Greta Constantine debuts in Paris

Brooding, dramatic and exquisitely feminine, the Paris Fashion Week debut of Canadian label Greta Constantine was a refined installation-style presentation in every detail—those pins! that draping!—and that gorgeous darkness.
On the eve of their Fall-Winter 2015 showing, we spoke to the label’s design duo, Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong, about style and fragrance, and about what Greta Constantine truly smells like.

QUESTION: What does Paris smell like?
KIRK PICKERSGILL: A masculine oak and blended with ash.
STEPHEN WONG: A mix of tobacco and the sweetest of butters.

Q: Your favourite fragrance is …?
PICKERSGILL: Comme des Garcons and Monocle Scent One: Hinoki.
WONG: Maison Martin Margiela (untitled).

Q: How long have you been wearing that fragrance and what led you to begin wearing it.
PICKERSGILL: About two years ago when, while in Paris at the Comme des Garcons boutique, the sales man recommended I try it.  I’m not usually one to consider new fragrances outside of my stable, but I’ve been a devotée ever since, in particular when blending with other scents.
WONG: Funny enough, I smelled the fragrance while in Paris for our market appointments, too.  I had nearly left when the nondescript packing—especially for a fragrance—caught my eye.  While not always the easiest to find at home, I often stock up when I’m away.

Q: The sexiest smell in the world is …?
PICKERSGILL: Clean skin.
WONG: Musk.

Q: Your favourite flower is …?
PICKERSGILL: I don’t like flowers; I like wood.
WONG: Hyacinth for scent and moth orchids for appearance.

Q: If Greta Constantine was a fragrance, what would it smell like?
PICKERSGILL: A mix of the masculine and feminine.  Elements of bark and oppositely the sweetness of a floral bouquet.

PHOTO: Franck Mura

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