Welcome to the weekly Perfume Chat Room, perfumistas! I envision this chat room as a weekly drop-in spot online, where readers may ask questions, suggest fragrances, tell others their SOTD, comment on new releases or old favorites, and respond to each other. The perennial theme is fragrance, but we can interpret that broadly. This is meant to be a kind space, so please try not to give or take offense, and let’s all agree to disagree when opinions differ. In fragrance as in life, your mileage may vary! YMMV.

Today is Friday, June 19, and it is Juneteenth in the US. For those who don’t know, June 19, 1865, was the date when Union troops reached Galveston, Texas, after the Civil War had ended, and were able to deliver the news that the Emancipation Proclamation, signed in 1863, had freed all enslaved persons in the Confederacy. It has been celebrated as a holiday in Texas and then other states for many years, and it is now a national holiday.

We had a wonderful trip to London in late May and the first week of June. A true highlight was the exhibit on Queen Elizabeth II’s fashions throughout her life, at The King’s Gallery. it had been sold out online, but I lucked out and found an open time slot that popped up on the website! It is well worth seeing, the clothes are gorgeous and the exhibit notes are very insightful.

As usual, I visited gardens — so many roses! — and museums and my favorite store, Liberty. This time, I also visited Fortnum & Mason, which I hadn’t visited before, and was very impressed by their fragrance department. London is now truly a fragrance lover’s Mecca.

I also saw the Schiaparelli exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum — so much fun! And there was a whole display about her perfumes.

Don’t you love the idea of a perfume named “Zut”? I do! I’m not sure I’ve ever smelled a Schiaparelli perfume, have you?