Balenciaga Michelle: fragrance review & history

It is always with some astonishment that I find myself in a Wells-like universe while critically appraising fragrances from decades ago: the Balenciaga classic perfumes opus in particular is supremely refined in the grand manner (Quadrille, Prelude, Cialenga, and the more famous Le Dix), yet surprises lay hidden in less far off decades ~as recently as 1979, if 30 years ago can be seen as "recent". Michelle, created that year, as a posthumous homage to the great couturier who had died in 1972 and named after his favourite model, is a classic from the house reflecting values of another time.

Intense in its message, floral and oriental at once with a wink of aldehydes on top like topz eyes behind dark sunglasses, and weird in a sublime way, thanks to a ginormous tuberose and earthy rose in its heart, Michelle by Balenciaga shares a common element with that other fangled, musky and bitter tuberose of the 80s, Dior's Poison by nose Edouard Fléchier (1985); and to a lesser degree with the more vulgar Giorgio by Giorgio Beverly Hills, a fragrance that sadly traumatised a whole generation of teenagers into succumbing to watery ozonics in the hopes of escaping the deadly, miasma-like fumes of their mothers' scent which wafted from every taxi and every elevator to the point of suffocation.
As someone wittingly quipped, the first Dior Poison is "like road testing an Abrams M1 tank in the evening rush hour". To further that image, I should add that Giorgio is all of the above, but done in picturesque Dubrovnik, pre- the Yugoslavian War ravages, when it was a perfect specimen of UNESCO's Cultural Heritage collection of cities, pristinely preserved in formaldehyde.

Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972), a Basque-born Spanish couturier renowned for his impecable attention to detail, his contempt for bourgeoisie status of the Chambre and referred to as "the master of us all" by Christian Dior himself, became famous for his architectural eye and ultra-modernity. The latter was especially exhibited in his "bubble skirts" and odd shapes, the "square coat", the swanlike collars and the "bracelet sleeves" among them. His fragrances reflected his demanding and sophisticated nature: they had character!

The nose behind Balecianga's Michelle is Françoise Caron, best known for Eau d'Orange Verte for Hermès, Kenzo by Kenzo (the original with the blossom-shaped stopper) and the reconstruction of Ombre Rose L'Original for Brosseau, but also for Montana's oriental mohair blanket Just Me and the popular oriental/gourmand Escada Collection. Her Gió for Giorgio Armani (1992) continues with the tuberose treatment so prevalent in the 80s and in a way reflects some of the aspects of Michelle without following it closely. Whereas Gió is nectarous, fruity and honeyed, Michelle is rather sharper, mossier and with that weird perfume-y note de tête which is commonly referred to in perfumephiliac parlance as the "bug spray accord". Both Poison in its foreboding purplish bottle and Giorgio in its yellow-striped kitsch shared this bug spray note: an aroma which had become so popular through the extensive usage of the above perfumes back then that manufacturers of instecticides in a reverse compliment (cheapening the formula) replicated in their...yes, you guessed it, bug sprays! The mental pathway wasn't difficult to lay and forever since bug spray ~and the perfumes that echo it~ have that characteristic sharp, needles-up-the-nose, bitter and strangely floral-from-outer-space tonality which has its fans and its detractors. The mental association isn't a personal favourite for reasons of overdosing on insecticides one memorable tropically-latituded summer in Bali many years ago, so although I admire that kind of fragrances intellectually it isn't something I am comfortable with wearing too often. Still in Michelle that bug spray accord is tempered and tamer, making it friendlier.

If by mentioning tuberose you cast your mind to the timeless Fracas by Piguet with its beautiful yet at the same time coloratura expansive and creamy night blossom, Tubéreuse Criminelle by Lutens with its mentholated, polished soie sauvage or Carnal Flower by F.Malle with its coconut and eycalyptus-ladden tropical ambience, then think again: Balenciaga's forgotten vintage extrait Michelle is none of those things and is a throwback to another era. Surprisingly, Michelle is also sprinkled with a pinch of spice, not listed, a cinnamon-like effect which somehow provides a sweet facet along with the vanilla, yet reinforces the bloody, metallic facets of the tuberose and the wet earthiness of the rose in tandem with moss. It wears beautifully in the heat and eases itself into the cooler days of approaching autumn.

The vintage extrait de parfum which is the concentration in my possession (in the design on the right) is extremely long-lasting and smooth, while the Eau de Toilette (circulating in the classic design of Balenciaga fragrances depicted here) smells about the same, but with a radiance and expansion which could become too much too soon in my opinion.

