Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady: fragrance review

 Portrait of a Lady in the line Editions des Parfums Frederic Malle is named after the homonymous novel by Henry James from 1881; a romantic detail which never fails to stir the imagination as related to fragrance. The novel tells the story of Isabel Archer, a young American heiress who "affronts her destiny". Dealing with one of James' recurrent themes, an American in Europe (as in Wings of the Dove), and the differences between the two cultures, The Portrait of a Lady is a tale of the conspiracy to separate Isabel from her fortune, and subsequently  the value of autonomy and accountability.

via

 

The olfactory inspiration however has little to do with ladies, and lots to do with the burgeoning trend, set years before with Serge Lutens opening Les Salons de Palais Royal (find the perfume addresses of Paris here), of Arabian-inspired perfumery. Portrait of a Lady, by perfumer Dominique Ropion, deals with a rose note and spices in a new, contemporary way that varies between the oriental and chypre theme with patchouli, natural and intense, dominating the heart of the composition.

It is interesting to compare and contrast two rose-centric fragrances in the Malle collection, Portrait of a Lady and Une Rose. The Damascus rose makes itself felt in the former, while Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle Une Rose, created by Edouard Flechier, contains a record 1% of the expensive absolute of the Rose de Mai, a more crystalline, more citrusy variant, which is hereby allied to a chord smelling like truffles to give it an earthy, fleshy quality.

Rose and patchouli is a classic combination, memorized by every amateur perfumer like a mantra, and used by every professional one, revered for the ability of the latter essence to make the former seemingly bloom out in all eternity; keeping it moist, green, fresh, and yet at the same time dark, thorny and dangerous. L'Artisan Parfumeur's Voleur de Roses is a great example of the synergy of the two, with a minty, camphoraceous patchouli creating something totally unexpected for a rose fragrance, which is so often left to smell prim and proper like bath products.

The damascones present in rose, also make up a significant part as the component of the smell of raspberries, as well as tobacco. The tying of Turkish rose with raspberry in Portrait of a Lady, and underscoring it with honeyed facets and smoky incense, creates ooomph. Volume, projection, a flaming red tongue wagging to everyone in the vicinity commanding respect. 

This is no shy lady. Beware! Her skin is ivory, the rose is blood red, her person is on the cusp of hot and cold. Like in the song Herrin de Fueurs, she has "hair of copper, like a chestnut tree in flames" and "name and blood from the innermost of the earth."

 

Fragrant notes for Portrait of a Lady:  Turkish rose, raspberry, black currant, cinnamon, clove, patchouli, sandalwood, incense, ambroxan, benzoin and white musk

Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle The Night: new fragrance

The new fragrance by Editions de Parfums, ‘The Night’, is aiming for the rich in scented heritage market of the Middle East. Master perfumer Dominique Ropion’s first composition for Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle that speaks the language of Middle Eastern per­fume, The Night is a rarity for more reasons than one.
Unlike classic "oriental" perfumes which have been composed to correspond to a French perfumery tradition interpreting, rather than replicating, the ways and tastes of the Middle East, the newest launch by Malle is set to be a true oriental, yet, given the expansion of the tastes of the western customer thanks to niche offerings, a welcome addition to a aficionado's collection as well.

Malle opens up on the composition of "The Night" in the following terms: "Unlike perfumes called Oud which contain at best a trace of this precious raw material, if any, ‘The Night’ is built on an unprecedented proportion of Oud from India which Domi­nique has mixed with a generous amount of Turkish Rose and Amber." The perfume is purported by Malle to be the one with the richest percentage of natural Oud in the market, with a price to correspond, naturally.

The counter and fragrance will be launching in store by the end of October and Frederic Malle The Night by Dominique Ropion is exclusive to Bloomingdale’s – Dubai in the Middle East. {NB.The info comes from the official store source}

Price is reportedly 850$US for the 100ml bottle and 755$ for the 50ml bottle.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine:
Oud fragrances reviews, 
Oud/Aoudh/Aloewswood: What is this Perfume Raw Material?

