AERIN EVENT

On Madison Avenue, where you look left at Central Park and where the street crosses the perfectly styled windows of Dior and Bergdorf, I walk into a stately building with enormous doors. From ceilings to elevator buttons, the entrance seems to come straight out of The Great Gatsby. After a few floors, I arrive at Aerin. Her office overlooks the street where I just stepped out of the taxi and is filled with hundreds of roses and candy for the launch of her new perfume line. So beautiful that it almost feels like a shame to break the sugar painting.

‘My favorite scent is Linen Rose, inspired by a long weekend in the Hamptons’

In this beautiful setting, champagne is served, I take a glass (and break the candy on Aerin's advice) and admire the three enormous baskets filled with an insane number of roses; the three types she has used in her new perfumes Bamboo Rose, Linen Rose, and Garden Rose. The scents are inspired by Aerin's favorite travels and all three are airy and fresh, allowing you to enjoy a bit of summer even in cold Manhattan. The wild rose fields of the British countryside form the palette of Garden Rose, and the Asian gardens are the seed of Bamboo Rose.

My favorite scent is Linen Rose. Inspired by a long weekend in the Hamptons, where we drink homemade lemonade by the pool, take long beach walks in fluttering white summer dresses, and where rosé wine is served at dinner. I tell Aerin that it’s my favorite and we compare the corresponding rose with this scent. We have the florist arrange a small bouquet from the rose and with the Linen Roses, I walk back through The Great Gatsby entrance to the busy Madison Avenue after another glass and a handful of candy. Besides the flowers, there is also a special hand-painted edition of Aerin's perfume in my bag. What a gift her parties always are. And honestly, the scents are once again a delight. Even better news: you can shop them starting today at Bijenkorf Amsterdam.