find out a little bit more about the man behind the cobalt blue bottles and ask him “Stephan’s Six”.
What is the first smell that you can remember?
Honest answer, I do not remember. What I know for sure is that the first smell that I experienced must have been the smell of my mother and then my father. You know, I happen to have a gap in my memory. Everything that goes back beyond me being thirteen is gone to a large extent. I have basically zero memory of that time. I was told that this is because I lost my father at the age of thirteen and kind of protect myself from memories. However, let me give you an answer, I clearly remember the scent of the pigs, on the farm in the village where I grew up. I love the smell of pigs.
I know that my dad wore Tabac by Mäurer & Wirtz, but I do not remember him wearing it. I got myself a bottle and from time to time I smell it. It smells cheap and good, and I think that I remember my father smelling of this, and also of real cigarette smoke. I love the scent of freshly lit cigarettes.
What was the perfume of your twenties?
It was not exactly in my early twenties, but I wore Joop Homme. It was pink, sweet, loud, and I was proud and happy wearing it. That was at the end of the eighties or early nineties and I was around twenty-eight or twenty-nine. A different time really. I had not smelled it for years and figured that I had to go and buy a bottle of it, just because. My partner hated it immediately and intensely. No chance for me to wear it these days, which I guess is a good thing.
I bought myself a bottle of La Petite Robe Noire because I figured, maybe there is something that I do not get when testing it in a perfumery. I thought that maybe time would tell me if I tried really hard to open myself up to this Guerlain. There is nothing, unfortunately.
You can only choose one perfume?
This would definitely have to be vintage Jicky by Guerlain. I have a bottle and I am loving it. It is the perfect antidepressant.
What perfume should I try?
Try Oligarcho by Roja Dove. Try it and then tell me how it is, I am curious. The name is quite a promise.
For more information on Andy you can visit tauerperfumes.com or his collection is also available in the UK at Les Senteurs.
Hi Stephan, This is a lovely article about Andy, of whom I've been a fan since 2013. It's fascinating to read what commercial perfume interests the real perfumistas. I have to say LPRN still leaves me feeling a bit "meh" too! Like Andy, I also like the smell of cigarette smoke. What a lovely piece. Andy's warmth really shines through, as does your respectful and endless curiosity about scent.
ReplyDeleteHello Samantha, thank you for such a lovely message and I'm glad you enjoyed the interview. I actually quite like the original La Petite Robe Noire (ssshhh ... don't tell anyone!) Best, Stephan
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