Givenchy Ysatis: fragrance review & history & free perfume giveaway

Ysatis remains among the most memorable perfume launches of my childhood, alongside Cacharel's Loulou, mainly due to the commercial that accompanied it, much like Faure's dreamy Pavane did for the latter. In the Greek version, a marvelously sonorous, rhyming phrase was able to be coined for the launch, a fact that would be difficult to accomplish in any other language:  "Αναζητείς το Υζαντίς" it went (a-na-zee-TEES toh ee-sah-TEES), roughly meaning that the love-struck male that would smell it would be forever seeking the source of the fragrant Ysatis. It does lend one to daydreaming, doesn't it. Especially to an impressionable, already obsessed with perfumes, mind such as mine, back in 1984.
The reality, as is often the case with perfumes, is far more prosaic: Jean Courtiere, president of Parfums Givenchy, came up with the name, while searching ~as is the formal naming process~ for something non copyrighted, non insulting in any known language and mellifluous enough to be catchy. Ysatis it was and it stuck.

The story

I also vividly recall that Ysatis was accompanied by images of carnival, chess board games and Venetian masks, a fact that I mistakenly attributed it to the masterminds at the advertising company borrowing heavily from the Venezia by Laura Biagiotti popularity, at its apex during the early 1990s, but it looks like it was done in reverse. (disregard the art school project ones posing as authentic). Accurately enough, my memory is as it should be: not only is the architectural Art-Deco-meets-skyscraper bottle of Ysatis posing as a chess piece itself, the commercial is set to a scene from the Venetian carnival (to the succeeding scoring of Hendel's Sarabande, immortalized in Kubrick's Barry Lynton, and of Folias d'Espagna by Arcangelo Corelli): the intrigued, love-struck man in question is seeking the glamorous, 1940s vague-coiffed and 1980s made-up woman behind the mask, the truth behind the glamorous facade. It all stood as very impressive and to this day I think they involuntarily captured a huge part of perfume's intellectual appeal; what is it that makes us want to peel the layers off a person like the beige-purple petticoats off an onion?

I'm relaying all these very personal associations to drive to the fact that Parfums Givenchy had a nice, long-standing tradition in my house, as my grandfather was a devotee of Givenchy Gentleman (1974), my mother occasionally dabbed from Givenchy III (1970) and my father had an amorous relationship with Xeryus (1986) many moons ago. So falling for Ysatis wasn't far fetched at all and taking in mind the first perfume I bought with my pocket money was YSL Opium, it seemed like a natural enough progression into the abyss into perfume appreciation. In fact the fragrance was so popular in Greece that a local fashion "chain" is still named after it.

Searching for this perfume these past couple of days I come across Ysatis advertised as "the perfume of power". But this is not what it stood for for me. Perceptions have significantly changed and we're not the creatures we were in the 1980s, when everything seemed possible, even gassing out everyone in the room with one's scent fumes, but Ysatis, poised as it is between three categories (floral, oriental and chypre) in its complex formula, has the tremendous force to evoke a time when one felt untouchable.
It sounds rather perverse and morbid choice for a teen, but I kinda think I was morbid all along. We did listen to lots of Joy Division and Cure and Siouxie & the Banshees and read Poe poems and gothic tales, so I suppose it wasn't just me.

The scent of Ysatis 

The main fragrance story of Givenchy Ysatis is unfolded in pummeling, sultry and creamy smelling essences of orange flower, ylang ylang and tuberose, brightened by the citrusy but sweetish oil of mandarin and chased by animal fragrance notes (smells like heaps of civet to me and there's also castoreum) and some spice in the base (the unusual for a feminine fragrance bay rum as well as clove). It's pretty "whoa, what the hell hit me?" at any rate. Like Gaia, The Non Blonde, says: "Ysatis is not for the meek or those still figuring out their style and taste". Word. If you have liked and worn Organza (also by Givenchy) in the 1990s, or Cacharel Loulou, and Ubar by Amouage, you have high chances of claiming Ysatis with the clinging tenderness usually reserved for Nutella jars.

