Approaching Guerlain fragrances has me strained on the brink, like the tailor with his home-made parachute when he was about to jump from the Eiffel tower more than a century ago. Contrary to this proto-pioneer of aviation the apprehension comes not from the chill of the unknown but rather from the gloom of having one’s lust non-quenched. Like that supreme stylist Vladimir Nabokov said, “the look of lust is always gloomy; lust is never quite sure—even when the velvety victim is locked up in one’s dungeon—that some rival or influential god may still not abolish one’s prepared triumph.” Thankfully there are instances where neither rival nor influential god can take away from what one has carefully designed, even when it’s relatively of a recent vintage yet sure in the footing of tradition; and who better than Guerlain to be in that position? The two seasonally named, yet of panseasonal capabilities perfumes, "
When the Rain Comes" and "
When Summer Comes," prove to be amongst those “vintage” (and I use the term very loosely) Guerlains for whom lust is fully justified.
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| Guerlain Quand Vient La Pluie via |
Find out on this Fragrantica link why that is. plus how these two meta-vintages smell and how they implicate other famous and less famous Guerlain perfumes, such as
L'Heure Bleue, Apres L'Ondee, Terracotta and
No.25, before being both contained in the limited edition
Les Saisons coffret.
Fragrance notes for Guerlain Quand Vient La Pluie include bergamot, rosemary, neroli, heliotrope, violet, jasmine, amber, gourmand praline notes, patchouli and musk.
The bottle was designed by Serge Mansau
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| the 1910 original formula (loosely inspiring the latter) Quand Vient L'Ete by Guerlain, in Baccarat quadrilobe bottle (circulating to this day) Pic originally from Ebay via |
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| a later re-issue of Quand Vient l'Ete in the retro bottles, originally on Ebay via |
Fragrance Notes for Guerlain Quand Vint L'Ete (2007 formula) include:
Top notes are mint, lemon and rose; middle notes are lily, jasmine and ylang-ylang; base notes are carnation, iris and vanilla.
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