The Baccarat "turtle" bottle has just been re-issued in precious few numbered bottles by Guerlain and Vogue Russia dedicates a chapter to it, hence the info on notes, availability and design below.
The original "turtle" bottle (la tortue) was commissioned to the Baccarat studio in 1914 [ed.note: Vogue puts it as 1913] to celebrate the change of address to 68, Champs-Elysées to hold the appropriately named Parfum de Champs-Elysées. The scent was composed by legendary perfumer Jacques Guerlain. The shape of the turtle was an inside joke on the protracted construction work that it took to complete the new beauty shrine.
Today Guerlain re-unites with Baccarat to issue a contemporary "turtle" bottle, the 4th re-issue* since its original opus, to house the new Petite Tortue perfume. The new tortoise like crystal design follows the craftsmanship of the famed house. The crystal is faceted into more than 80 facets to shed light from all angles and holds 60 ml/ 2 fl.oz.
Guerlain Petite Tortue is an extrait de parfum composed by in house perfumer Thierry Wasser. The scent of Petite Tortue is a spicy floral woody which opens with mandarin and pink pepper into a heart of osmanthus blossoms and fruits accord. The base of Petite Tortue is rounded with incense, vanilla and tonka beans recalling the tradition of Guerlain perfumes.
Les Dames de Table are responsible for the finishing touches of the special presentation: the enamel cap holder can be accessorized with the customer's initials; in a choice of color and with a golden rim.
The special edition of Petite Tortue is presented internationally by Guerlain in only 47 numbered bottles, each retailing at a whooping € 9500.
*The last time Guerlain re-issued the "turtle" (or sometimes referred to as tortoise online) bottle it held Extrait du 68 (an increased concentration of Cologne du 68 fragrance by Guerlain)
EDIT TO ADD: New information from Fragrantica suggests the Petite Tortue scent is indeed Extrait du 68.
Feast your eyes upon one of the (less than) 30 limited edition engraved bottles of Serge Lutens's Louve perfume bottle. The familiar aesthetic will warm the cockles of every sincere collector's heart. The Iron Cross will create discussion…
"The she-wolf returns to her den, leaving nothing but her footprints in the snow. Shining like a seven-pointed cardinal star. Engraved with the cardinal coat of arms in enamel."
Numbered from 1 to 30, dated and monogrammed edition. An exclusive bottle, hand engraved. A few bottles (3 at the time of writing) are available through the online boutique for 800 € each.
The Christmas limited editions by Serge Lutens are always gorgeous and precious in every sense of the word: hand engraved on glass, beautiful and evocative designs and truly expensive (logical, if you think there are only a handful of bottles produced in the first place).
This year Serge Lutens presents La Fille de Berlin, a composition based on rose, which takes on dark, disturbing tonalities, a rose with thorns that recalls gothic tales. The bottle as you can see is one of a kind. Numbered editions from 1 to 30, dated and monogrammed. A unique bottle, engraved by hand, with platinum enameling. Just beautiful...
An edition to stop all others in their tracks (remember the Shalimar Fourreau du Soir we posted about the other day?). In deep blue and in no less than heavy, posh Baccarat crystal with a blue tassel and quadrilobe cap. Only 30 bottles will be put in circulation of Shalimar parfum in Baccarat, available at la Maison Guerlain.
Feast your eyes on it! (click to enlarge)
The ultra limited edition was presented during the mind-blowing Guerlain event "les journées particulières" (on 15th and 16th October) during which perfumer Thierry Wasser, makeup artistic director Olivier Echaudemaison and Sylvaine Delacourte opened the doors for the general public, to mystify them into the Guerlain cult.
Among the good news is that Liu (presented for the occasion in its chinese lacquer box from the Art Deco period) is and will still be part of Les Parisiennes line-up, staying in production after all.