Ysatis was composed by Dominique Ropion, maker of such ebullient, expansive fragrances as Amarige, Pure Poison, Carnal Flower, Portrait of a Lady, Une Fleur de Cassie, Alien, RL Safari, Flowerbomb or Kenzo Jungle, among many many others.




Ysatis has been reformulated and repackaged, though not ruined in the process; it's till Amazonian and lusciously haute bourgeois. Still if you're searching for the older formula, it comes in the black box vs. the newer purple one. The original bottles even read Ysatis de Givenchy. There is also a flanker, Ysatis Iris, also in a purple box, though that one has a purple hued bottle as well and of course the moniker "Iris" just below the name. Still, keep a sharp eye when shopping, as it's a rather different scent (focusing on violet & iris note sandwiched between the citrusy top and floriental bottom).

I have a generous miniature of vintage Ysatis for a lucky winner. Please state in the comments what was your favorite 1980s scent and what scents you'd like to see featured in the Underrated Perfume Day feature on Perfume Shrine. Draw is open internationally till Sunday midnight and winner will be announced sometime on Monday.

For more entries and fragrance reviews of Underrated Perfumes please click on the link and scroll.

Lancome La Vie Est Belle: fragrance review

The upcoming Lancome fragrance, La Vie Est Belle (i.e. Life is Beautiful), is exactly the kind of perfume we dedicated perfumephiles love to kvetch about without any grave reason, come to think of it: It won't knock your Spanx off, sure; it's a "pretty" smell for pretty ladies (as evidenced by the face fronted it, the original Pretty Woman) but it's not a genuinely bad release all the same, just derivative. It suffers from the major problem of mainstream perfumery: a sense of sameness, a sort of deja vu, when what we yearn for is earth-shattering uniqueness, Heathcliff boldness and passion, springboards for heated discussion with a slice of brie in one hand and a good goblet of Laphroaig on the other while Mahler's 3rd blasts out of the speakers.
If you're that sort of person you won't be wowed by La Vie Est Belle. If on the other hand you just seek a wearable, non completely teeny-bopper fruity scent to get you through the day (and night) then the newest Lancome release isn't the worst to come out on counters for a while; nor is it the best, worse luck...

To cut a long story short: La Vie Est Belle an iris "gourmand" with patchouli. Just how many irises, gourmands and patchoulis are there on the market currently? Do I hear you say hundreds? I thought so! And yet, this fragrance is pretty well-executed within the genre, if sweet and over-tenacious. It's really a floriental for the 30-50 age group of women who want something contemporary that wouldn't have their teeth fall off at the same time. Lancôme after all has never ditched their more "mature" outlook (Tresor Midnight Rose non withstanding) and the accompanying image the way Dior has, as I was discussing with one of my online friends. In that context, the fragrance succeeds in its intended demographic, all caveat emptors in place.

This gourmand yet rather delicate composition was developed by famous perfumers Olivier Polge, Dominique Ropion and Anne Flipo, all known for their talent and technical skill. The final formula is claimed to be the result achieved after 3 years of testing and 5000 versions including precious ingredients (Iris Pallida concrete, Jasmine sambac absolute, orange blossom absolute, and patchouli essence; we can take this with a grain of salt or not). When you're hearing things like that, you know you have reason to get worried.
Iris is supposedly the key ingredient of the perfume, surrounded by orange blossoms and jasmine in the heart. The iris isn't really perceptible as such to my nose, though, I have to say: that carrot-rooty often metallic note we associate with iris fragrances is very subtle and floats in the background as a murmur rather than a clear command. The composition’s opening provides fruity flavors of black currant and pear, those can be felt, while the base is warm, gourmand and powdery due to almond-like accords of tonka bean (high in coumarin), praline (shades of Angel, especially coupled with the next two ingredients), patchouli and vanilla.

