While New York, London, Milan and Paris have been hosting (or are about to host) the autumn/winter 2013 womenswear shows, fragrance counters everywhere are unveiling their candidates for spring/summer. And while “summer” and “celebrity” have been the dominant trends of the 200-plus perfume launches that happen annually, this time two identifiable olfactory themes stand out: oud (a rich scent from the resin of the Agar tree) and nude.
正当纽约、伦敦、米兰还有巴黎正热热闹闹地举行2013女装秋冬秀时，各地的香氛专柜也上架了各自的春夏新品。并且尽管每年新发布的两百余种香水都逃不开“夏天”、“名人”等等元素，但这一次，两种香氛主题更为醒目：沉香(oud，一种嗅觉丰富的琼脂气息)和裸香（nude）。
Nude is so soft and subtle that you have to be up close and personal to smell it; oud is rich, sensual and, while not quite in the 1980s “enters a room before you do” category, makes an obvious statement. What gives the trends weight is that they both have not only heritage – the clean scents of Asia and the heavy perfumes of Arabia – but a modern global market dimension too.
裸香非常轻柔细腻，你需要更近更私密的距离才能嗅到它；沉香则丰富、感性，尽管不像是上世纪80年代那种“香水味比人更先进屋”的风格，但依旧让人印象深刻。这两种趋势之所以势不可挡，除了历史悠久之外——清新的气息来自亚洲，而馥厚的气息则来自阿拉伯——同样也符合现代市场的需要。
“For 20 years, the trend has been for fruity, floral scents aimed at US and European women who prefer those toiletry-style fragrances,” says Francis Kurkdjian, one of the world’s master perfumers. “But Arabia and Asia are where the luxury markets are now, so perfumers have to adapt accordingly.”
“在过去的20年中，对于偏爱化妆品风格的欧美市场的女性来说，最主流的是水果和花香。”世界香氛大师弗朗西斯?库尔吉安（Francis Kurkdjian）说道，“但是如今阿拉伯和亚洲已经成为了奢侈品的重要市场，因此香水也不得不做出相应的调整。”
Not that these scents are being created solely as a cash cow. “We’re saturated in fruity florals and now want to smell things that are different,” says Trudi Loren, Estée Lauder’s vice-president for corporate fragrance development. “Consumers are influenced by the aromas of places where they travel, and by the fragrances worn by women who visit our countries too, so they’re looking for something interesting but wearable.”
这些香氛的研发也不仅仅是为了被当作摇钱树。“我们一直沉浸在花果香气中，而现在想要闻到一些不一样的味道。”雅诗兰黛负责香氛研发部门的副总裁特鲁?罗兰（Trudi Loren）这么说道，“消费者会受到旅行目的地的当地气味的影响，同样，也会受到一位光顾过我们专柜的女士所使用的香水影响，于是，他们也会去寻找那些自己感兴趣的，且实用的香氛。”
Oud fragrances, with their intense, smoky woodiness, are becoming such a mainstay of modern perfumery that Kurkdjian is convinced they will eventually become a new fragrance category. “They are more than a passing trend,” he says. “Oud started out as something quite alien, outside the classic western fragrance families, but as our noses have become accustomed to it, we’ve fallen in love with the note.”
带有烟熏木材气息的、热情的沉香香水，正在成为现代香水的中流砥柱，库尔吉安坚信它最终能成为一个新的香水品种。“它们绝不是昙花一现。”他说，“沉香一开始闻起来很有异域风情，跟我们熟悉的西方世界的香氛不太一样，但是我们的鼻子很快就能适应它，然后我们会爱上这种味道。”
Perfect for the Gulf region, where women in traditional dress use fragrance as a way of expression, but in the past considered too overpowering for European sensibilities, oud has been modified by contemporary perfumers who blend it with softening floral notes, fruits and spices so there’s a familiarity within the intrigue. Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud (￡190), for example, combines the ingredient with patchouli as well as cedarwood and saffron for seductive depth; while Jo Malone Velvet Rose and Oud Cologne Intense (￡95) has a sparkling quality thanks to bergamot and ginger lily.