The Armani Privé collection falls under the scope of "niche fragrances within mainstream houses" trend; exclusive, upscale compositions that are often several notches above the widely available scents by the same company (see Cuir Amethyste and Bois d'Encens). La Femme Bleue, setting you back for £375/400euros for 100ml of Eau de Parfum, is very much on the exclusive side, given that it has been made in only 1000 bottles worldwide (and it's not available in just any country! whoa!). So I was fully prepared to hate it (isn't that stratagem & pricetag obscene?), but, alas, I was hasty.
Giorgio Armani's La Femme Bleue is a lovely iris fragrance; nuanced, darkish, with its woody and incensey background and, despite the passing resemblance with iris extraordinaireIris Silver Mist by Serge Lutens, soft, powdery, ultimately unctuous. Plus, despite having the word Femme in the name, the designer himself is quick to point out that this is a unisex scent, as is the whole Privé collection. What more can one ask for? Perhaps some dare.
The Armani Privé collection can be divided into three genres: fresh and clean-smelling Les Eaux; La Collection ~inspired by precious stones like amethyst or jade; and the decadent Collection Mille et Une Nuits (A Hundred and One Nights Collection). This is the range that includes Oud Royal, an opulent melange of amber, spice and myrrh resin. The line is not without its celebrity endorsement: Charlene Wittsock, Princess of Monaco, who wore an Armani Privé wedding gown, also wore an Armani Privé fragrance on her "happiest day"; reportedly it was the new ultra-limited edition La Femme Bleue.
The deep blue of the bottle is a direct reflection on the Spring/Summer 2011 collection by Armani, inspired by the blue tint of the Alasho of the Twareg people of the desert, nomads of North Africa.
The colour of the nighttime sky has often been an inspiration for perfumers and bottle manufacturers, starting with the iconic L'Heure Bleue for Jacques Guerlain as well as Dawamesk, passing through modern offerings such as Jacomo Deep Blue and Dark Blue by Hugo Boss, all the way to the upcoming Vol de Nuit Powder Spraybottle in gorgeous shades of midnight.
The perfumer Serge Majoullier is a talent to watch. He explains how he put the concept (the deep indigo) into fragrance:
"It’s not easy to translate the idea of deep blue, I found the way by blending oriental and vanilla notes, perfect to evoke a hot starry night; so I added black iris [ed.note: I'm assuming he's referring to iris chyrophrages], which is dark blue in nature, and whose scent at times verges on chocolate, a woody background. This way the fragrance is not just floral".
This Armani fragrance feels like Haute Parfumerie and not just hot air fanned on ad copy, as many niche products do these days: The delicious undercurrent of cocoa dust laces the background of iris (this is an experiment that is also successful at much lower price points in Bulgari's Blv Notte and Iris by L'Erbolario) resulting in a fragrance that cannot be said to evoke funereal connotations like so many iris scents can; notably Iris Silver Mist, to which it bears a kinship of the spirit. After all, iris susiana, a greyish species of Iris, is affectionately called "mourning iris", so the connection is there all right. But no; not in this case. La Femme Bleue is not exactly cheerful or bubbly either, opting for a distinctive and elegant arpeggio of woody notes that surround and temper the slightly gourmand, orientalised aspects of cocoa and vanillic-benzoin caramel hints with some musk. Softness and a delicious powdery feel akin to violets greet you upon spraying, with hints of sensuality evolving as the fragrance dries down, even though it is a delicate, timid drydown that you might want to press your nose on your wrist to fully enjoy. I could picture myself enjoying this ultra exclusive fragrance if it was any easier to get ahold of.
Notes for Armani Prive La Femme Bleue: iris, chocolate, woodsy notes, incense and vanilla.
Below is the clip from the summer 2011 collection by the same name featuring Elisa Seidanoui. Enjoy!
Guerlain lately re-issues a special edition of their delicate and spring-likeMugueteach year as a limited edition on the 1st of May (Traditionally the day when muguet ~lily of the valley in French~ is offered as a porte-bonheur, a good luck charm in France). For 2011, Guerlain's Muguet will be embottled in the apothecary style flacons of re-issued Vega and Sous le Vent, but there will be handpainting on the glass as well!
