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Thursday, September 20, 2018

Frederic Malle Le Parfum de Therese: fragrance review

It's tough to do a good melon note, if only because in hindsight the overuse of Calone in the 1990s has tampered with our own perception of the natural object. Melon of course cannot be distilled, being mostly water in itself, so an approximation is in order. Some perfumers excel where others fail. For me, the definitive addition of melon which swerves the whole composition into something amazing comes in the top chord of Frederic Malle Le Parfum de Therese.


via

The legendary perfumer Edmond Roudnitska is the mastermind behind this fragrance which shares many facets with his masterful vintage Diorella. Roudnitska always brought space in his fragrant compositions, a very legible melody that sang and sang in Mozartian clarity. In other famous fragrances of his the fruit serves as the opening salve to the inkier and more serious aspects of the formula, such as the plums and hesperides in Rochas Femme and Eau Fraiche for Dior. But in Le Parfum de Therese it is the predominant melon, with its succulent, and at the same time not too sweet tinge which rounds out the violet heart, seguing to the plushness of beloved plum and leathery notes. Although Roudnitska is of Russian extraction, his composition displays a very French flair at looking on femininity; it's a little bit sweet, but also fresh, and it's a little bit dirty, but also quite polished.

In conclusion Le Parfum de Therese is both retro and decidedly modern and stands as the perfect timeless scent for those who want to possess a tiny bit of a legend; after all Roudnitska composed it with great care for his own beloved wife. Aren't we lucky that Frederic Malle salvaged the formula and offered it to us.

8 comments:

  1. this is not one for me, sadly. i do not care for melon notes, even when they are so nicely commingled with other things. i'm not fond of fruit notes in general; i like subtle peach, plum, or blackcurrant occasionally, when they don't stand out as "fruity". roudnitska was a great perfumer, no question, but this is not my favourite of his works. i hope his wife liked it!

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    1. Τo be perfectly honest, I'm not keen on fruity notes either, they usually appear so cheap, but fruity chypres is a notable exception. You might find Yvresse or Deci Dela more to your liking. Diorella is also close to PdT but crisper.
      Thanks for commenting!

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  2. I wore it. Yesterday. Heaven!

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    Replies
    1. It's certainly very distinctive!

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  3. Anonymous12:22

    I like the neon melon note in Gucci Rush, however, I know that it’s a divisive fragrance. It’s not an everyday perfume, but it’s fun and nostalgic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rush is very compelling, it makes an impact. It's more than I can stomach sometimes, so intense, but I have to give it to it, it's distinctive and the right amount of trashy to make it truly artful. :P

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  4. carol15:20

    I didn't care for it at all. The promo led me to expect something truly wonderful. Sadly, not even close.

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    Replies
    1. Admittedly I prefer Diorella myself. ;)

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