The recognizable reference in La Vie Est Belle comprise a hint of Delices de Cartier (instead of cherry, the fruity nuance is orange-toned but in a clean, fresh and pleasant way) and Flowerbomb's fruity-patchouli sweetness rising from the core. It's somehow airier, like a gourmand done in devore velvet rather than heavy damask. It also vaguely reminds me of Hanae Mori #4. Of course all these facts point to the theory that if you own any of the above, there's not much point in owing La Vie est Belle as well. That's for you and your Visa to decide.

The lasting power and projection of La Vie Est Belle, available as eau de Parfum, are both very very good, a technically able fragrance, and though I wouldn't be too displeased to be in the company of the woman wearing it, I wouldn't buy a full bottle for myself all the same.

La Vie Est Belle is the newest Lancome fragrance, available on the market from autumn 2012 in major department stores. The concept of this fragrance is centered on real beauty in small things, freedom from conventions and the wisdom to go after one's heart.
The (beautiful) flacon is a redesigned version of a Lancome bottle from 1949 from the brand's archives. Actress Julia Roberts is the face of the campaign, shot by director Tarsem Singh.

NB: I shared a sample with a friend who works in the press and got a preview herself. 

Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady: new fragrance

Les Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle have ventured into home fragrance lately (here & more below on this post), but the fine fragrance department was seemingly neglected for a while. Portrait of a Lady, their newest feminine fragrance is going to change all that, introducing another coveted item in the niche line. The name is of course inspired by the same-named novel by Henry James from 1881, focusing on a heroine who afronts her overwhelming destiny with all the tragic mood of a classical Greek tragedy and set in a context which clashes the Old and New World sensibilities to great aplomb.

Composed by Dominique Ropion (who had collaborated with Malle on Une Fleur de Cassie, Vétiver Extraordinaire, Carnal Flower and Géranium pour Monsieur), Portrait of a Lady, the upcoming F.Malle fragrance, is centered around rose alongside spicy notes of clove, cinnamon and incense, developing a complex sillage that is promising to be oscillating between an oriental and a chypre. After all the F.Malle Une Rose is indeed almost chypré already. The woody note in Portrait of a Lady is patchoulol, a terpene extracted from natural patchouli, whose one isomer is responsible for the scent of patchouli itself. This refinement allows to avoid some of the technical problems of using the unfractured patchouli and leads to a purer scent. Rose and patchouli have been a beloved theme of modern perfumery in the last decade with several worthy speciments in niche fragrances, from Voleur de Roses by L'Artisan to Lady Vengeance from Juliette has a Gun. But the orientalised take and the spice addition alongside the smokiness of incense seem like a novel take that seems exciting and promising. Could it prove to be the perfect Gothic rose fragrance that sometimes people are seeking?
Portrait of a Lady will retail from 145 to 215 euros for 50ml and 100ml respectively, available from November 2010.

In the home fragrancing front, ‘Diffuseur Solitaire’, a non electric minimally designed new gadget, shaped like an aluminum cylinder in either black or metal-finish adapts itself to confined spaces. The more modest price point (compared to the 360 euros that were asked for Fleur Mécanique) is another advantage. It is for the moment offered in re-worked scents of ‘Coffee Society’ and ‘Saint des Saints’ (review on the link) which were originally developed for the scented candles in the F.Malle line. But the recharges of the Fleur Mécanique line have also profited from a lifting: a new concentration extrême, touted as more than 50 % is being presented as "+" version.

All pious at the Malle shrine, enter!

Diffuseur Solitaire : 85 euros ; Recharge "+" : 55 à 75 euros, available on the oficial site editionsdeparfums.com/

Related reading on Perfumeshrine: Upcoming releases, Frederic Malle news & reviews

pic via osmoz

Lancome Tresor in Love: fragrance review

If the original* Trésor was a bustling, buxom lady clad in salmon-toned satin overalls that couldn’t really conceal her generous contours, Trésor in Love is its anorexic descendant, still happy to be in pastel-shaded frou-frou clothes but without an inch of herself being pinchable where the clothing ends and flesh (and bone) emerges. [*For our purposes we're referring to the original as the 1990 creation on which this new one is a flanker, although in the brand's archives there is a vintage one by the same name]