ETA: You can see the new Muguet 2011 below (pic kindly provided by my reader Rappleya)
ETA2: Upon further research, Guerlain has confirmed that they have updated the design of Muguet 2011 with the one depicted second from top, favouring a sewn label versus handpainting. I admit I'm not particularly enthusiastic on it after seeing the previous design....
3/26/11 update: My faithful and wonderfully generous reader Judy informs us of the latest after seeing the Muguet 2011 with her very own eyes and I quote:
"The new release of Muguet is around 5 ounces, twice the size of the past releases [ed.note: this was amended by other witnesses, bringing the volume down]. Also it is in apothecary-style container, first shown on your site as the new-release bottle , but w/minor changes. The bottle still has the pretty muguet design on the outside. Also, the price is scary, sky-high, around $500, although Bergdorfs is having a "Beauty Week" beginning April 6th, and at that price, if the customer does a pre-sale, the sales person will hold the Muguet til May 1st for the $100 discount."
The design that was meant to be
the udated design for Muguet 2011...
Previously Muguet circulated in the standard quadrilobe with (2009) or without the superimposed atomiser "pouf" (2007) and the flacon fleuri design brough back from 1900 for the Eau de Toilette version for 1999, while the accompanying Eau de Toilette tester of the same year was embottled in the classsic Habit de Fete gold-cutouts style flacon with Millesime 1999 embossed on it. You can find pictures of those attached below.
The concentration for 2011's Muguet is Eau de Parfum and the volume is 125ml for 400 euros.
Previous incarnations of Guerlain Muguet include the following:
Guerlain Muguet flacon (Verrerie Royale de Romesnil) with atomiser for 2009
Guerlain Muguet quadrilobe flacon (Verrerie Royale de Romesnil) for 2007
Guerlain Muguet in flacon fleuri (originally 1900 design) for Eau de Toilette in 1999
"Habit de Fete" design for Guerlain Muguet, 50ml Eau de Toilette tester bottle, 1999
thanks to Wim Janssens and Mr.Guerlain (Ulrik) and especially my readers Rappleya and Judy who helped disentangle this mess!
To mark the 20th birthday of Trésor (issued in 1990 and fastly becoming an enduring best-seller), Lancôme is launching an exclusive, limited edition named Trésor Diamant Noir. The most precious stone of them all, the black diamond, was the inspiration for this anniversary bottle which looks like a faceted and polished black diamond which hides the ambery-coloured juice inside. The bottle neck is decorated with a ring of crystal and ebony black hematite. The box is pitch black and engraved. The fragrance inside remains the same.
Lancôme Trésor Diamant Noir will be available from October 2010 in only 20 bottles, exclusively at Lancome Institute with the price per bottle at 2000 euros ($2575).
Like many other confusing matters pertaining to fragrance history the often quoted name Guerlinade stands for several seperate things and disentangling them is at large an exercise in minutiae. Historical minutiae being within the scope of Perfume Shrine from the very start however we hope to cut through the knot which perfume companies often present us with. So this little guide is aiming at providing answers to what the Guerlinade accord is, how Guerlinade smells and in which Guerlain perfumes it can be discerned, which fine fragrances were named Guerlinade and their packaging and availability as of this minute.
