Hannibal and Perfume.

[ceebee_eebee]

So. What do we think? What perfume does Bedelia wear? Right now I'm thinking maybe Guerlain L'heure Bleue. This is from a review on bois de jasmin:

Guerlain L’Heure Bleue is the embodiment of refinement. When I read that Catherine Deneuve wore it for many years as her signature fragrance, I was not at all surprised. Its luminous orange blossom is beautifully contrasted with the rich plushness of vanilla, iris and incense. L’Heure Bleue’s sillage is among the most beautiful of great classics—bright, radiant, enveloping. It was also the first Guerlain perfume to use aldehydes (distinctive starchy-metallic notes) to give a lift to the rich floral accord. The carnation, ylang-ylang and anise introduce L’Heure Bleue, but then you become aware of its velvety layers–iris, vanilla, incense, musk, tonka bean. The leitmotif of anise persists through the layers of L’Heure Bleue. The eau de parfum concentration is plusher and warmer than the musk inflected eau de toilette. The extrait de parfum is even more memorable, a mouthwatering confection of orange blossom, iris, and vanilla with a touch of licorice.

I'm gonna go home and put some on and see if I can feel her. Any other suggestions for possibilities?

Comments

[thatyourefuse]

The way that scene is set up makes me think so much about scent as a memory trigger, and the memory-palace Hannibal has in the books; she's giving him something he can use to call back an image of her. It's such an ambivalent and telling gesture.

I wonder about Mitsouko.

[teaotter]

Ooh. Maybe? It does make a nice reference to Hannibal's aunt. But I'm irrationally attached to the idea that Bedelia's perfume has an iris note.

[ceebee_eebee]

Why iris? I'm intrigued!

[teaotter]

A couple of reasons. To me, it lends coolness and an almost powdery texture to scents (not "smells like powder" but "smells like the sensation of satin on my fingertips"). I see Bedelia's scent as a bit cool, though not actually cold, and that satiny feel would match how I imagine her wardrobe sounds when she moves.

On a purely symbolic note, I've been reading the show this season as a Greek tragedy, with Bedelia as the messenger of the gods. I don't know that Iris was ever used as a messenger in a tragedy, but she was a messenger.

Um. I may have thought about this too much....

[ceebee_eebee]

You have thought about this the perfect amount. And I'm sold. Especially the bit about the way her clothes sound. It all feels very right. Gonna have to investigate some seriously high end iris scents.

[ceebee_eebee]

Might be Mitsouko, but the more I think about it, the more I suspect it isn't anything you could buy in a department store. If we're meant to believe that Hannibal is the one who gave it to her then it would be something difficult to find. Something relatively unknown, maybe. Or very limited edition. DAMN IT. I want to knoooooooow.