A Brooklyn Life

Date

September 17 2015

Written By

Bee Shapiro

Scent Memory: Kerry Pieri, Digital Director Harper's Bazaar

Written By Bee Shapiro - September 17 2015


Kerry Pieri

Of our senses, the sense of smell is perhaps the most romantic and nostalgic. A fragrance can recall memories so precisely and poignantly, and perhaps better than any other method. In this column, friends of Ellis Brooklyn share their favorite scent memories. I first met Kerry years ago when we both found ourselves at an online site startup whose operations were creaky to say the least. Fast forward to today and she's been killing it at Harper's Bazaar as digital director of fashion and features, not to mention her street style—think: if Jane Birkin and a Chloe muse had a love child —which has taken on a whole new level. Just see her Instagram @KerryBazaar for evidence. But it isn't all about fashion for this maven; here, she shares her favorite scent memory.

 

I was on a swim team on and off from grades 3 through 11. I was never quite a super star—I guess I was more in it for the love of water. There is a video from when I was about 8 that shows me jumping in the pool during competition and instead of going straight into freestyle, I leisurely swam about 5 feet below the surface. But the smell of chlorine is still oddly soothing to me. Whenever I walk into a building with a public pool, I'm transported to childhood. Although, now I prefer saline pools, less chemicals! 

Photo: Courtesy of Kerry Pieri
 

 

 

Date

September 03 2015

Written By

Bee Shapiro

Scent Memory: Siggi Hilmarsson of Siggi's Skyr

Written By Bee Shapiro - September 03 2015

Siggi Hilmarsson

Of our senses, the sense of smell is perhaps the most romantic and nostalgic. A fragrance can recall memories so precisely and poignantly, and perhaps better than any other method. In this column, friends of Ellis Brooklyn share their favorite scent memories. We kick off with Siggi Hilmarsson, founder of Siggi's Skyr, the addictive Icelandic yogurt carried at Whole Foods and other natural grocers. I met Siggi (above), who hails from Reykjavik, when he was first starting his company and stocked his yogurts in a fridge at his Tribeca loft. Suffice it to say, I was happy to play guinea pig—the orange and ginger flavor was an early winner. Here, he shares his favorite scent memory. 

If you grow up in Iceland, winter is very long and dark. So when the summer comes, everybody becomes so happy. One of the first things you smell announcing that summer is really here is freshly cut grass. It's a smell that I relate to and perhaps think about the most often. Also, when I was a teenager, I used to work during the summers for the electric-utilities company in Reykjavik, and what we'd was take care of the company's lawns. It from when I was 15-17 and it was a bunch of us, all high school and college kids. I met some of my best friends through that job. In fact, we're still best friends even now to adulthood.

Photos: Courtesy of Siggi's Dairy (top), Jinx, Creative Commons (bottom)

 

 

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