Originally La Guerlinade was the code-name for an olfactory harmonious blend ("accord" in perfume-speak) ~possibly conceived by Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain* but first referenced in relation to Jacques Guerlain** ~ that typified Guerlain perfumes in their classical compositions and made them the stuff of legend: Bergamot, jasmine, rose ~especially the Bulgarian version rather than the Turkish one~, orange blossom, iris, (possibly vetiver), tonka bean, and vanilla are said to be the main ingredients comprising it. Of course the exact formula of this special accord is guarded with the zeal Fort Knox is, but most perfumephiliacs can identify the above notes forming the characterist nuance of the chord that runs through the melody of L'Heure Bleue (along with trademark heliotropine) ~especially in Parfum de Toilette and vintage extrait de parfum~, Shalimarand Vol de Nuit; this nuance either captures in its guile or haunts with terror the fragrance enthusiasts. The fragrances composed by Jacques Guerlain especially are intensely redolent of this accord, although Mitsouko is less immersed in it, opting for the oakmoss chypre base under the notorious peach-skin note.
Strangely enough, the term only entered popular parlance outside of the Guerlain labs at the launch of masculine scent Héritage, as Sylvaine Delacourte, artistic director of parfums Guerlain reveals! Like a silky veil, the Guerlinade softens any sharp angles and smothers the composition in the purple hues of twilight. Its feel is polished, bergamot fusing its elegant freshness with rose and vanilla and the tonka bean gives a vague sense of hay, powder and tobacco. But its perfume-y ambience can also feel somehow retro which is why sometimes modern tastes run antithetical to its rich, textured feel.
Guerlinade nevertheless also happens to be the name of a Jacques Guerlain creation from 1921 which came in a beautiful bottle of intensely faceted crystal, shaped like a lekythos. The Guerlain archives include a vegetal lotion issued in 1924 with the same name, an early thought of an ancilary product so to speak. The scent after some "renovation" was re-issued as a seperate, limited edition Eau de Parfum in a new Baccarat flacon design to celebrate the 170 years of Guerlain in 1998 (circulating again as Guerlinade in a presentation that depicted paintings of Parisian life, depicted above) and later re-issued yet again in Les Parisiennes boutique line (in standard bee bottles, depicted below) upon renovation of the 68 Champs Elysées fragship boutique in 2005. Nevertheless the actual scent was different than its predecessor and the famous accord: it had a predominent streak of powdered lilac (a lovely one at that) ~and perhaps a touch of oily hyacinth garlanding it with its "dirtier" streak~ and little relation to the characterist chord that Guerlainomaniacs recognise instantly. Its powdery retro formula (a little iris, a little tonka) explored bouquets of impressionistic vignettes of Parisian life amidst equestrian scenes when gentlemen with horse-drawn carriages would bow down to pick up the handkerchiefs of ladies blushing beneath their veiled little hats. The homage in Guerlinade the fragrance was more that and less an actual reproduction of the exact secret formula for the Guerlain house "signature".
Today the fragrance named Guerlinade is discontinued and no bottles can be found at boutiques Guerlain updrading it into a collectible. Much like happens with other elusive limited editions such as the Harrod's aimed Belle Epoque from 1999 with its musk-veiled tuberose, the No.68 limited edition which reworked Guet Apens, the Champs Elysées Bacarrat turtle/tortoise bottle amongst them...
Yet the renowned accord hasn't died; far from it! The classic Guerlinade harmony was revisited in a Limited Edition commemorative Eau de Parfum fittingly called 180 Ans de Création (meaning 180 years of creation and issued in 2008 to commemorate the 180th anniversary of the house of Guerlain) Jean Paul Guerlain twisted the idea of the classic Guerlinade harmony, realising its aura is often perceived as admirable but a little outdated, and thus added contemporary accents in the form of grapefruit, pink pepper and white musk. The result is elegant, polished and a study in dry warmth and I sincerely hope it becomes more widely available than the gifts given out to the participants of the 180th anniversary celebration. In the meantime we can admire and savour the classical Guerlinade, "un état d’ Esprit", in several vintage Guerlain fragrances where it is shining in all its unadulterated glory.