对于海湾地区身着传统服饰的女性来说，沉香是她们表达自我最完美的方式之一，但是对于久经香水的欧洲女性来说，它还需要被改进得更为有现代感，加入使之变得柔和的花果和其他一些香料的味道，让人有种似曾相识之感。比如Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud (售价190英镑)，便在其加入了广藿香、雪松以及藏红花，使之更为性感；而Jo Malone Velvet Rose and Oud Cologne Intense (售价95英镑)则由于加入佛手柑和野姜花而显得与众不同。
Approaching oud as a unisex scent, Tom Ford Private Blend Oud Wood (￡135), Aramis Perfume Calligraphy (￡105), and Dior La Collection Privée Oud Ispahan (￡125) all use more masculine notes, including lemon, cardamom, amber and vetiver.
为了让沉香更为中性，Tom Ford Private Blend Oud Wood (售价135英镑)、Aramis Perfume Calligraphy (售价105英镑)，还有Dior La Collection Privée Oud Ispahan (售价125英镑)都加入了其他更为阳刚的香氛，比如柠檬、小豆蔻、琥珀还有岩兰草。
At the opposite end of the scent spectrum, Asian-inspired nude fragrances are having a nascent moment too. “The olfactory taste in the east is for fluid, transparent scents that are not invasive,” says Lauder’s Loren. “Cultural etiquette is not to intrude on someone else’s space with a fragrance, but wear it to enhance the essence of clean skin.”
与之截然不同的亚洲风格的裸香香氛也同样正受到追捧。“东方嗅觉更偏好清雅流动的气息。”雅诗兰黛的罗兰说道，“他们的文化礼仪就是不要让自己的气味强行闯入别人的地盘，使用香水是为了提高皮肤的清爽感。”
Besides, in a climate that is persistently hot and humid, a blend of light notes is essential. “In Asia, perfumers often use florals, but they are treated very differently so they have a sheer, airy quality,” says Loren.
此外，长期炎热和潮湿的气候，也使得清淡的味道成为必须。“在亚洲，香水通常采用花香，但不一样的是，这花香也非常清透。”罗兰说。
“For western tastes we can boost those notes so they still have that airy feel, but with a hint of warmth and sensuality for more impact.”
“对于西方消费者，我们同样可以推广这样的味道，他们会有轻盈之感，但还得加入更多温暖、性感的元素。”
With the addition of neroli and lily of the valley, Philosophy’s Living Grace (￡32) calls to mind slipping between freshly washed sheets, while Diptyque’s L’Eau du Trente-Quatre (from ￡60) takes the luminosity of bergamot and verbena and then spices it up with skin-hugging nutmeg and musk.
在加入了橙花和铃兰之后，Philosophy的Living Grace (售价32英镑)就像新洗过的床单一样让人放松，而Diptyque的L’Eau du Trente-Quatre (售价60英镑起)则是充分混合了佛手柑、马鞭草、肉豆蔻和麝香。
Honey and jasmine give warmth to Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey Absolue (from ￡35, available mid-February) and jasmine also forms the centrepiece of Nasomatto Nuda (￡128), which smells as seductive as it sounds. Finally, taking the scent a step further, Guerlain’s Elixirs Charnels Eau de Lingerie (￡60, from Harrods) blends vanilla, pink iris and sandalwood into a subtle aroma, created specially for spritzing over your finest underwear. (Really.)
蜂蜜和茉莉花为Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey Absolue (售价35英镑起)带来了暖意，而茉莉花也同样是Nasomatto Nuda (售价128英镑)的主力调香，使之闻起来就跟它的名字一样迷人。
For those who respond to both fragrance extremes, and don’t want to choose between the two, James Craven, perfume archivist at specialist perfumery Les Senteurs in London, has a prediction for the future (maybe even next season): the oud/nude explosion is going to be game-changing. “Some very clever perfumer will eventually bring the two together in a veil of oud that just dusts the skin,” he says. “It will be the perfect perfume.”
最后，让香气再进一步吧，Guerlain的Elixirs Charnels Eau de Lingerie (售价60英镑)混合香草、鸢尾花还有檀香营造出一种微妙的气息，是喷在你精美内衣上的绝好选择。（真的。） 对于那些这两种香水都爱，没办法做出选择的香水迷来说，伦敦专业香水店的专家詹姆斯?克雷文（James Craven）做出了一个预告（或许就是下一季的新品）：沉香/裸香的时代即将到来。“一些精明的香水制造商最终将会将两者合二为一。”他说，“那将是最完美的香水。”