Virgins, Confessions & Blond Ambitions – Madonna & Perfume Come Together

I did very briefly worry about whether they’d rise to the challenge. But I was hopeful that with three decades’ worth of music, imagery and controversy from which to draw ideas, they’d be able to produce lists as compelling as the ones they came up with for our other shared endeavours. I’m also very pleased to announce that we’re being joined by a guest writer for this particular project: Candy Perfume Boy is a self-confessed Madonna fan (in case you didn’t know, his moniker echoes the name of a track from 1998’s Ray Of Light album) and so it made sense for us to invite him along for this ride.

But anyway, on to my list…

It’s been a characteristically busy year for Ms Ciccone. She released another album. She celebrated the 30th anniversary of the appearance of her first single. And, of course, she entered the celebrity scent market with Truth Or Dare. She also embarked on her ninth world tour and as I’ve always found her stage efforts to be excellent encapsulations of her strengths, I’ve chosen to pair up each of her nine shows with an appropriate fragrance. Here we go:

Virgin Tour – Patchouli Patch (L’Artisan Parfumeur)

Madge’s first foray into the world of live performance was arguably her most free-spirited, most spontaneous, most hippie-esque effort, which instantly suggests L’Artisan’s Patchouli Patch. With its endearing hints of damp earth and unwashed skin, the fragrance is an excellent evocation of the ideals we now like to associate with the Summer Of Love… a time which, ironically, could have been dubbed the ‘Anti-Virgin Tour’!

Who’s That Girl Tour – Un Bateau Pour Capri (Eau D’Italie)

There’s something delightfully Italian about UBPC‘s celebration of hair spray, tanned skin, citrus oils and sea salt. Madonna was in equally Mediterranean mode when she embarked on her 1987 tour, so it makes sense to combine the big hair and the bigger attitude with Eau D’Italie’s homage to gold bangles and massive sunglasses.

Blond Ambition Tour – Carnal Flower (Frederic Malle)

This 1990 extravaganza was the Material’s Girl’s first presentation of the type of tour which has now become her signature: eye-popping production values, an emphasis on theatrical story-telling, and precision-engineering that would bring tears to a Swiss watchmaker’s eyes. Add those characteristics to the show’s unabashed sexuality, and you soon arrive at Dominique Ropion‘s Carnal Flower, an unclothed, flawless, rigorously detailed take on the most demanding white flower diva: tuberose.

The Girlie Show – Absolue Pour Le Soir (Maison Francis Kurkdjian)

1993 was when the physicality became too crude for many. More often than not, it remained compelling, but the rough edges were beginning to grate. Kurkdjian‘s APLS is a similar beast: its fans can’t get enough of its debauched filth; detractors criticise its loudness and brashness… but then they’re probably missing the point.

Drowned World Tour – Après L’Ondee (Guerlain)
After a long absence from live touring, the then-Mrs Ritchie returned in 2001 with a bleak, hypnotic serving of operatic grandiosity. Although this concert didn’t feel the need to be overly endearing, it was probably Madonna’s most moving, thought-provoking show, so it seems apt to match it with one of perfumery’s most haunting accomplishments, the silent, devastating wail of despair that is Après L’Ondee.

Re-Invention Tour – Fahrenheit 32 (Christian Dior)
The predominant subject of Madonna’s 2004 show was liberty: the music, the lavish screen backdrops and even the costumes became progressively lighter, looser and happier as the spectacle reached its conclusion. I dare say there are quite a few perfumes which convey a similar sense of freedom but the first one that comes to my mind is usually Fahrenheit 32. A rare example of a convincingly natural-smelling minty, marine composition, it never fails to make me picture blue skies and equally endless possibilities.

Confessions Tour – 2 Man (Comme Des Garçons)
In her 2006 show, Madge combined sci-fi imagery with themes of religious devotion. The latter usually suggests frankincense, and although there are many ecclesiastical fragrances around, I’m aware of only one that’s bizarre enough to convince its wearer that it’s been teleported from some unknowable cathedral of the future: CDG2 Man, the smell of a church inhabited by androids from Saturn.

Sticky & Sweet Tour – Tocade (Rochas)
When she decided to hit the road in 2008, Madonna was in retro mode. From the Keith Haring visuals to the evocation of Hollywood glam, many aspects of this particular show focussed on looking at the past through the lens of the present. This nostalgic element – combined with the bright reds, blues and purples of the costumes – recalls Maurice Roucel’s Tocade: a gloriously old-school vanilla-rose wrapped in electric neon.

MDNA Tour – M/MInk (Byredo)
Despite (or because of?) its guns, pain and violence, M’s current dash around the world is probably her most overtly religious. It is also dark, industrial and frequently callous. So what we need here is an incense fragrance which feels as though it carries the weight of urban realities, a fragrance which doesn’t mind wearing its faith on its sleeve but makes few attempts to smile and ingratiate itself to passers-by. What’s that wafting from the giant censer suspended from the ceiling? It must be M/MInk, one of the weirdest, most perplexing incense creations ever unleashed upon the world.

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For more Madonna lists, don’t forget to visit Eyeliner On A Cat, Fragrant Moments and, of course, Candy Perfume Boy. Olfactoria’s Travels is sitting this one out.

Please be sure to come back on Tuesday for a very special interview as well as an exciting, 24-hour give-away. Also on Tuesday: an interview with me on TalkRadioEurope.com at around 12:20 pm (UK time).

And finally… this goes against my better judgement, but I’ve been dared to do it (don’t ask!) so let’s just call it a pre-December burst of festive silliness. As filmed by yours truly earlier this year, here is Ms Ciccone, in all her cone-breasted glory, performing Vogue at Hyde Park. Oh, and if you think she’s just a tiny speck in the distance, wait till you get to the 3-minute mark…