Taking a very straightforward composition of minimalism (very short list of molecules) and hyperbole (just four of them taking 80% of the finished formula) composed by Sophia Grojsman in 1990, this modern spin on the original is devoid of either characteristic. Instead in Trésor in Love there is a “feminine”, pretty yet lanky take on peachiness juiced on florist roses, extended on a less musky but more synthetic cedar-like drydown. In short, a passingly pleasant fragrance that does not differentiate itself significantly from hundreds of others. Even Lancôme themselves have a “pretty” with a bit more character in their (quite fetching and spring-like) Miracle So Magic offering. Perfumers Dominique Ropion and Veronique Nyberg collaborated on an uncaracteristic of the former's style composition that probably hints at the restraints of the current mainstream market more than any aesthetic choice.


Those who like the original Trésor will find familiar themes with the cozy reminiscence of a well-worn slipper, but will prefer their previous love-affair for its merits of plutonium-challenging in regards to sustainability and endurance sillage and longevity; this modern shoe ("a younger and fresher interpretation" the press release promised) is frayed at the ends. Those who did not, are not likely to be gob-smacked by the new flanker, although they do have chances of making the apricot-y rosiness their own at last if what scared them was only the above mentioned properties. Trésor in Love like its anorexic formula, is rather scarce to make out after a while and at a distance. I predict it will prove popular in our non-perfume-y times!
What I really liked was the bottle, a tall sprayer clone of the original 1990 Trésor, but with a small black “frou frou” rose on the collar, like those reserved for extraits: Cute!

Lancome Trésor In Love notes: Nectarine, bergamot, peach and sour pear, Turkish rose, jasmine, cedar.

The fragrance is available in 30, 50 and 75 ml flacons and is available at major department stores since the end of March 2010.

Backstage photos from the shooting of the advertisements featuring Elettra Weidemann under the direction of Mario Testino.

Helena Rubinstein Wanted: fragrance review

Helena Rubinstein proposed that Wanted "unveils the ineffable and mysterious link that binds a woman to her love, a woman to her desires, a woman to her fragrance". Supposedly the name derives from the advertising phrase "All you've ever wanted" (Yeah, like another PhD, a second summer house, this one on Santorini so I don't end up paying exorbitant prices when there, and my offspring to behave at all times...fat chance I'll get! Anyway...)

The daring muse for Rubinstein's first foray in fragrance in 25 years (last one was the rococo typical of its era Barynia in 1985) is none other than Demi Moore, who I suppose is more daring for her choice of a much younger soulmate than anything else (no offence meant, just pondering on the "dare" factor these days). When all is said and done, more power to her and I have to note I always liked that, despite whatever procedure she has had done, she never plumped up her lips the way so many Hollywood stars do ending up like trouts. In the advertising commercial she showcases her best assets (come-hither eyes, great shape) and does a sexy speak-over with her husky, suggestive voice dressed in a Donna Karan look-alike dress (which if my memory serves me well had been her hit a decade ago).

On the other hand Wanted is daring to the degree that a chicken and asparagus casserole can be described as such: surely a nice combination of flavours, but not unheard of and the only folks who won't touch it with a six-feet pole are small children (and even then...). Likewise Wanted recalls to mind shades of Dolce & Gabanna's The One, in a lighter, more citrusy incarnation, and woodier rather than fruity-orientalised; stepping from the sauna with a lovely peignoir on the colour of cream, all pores cleansed and exctracted (the lily of the valley touches of "scrubbed clean" along with what I deduce are white musks at the base).
Magnolia grandiflora is shaping to be the newest iris (i.e. a huge trend) and after a dearth of florals in favour of gourmands, it seems they're getting back with a vengeance, possibly as a result of the mega hit of J'Adore by Dior which also features magnolia. In Wanted it's a fantasiacal accord of woody and creamy-floral facets (a special LMR extraction of ylang ylang) with a radiant dose of sugar spun crystals sprinkled on and an acqueous feel, which was inspired by a stay at Portofino of all places. It's certainly sweeter than Magnolia Nobile by Aqua di Parma. Perfumers Dominique Ropion and Carlos Benaim of IFF figured women who turned to their favourite cosmetics brand would expect a comforting, polished and rather delicate composition, like pampered face cream (similar approach in Eau de Fleur de Magnolia by Kenzo), that wouldn't have any hard edges, nor operatic throw-cushions the way white flowers are by their very nature rendered (and doesn't Ropion have tremendous experience with those!). Therefore fans of apocalyptical awe-inspiring florals will be disappointed, consumers with an eye on wearability will make it popular.