Back in the 19th century, when the beginnings of the Guerlain brand are to be traced, perfume was considered racy; proper ladies stuck to barely there floral eaux and no one put scent on themselves, but rather on items of clothing. Tracing Guerlain's 180 Ans de Créations fragrance to these beliefs is like a porthole of what made Guerlain revolutionary and great in the first place but also a palingenesis. Its powdery, polished amber character is emotively majestic; and yet it wafts with grace and good manners, making us lament the days when luxury was considered a notion that pertained more to style and connoiseurship than affluent cash bying the latest "it" collectible just because.
180 Ans de Créationswas issued to commemorate the 180 years of Guerlain history and revealed in June 2008 as a non-commercial gift aimed at loyal customers and industry insiders, hence its spartan baptism "180 Ans de Création 1828-2008". I was grateful to receive some via a discernible reader of mine, Emmanuella, who procured it through a French connection and was eager to hear my thoughts on it. (Sincere thanks to both are in order).
Casting back our minds to how Guerlain came into being offers glimpses into how the recapitulation of such heritage could be accomplished. The history of the house of Guerlain is richly nuanced, from the "Parfumeur Vinaigrier" days of Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain at 42 rue de Rivoli in 1828 to the move into not one but two locations on rue de la Paix in 1840. The first big break came with a commission from the novelist Balzac, a person very immersed in sensual exploration himself. Later Pierre-François-Pascal scented the pages of Le Journal des Elégances as well, thus catapulting a custom consultation for the most recognisable personalities of the times: the Prince of Wales, Queen Victoria, the Tsar of Russia and notably Napoleon’s III wife Empress Eugénie de Montijo. Guerlain dedicated the citrusy-smelling verbena-rich Eau de Cologne Impériale to her (1853), composed with the aid of his sons Gabriel and Aimé (the latter his creative heir in 1864 and the composer of Jicky in 1889). He took pains to decorate the flacon with golden Napoleonic bees and thus started a delightful optical tradition, hints of which we can admire even today. In 1914 the opening of the boutique at Champs Elysées kickstarted the unfolding of a saga that persists.
Presented in Eau de Parfum concentration, the idea of Guerlain's 180 Ans de Création is a stripped-down representation of La Guerlinade, the famous accord that makes fragrances instantly recognised as Guerlain progeny. For 180 Ans its perfumer Jean Paul Guerlain twisted the idea of the classic accord, realising its aura is often perceived as admirable but a little outdated and thus added contemporary accents in the form of grapefruit, pink pepper and white musk. The choices weren't random, far from it: the bitterness of grapefuit is a work of marvel in Pamplelune, the most technically merited in the modern Aqua Allegoria line; the spiciness of pink pepper along with its surprising creamy quality (thanks to α-cadinol) is complimentary to the powdery feel of retro scents; the skin-like emission of musks is contemporary and lifting the powder into the realm of familiarity for audiences raised on home products laced with synthesized musks. Yes, 180 Ans is a calculated scent that hits just the right spot!
Starting with a shadowy feel of amber gloved in suede ~masterfully accented with a slight bitterness via grapefruit and possibly thyme to my nose~ Guerlain's 180 Ans de Creations encompasses the very characteristic bergamot-heliotropin-vanilla chord of many Guerlain edible scents without being sweet, as well as an inkish peach-pit almondy shade which reminds me of both Mitsoukoand L'Heure Bleue. An allusion to the oppoponax-vanilla powderiness of Shalimar is finishing it off on a intimate base of musks and the coumarin delight that tonka beans provide so generously to numerous Guerlain creations. Neither supremely feminine, nor typically masculine, its caliginous amber can be likened to the series of fragrances that reworked the original Mathilde Laurent Guet Apensscent: Attrape Coeur, No.68 limited edition, Vol de Nuit Evasion. Nevertheless it is overall less ambery, with no discernable violets as in Attrape Coeurand it projects with more discretion. 180 Ans also possesses a mysteriously twilight chill beneath the warmth, contrasting with it and enhancing its dry powder (an effect of synth musks and dry woody aromachemicals?) which fascinates me. The thing most evoked in far drydown is the suede plush of vintage Shalimar (a hint of quinolines) and the cool powder of Habit Rouge: lovers of the later please take note!
