The Sillage vessel I
A small vessel for scent, designed to carry just a touch of perfume or essential oil. The piece draws inspiration from 18th-century vinaigrettes—small containers ladies carried on their chatelaines (belt clips) to guard against unpleasant odors.
This is an idea I’ve had on paper since I first began making jewelry, but in my sketches and early wax samples it always felt as though it needed something I hadn’t yet found.
From the functional inspiration of historical vinaigrettes to the influence of 20th-century art and modernist architecture, these ideas slowly simmered until finally, as I sketched, what I unknowingly had been searching for found me. It is often said that simplicity is the hardest thing to achieve.
I wanted to translate the essence of the historical vinaigrette into a contemporary vessel—something functional, but above all sculptural, modern, and easy to reach for every day.
Something talismanic, yet disguised within minimal lines. A piece that invites curiosity rather than announcing itself.
The vessel is suspended from a delicate paperclip chain, adjustable up to 32 inches long, allowing it to sit close to the collarbone or hang longer along the body.
Image Sources Lymantriine Moth (Arctornis (Caviria) crocoptera, Lymantriinae, Erebidae)Pu'er, Yunnan, China, Marble Eye of a Trireme (5th Century BC) -Archaeological Museum of Piraeus Planispira deaniana (Ford, 1890)
Sillage(pronounced see-yazh)
Is a term from the world of perfumery.
It comes from the French word “sillage,” which literally means “wake” or “trail,” like the wake left behind a boat moving through water.
In fragrance, sillage refers to the scent trail a perfume leaves behind as someone moves through space. It’s the lingering aura of fragrance that remains in the air after the wearer passes.