That was the question at a late night summer dinner in Le Marais, outdoors with friends last Sunday evening.
The question is common in France, and refers to a moment in Marcel Proust's novel, Du côté de chez Swann, part of his lifetime's work "À la Recherche du Temps Perdu" - "Remembrance of Things Past."
Proust writes about his mother offering him tea and a madeleine to warm him up when he was a boy, and how as an adult the taste of the tiny cake dipped in tea unintentionally caused him to be overwhelmed by emotion, whisked abruptly to that moment from his childhood.
Each of us carries deeply embedded olfactory memories. The question “What is your Madeline de Proust?” is great dinner conversation because it unveils heavy emotion, both positive and negative, for people young and old.
The question also begins to touch other areas that trigger us into time travel emotionally through our senses.
The feel of a cool sheet on your skin as you slip into bed, a warm towel, music, art, a distant fog horn, bare feet in the grass, unexpected hot sunshine hitting your cheeks.
There are many.
None one might argue, more immediate and intense than fragrance.
Time and memory reside in the heart of “Ephemeral Luxury.”
At High Camp, we define true luxury as creating rituals and experiences that imprint treasured memories.
“Sensory Gifting” is the art of offering a simple gift, packaged beautifully, to convey emotion that words alone can not express.
We hope you are enjoying these beautiful days of summer.
With love from High Camp,
Susan Hanson
Founder
Wildly beautiful fragrant gardenias cut-to-order and exceptional candles hand poured in artisan glass.