If Guerlain after their LVMH acquisition seem to have drunk from the river Lethe losing memories of their past lives in the process, there are still some signs like 180 Ans which give me hope of a Pythagorian transmigration of the soul. After all Pythagoras didn't occypy himself with counting numbers only, despite what everyone says...
180 Ans de Créations is offered in the oblong flacon that houses L'Art et La Matiere and Elixirs Charnels, with the name placed on a thin metal plate that runs vertically from top to bottom on the front. It is still currently in production according to records as we speak, although cryptic enough to only procure one (from someone who got it last year obviously). I hope that changes soon!
A special edition of the classic Nina Ricci scent L'Air du Temps code-named Cristal d'Or is issued, 15 ml of pure parfum (ie.extrait de parfum), in a limited edition 2009, numbered.
The press release mentions "the original juice. We know otherwise...
Retail price 400 euros, launches October 2009 in time for Christmas gifts planning.
Pic via auparfum.com who has a wise commentary on the news (in French)
Who is issuing the 1005th flanker for 2009? None other than Guerlain, of course! Habit Rouge Armoiries was first introduced in 2006, as a limited edition for men and is re-issued in a flacon with an engraving on the glass in 18ct gold bearing the old logo of Guerlain. The name Armoiries means "coat of arms" and denotes the aristocratic pedigree which has always been evoked by Habit Rouge (The Red Jacket is the traditional garment to don while fox-hunting, a British sport of the aristocracy and royalty for centuries).The masculine composition belongs in the woody spicy family of fragrances and includes notes of lime, orange, bergamot, neroli, cinnamon, cedar, leather, vanilla, oud (agarwood/aloeswood), patchouli and amber. Collectors should probably take note: Habit Rouge Armoiries was created in limited supply ~only 454 numbered flacons, each containing 240ml. Exclusively available at Guerlain boutiques.
Guerlain has been challenging us to show just how serious of a perfume nut we are for some time now: it feels that if we don't mortgage our house or sell our first born's kidneys to the black market we're not quite up there in strategic placement in the galaxy of collectors. The 180th anniversary of Guerlain has brought its own slurge of limited edition collector's items from Les Quatre Saisons coffret to these new and much more "frugal" (enter sarcasm) commodities.
According to serious (and sane) Guerlain collector's reportage Monsieur Guerlain: "A leather case with 18 of the house's emblematic perfumes, created from 1828 to nowadays: Eau de Cologne Impériale, Jicky, L’Heure Bleue, Mitsouko, Shalimar, Vetiver, Habit Rouge, Nahema, Samsara, L’Instant de Guerlain, L’Instant de Guerlain pour Homme, Cologne du 68, Rose Barbare, Cuir Beluga, Angélique Noire, Bois d’Arménie, Iris Ganache and Insolence". Price is 2500€ (the equivalent of 3,531$ or so) which begs the question: since all of these are readily available in much lower prices, why not make one's own coffret (there are lovely leather cases in antique shops which would give a retro feel to the whole thing)? This is something I'd like to see explained in a rational way.
Also there is the second re-edition of Jacques Guerlain's Parfum des Champs-Élysées, after its brief 1995 re-issue: a leathery floral chypre originally launched in 1904 and then in a "turtle bottle" in 1914 as a celebration of the opening of Guerlain's new boutique at Avenue des Champs-Élysées and completely unrelated to the mid-90s Champs-Élysées in its mimosa-laden floralcy. This specific re-issue comes in the original Baccarat crystal "turtle bottle"(conceived by architect Charles Mewes to denote the "slowness" of works but also to suggest that one could "climb on its back and be transported to paradise"), gold label and silk cord seal encased in a red and gold box adding to the luxury stakes. Only 24 bottles will circulate from October 15th for the modest amount of 10.000€ (or 13,807) each. I'm taking two as we speak!!