The bottle, designed by internationally renowned French jewels and furniture designer Hervé van der Straeten is elegant and striking in a industrial-sleekness-meets-1er arrondissement-sophistication , although the material doesn't look as luxurious up close and personal. (Or maybe I'm just extremely picky)




Notes for Helena Rubinstein Wanted: magnolia, ylang ylang and iris over cedar

Helena Rubinstein Wanted is available as Eau de Parfum 1.7 fl. oz. for $60/50ml for €70, Eau de Parfum 3.4 fl. oz. for $80/ 100ml for €100 and Body Lotion 6.6 fl. oz., $45; exclusively at Macy's from November 5th and at major department stores in Europe.

Pic of Demi Moore via cosmetic candy, Wanted bottle pic via bwconfidential.com

New Frederic Malle scent by Dominique Ropion: Geranium pour Monsieur

"A new fragrance named Geranium Pour Homme has been created for niche brand Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle by perfumer Dominique Ropion. It is expected to be available from Frederic Malle stockists, including Les Scenteurs, later on this year", according to today's Basenotes reportage by Danielle Cooper. Update 1: Later confirmation from Malle representatives corrects the name as Géranium pour Monsieur and sets the launch date in May.

Geranium is a rosy note distilled from the leaves of the plant and is traditionally used to render rose notes in masculine and unisex fragrances instead of more opulent rose essences traditionally considered more feminine. "An adventurer who abandons himself to instinct, Ropion is on a quest to create new, harmonious accords by pairing ingredients which are extreme opposites. His work is special because of the tension between precision and freedom." If indeed we take into consideration how Ropion usually works with his materials, we can expect a counterpoint of tense antithesis or the exagerration of the essence into its most baroque interpretation.

Update 2~"Now, after 18 months of "editing" with three-time contributor Dominique Ropion, Editions is poised to release an eighteenth scent, Géranium pour Monsieur. Though the perfume business is drenched in tradition, and there are plenty of flower petals where this one came from, make no mistake: this is a modern operation. Malle and Ropion used state of the art technologies to assemble an unlikely blend of raw Chinese geranium extract, mint absolute distilled at the molecular level, and cinnamon extracted with CO2.

"It's exactly like Photoshop," says Malle of his scientific manner of "amplifying" scents. A female friend of mine described Géranium pour Monsieur as smelling like a "cozy fireplace with fresh mint and licorice thrown in." Which is pretty close to the effect the two were going for. "It's super fresh, but it evolves to something warmer," says Malle, who will release Géranium in June then open his first stand-alone stateside boutique on Madison Avenue later this fall. [...] We came up with this idea by looking at toiletries from the 1920s. They all had mint in them, geranium, anise. When you think of mint you usually think of gum. These scents are associated to other things, but they're also truly pleasant. My son who desperately wants to be a playboy thought it was an asset, and he was wearing it the whole time we were designing it.[...]It's like a Darwinian chain. [The ingredients] all share things in common. Geranium and mint have things in common, mint and anise work together, anethol works with mint, and floralozone works with anethol. Then there's another facet—the cinnamon, clove, sandalwood, and incense—which creates warmth."

(via Interviewmagazine.com)

Notes for Géranium pour Monsieur by F.Malle include: mint, Chinese Geranium, Rhodinol, Anéthol, cinnamon, clove, white musks, floraozone, incense, and benzoin.

Might I remind you that Roaster by Cartier was one successful launch of the previous season.