News brought to my attention thanks to Elysium. Pic courtesy of athinorama.
2008 marks the 180th anniversary of Guerlain, as we had noted a short while ago : It was Pierre François Pascal Guerlain who opened his first shop in Rue de Rivoli in Paris in 1828. Therefore, to celebrate this landmark on May 15th 2008 a limited box-set of four different perfumes representing the four seasons by Jean Paul Guerlain will launch: Eau de Toilette Muguet de Printemps, Eau de Parfum Quand Vient l'Été, Eau de Parfum Brume d'Automne and Eau de Toilette Winter Delice.
Brume d'Automne (=autumnal mists) is a new creation, an aromatic, floral woody with bay rose, coriander, rosemary, ylang-ylang, absinthe, sandal wood and vetiver rhizome. The rest are re-issues of previous limited editions.
The fragrances will be presented in a black leather box in 35 ml crystal Baccarat 'heart shaped stopper' bottles. Each bottle is engraved by hand with a small drawing, illustrating each season. With only 85 copies made and a price of 2500€, this release is targeted towards the serious collector!
We will occupy ourselves with recent Guerlain launches such as Cruel Gardenia shortly!
Bond No. 9 and Swarovski team up to create Bond No. 9 Swarovski Stars in best-selling Bryant Park, Bleecker Street and Nuits de Noho scents. These three blinged out Bond No. 9 scents sparkle with thousands of Swarovski crystals, so tiny that they shimmer and gleam as one. Bond No. 9 Swarovski Stars Limited-Edition Collectibles will arrive in May, in the Mother’s Day nick-of-time. The three fragrances will now be available housed in 50ml bottles completely crystallized—like a second skin —with thousands of Swarovski crystals so tiny that together they shimmer and gleam as one. Instead of the classic bottle designs, these Swarovski Stars are covered in one single hue—either pink, green or blue. Somehow, the effect manages to be sleek, fun and a bit tabula rasa all at the same time.
And for moms on the go -from soccer to socialite- Bond No. 9 offers Swarovski Stars Bon Bons, a chic collection of all three scents (plus Eau de New York ) in crystallized 6ml purse-sprays. In a word: Brilliant.
Availability: 50ml for $650 · Swarovksi Stars Bon Bons Collection for $700 At Bond No. 9 boutiques, 877-273-3369, bondno9.com, saks.com and Saks Fifth Avenue nationwide.
Pic of collectible Swarovski bon bons courtesy of Bond No.9
Perfume Shrine worships at the altar of Opium. I am saying this in case some of you, dear readers, have not been aware of the fact yet (doubtful). So any news concerning the object of the Shrine's adoration is welcome and worth mentioning. So this September, Yves Saint Laurent is launching Opium Orient Extrême.This will be a luxurious collectible version encased in a sumptuous "vessel", inspired by traditional Chinese art. Of course the oriental theme has always been strong with Opium, from the flowers that form its lush heart to the exotic spices at its base to the bottle that is inspired by the traditional samurai inro. And what is more Opium has been one of the precious few fragrances that have been lucky enough to have gorgeous renditions of themselves in limited editions and summer versions that trully do not betray its glory. More than I can say for so many other scents.
The new object d'art will be a refillable spray bottle (with 75ml/2.6 oz. eau de toilette refill) retaining the heavenly aroma of classic Opium fragrance with top notes of mandarin orange, bergamot and lily-of-the-valley; a heart of jasmine, carnation and spices; and base notes of vanilla, amber, opoponax and patchouli. Elegantly lacquered in black with flowers over it, the box will be illuminated with gold and bistre floral motifs reminiscent of those on the Emperor and Empress’s of China embroidered robes and adorned with a black tassel. The refillable eau de toilette rests on satin inside, in black and gold. 75ml/2.6oz of Opium Orient Extrême will cost 119 €, available at major department stores The limited edition is brought out in only 10000 pieces, however. Sign up!
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