Dominique Ropion began his training at the acclaimed Roure Bertrand Dupont laboratory, later going on to work with Jean-Louis Sieuzac (the creator of Opium among other gems). Some of his most famous creations include Amarige, Ysatis (both for Givenchy), Dior Pure Poison, and Calvin Klein Euphoria. Ropion had been outsourced for the Frédéric Malle brand for exceptional and striking creations such as the masterfully realistic tuberose Carnal Flower, the wet cobblestones of Vétiver Extraordinaire and the deliciously animalic, meowing floral Une Fleur de Cassie. Ropion currently holds one of the major creators' seats at International Flavors and Fragrances.



Pic via F.Malle

Vetiver Extraordinaire by Frederic Malle: fragrance review

If in vetiver veritas you pledge your allegiance, look no further. The whooping percentage of pure unadulterated vetiver essence in Vétiver Extraordinaire for Editions des Parfums Frédéric Malle goes for indubitably maximum overload for hardcore vetiver fans: you'd be hard-pressed to find one that contains more Haïtain vetiver out there (an alleged 25%) or is less devoid of the oily decorations of other contenstants.
Luca Turin praised perfumer Dominique Ropion's work here by saying that "lead-pencil cedar notes and a touch of lemon [...] act as makeup to hollow the cheeks of perfumery vetiver and give it back some of the striking bone structure of the starting material". I will go further and say that Vétiver Extraordinaire with its raw, wet cobblestones intensity recalls craggy faces of gaunt figures in chain-mail armor, shaded and revealed alternatively by a bright white light before they suddenly strike with a gigantic sword out of a dense dank forest.

The background story on its 2002 creation is caprivating: Frédéric Malle and Dominique Ropion had collaborated at Roure Bertrand Dupont in the past where Ropion had created an unusual exotic woody accord that Malle remembered fondly. When Ropion received a new extraction of vetiver that highlighted the qualitative nuances of the material in an unprecedented way, Malle had the idea to combine it with the old unfinished woody base and thus after extensive twinkering, the finished modern classic emerged. Ropion is well known for his style of overornate, dense, baroque signature, as evidenced in Ysatis or Amarige by Givenchy but also the intriguing Une Fleur de Cassie also for Frédéric Malle and it seems fitting that he achieved the painful intensity of extreme accuracy by addition instead of substraction using "a new essence of Vetiver, stripped of its bitter edge, which he matches with five woody notes to play up the scent's various facets".

Compared with soapy or citrusy vetivers like Vétiver by Guerlain or sweet, licorice-like vetivers such as Vétiver Oriental by Lutens, Vétiver Extraordinaire seems like a challenge: It lacks the light smoky refinement of Chanel's Sycomore, the nutty flou of Vetiver Tonka by Hermès or the spicy sexiness of Tauer's Vetiver Dance, elements which all contribute to easier acceptance. It should therefore be approached only when searching for something bitterly wet yet with a peppery, fresh herbaceous and earthy scent that will draw out a little savagery misleadingly dressed in bohemian clothing. The rooty, cardboard opening emphasizes the more difficult aspects of the genre but the overall character makes it delightfully panseasonal. The lasting power is excellent and the sillage moderate. Perhaps the closest to it is Encre Noire by Lalique which utilizes the same concept minus the foresty mossy tones, so those who have no access to the former, might find a pleasing alternative in the latter suggestion.


Notes for Vetiver Extraordinaire:Bergamot, Bigarade Orange, Pink pepper, Nutmeg, Floralozone*, Haïtain vetyver, Sandalwood, cedarwood, Oak moss, Myrrh, Cashmeran, Musketone**, Tonalide**.

Available in 10ml, 50ml and 100ml spray bottles and as shower gel at Barneys, Les Senteurs, and directly from Frédéric Malle boutiques and their site.

For a comprehensive analysis of vetiver fragrances click Vetiver Series.

*Florazone is a synthetic ozone muguet note patented by IFF with a fresh aldehydic floral profile reminiscent of ocean breezes.
**Musketone and Tonalide are synthesized musk variants.

Photograph of Hugh Laurie by Justin Stephens(Corbis). Bottle pic through F.Malle