Notes for Balenciaga Michelle:
Top: Aldehydes, gardenia, green notes, coconut, peach
Heart: Carnation, tuberose, iris, orchid, jasmine, yalng ylang, rose
Base: Sandalwood, oakmoss, musk, benzoin, vanilla, vetiver

Michelle is discontinued, but makes sporadic appearences on Ebay and etailers. The Balenciaga house is currently part of the Gucci Group (part of Pineault Printemps Redoute). Popular again thanks to the success of the "Motorcycle bag" and Nicolas Ghesquiere design and is set to produce a new fragrance under the aegis of Coty fronted by Charlotte Gainsbourg, which questions the possibility of ever resurrecting Michelle.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Vintage perfumes, Fragrance history

Pic of vintage coat design by Cristobal Balenciaga via pairofchairs.wordpress.com and of Michelle flacon via ecrater.com

Lily Bermuda Petals, Somers, South Water: fragrance reviews

The brand with the little crest is called Lily Bermuda and is (not so predictably these days) a Bermuda-based perfume house established in 1928. The people there are quite proud of the heritage, since they have been producing scents based on the essences that aromatize the air of the isles for a long time. The latest trio, reviewed here today, was conceived to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Bermuda: "Each fragrance was created to evoke a different time in the Island’s history since it’s beginning". I admit at least one of them had me murmuring tunes to myself under my breath with much gusto all day, so I am going to start with that and work onwards.

Petals is a feminine fragrance encased in pink packaging. If by "pink" you're left with the impression you'll be dealing with a Barbie-esque tutti-frutti cocktail from which is there is no escaping, think again. Surprisingly, upon sampling Petals, I realised we're dealing with exactly what the official information is promising: "a luminous fragrance, an alluring white floral bouquet, elegant and truly feminine".
Petals is feminine, no question about it, and although quite sweet, its tour de force isn't the sugar-tooth of bonbons, but the nectarous quality hiding in the heart of its white blossoms. Its appeal is like that of Natalie Wood at the time she was dating Warren Beatty. On me the citrusy fruit disappears almost immediately giving way to the rich flowers and the diaphanous base notes. In Lily Bermuda Petals the orange blossom is honeyed and layed on thick instead of fresh (think of the treatment in Fleurs d'Oranger by Lutens), the honeysuckle and oriental jasmine take on heady directions, yet the scent is not at all heavy although it wafts satisfactorily and lasts exceptionally well (all through the night on me and discernable upon waking up). Despite its "timeless" promotion, I feel it is instantly identified as modern, as it doesn't possess the dirtier (costus, real musk...) or earthier (moss, patchouli...) aspects upon which several classics were built decades ago. But it makes you want to break out a prom-like 60s dress and sing in front of the mirror "I feel pretty, oh so pretty; I feel pretty and witty and gay!" , which is rather priceless in its way, won't you agree?
Petals encompasses notes of: clementine, mandarin, night blooming honeysuckle, sparkling seringa, watery orange blossom, ylang ylang, jasmine sambac, white musk, white amber. Available in many sizes starting with 15ml/1oz (how utterly cute!)


Somers is a masculine fragrance in dark blue packaging. The name derives from a visit a long-time ago: "Sir George Somers taking his first step onto our fragrant Island and being enveloped in the natural odors of this picturesque paradise". Somers accordingly opens with refreshing notes of bergamot, Bermuda cedar and cardamon, wandering into delicious notes of licorice, black tea, nutmeg, coriander, geranium and sage. The finale is warm with gaiac wood, olivewood bark, incense, blonde suede and amber. Additional notes include grapefruit, orange blossom, ginger and vetiver. Cedar and licorice/aniseed form the main impression, which is interesting in its way, one contrasting with the other their austere and more sensuous aspects; nevertheless I was pining for that olivewood bark promised, which I so love due to my cultural heritage. It's a quite wearable and likeable scent and could be confiscated by women too as it has a cozy Lolita Lempicka vibe with a tad more woods and what smells like benzoin, but (perhaps because of that familiarity) not as distinctive as I would have personally liked. Somers is available in 100ml of Eau de Toilette.

South Water is a unisex fragrance in light blue packaging. Meant as a shared fragrance available in 100ml of Eau de Toilette to be splashed on for freshening up, it accomplishes that on the humid days we're facing still with the familiar, almost Pavlovian relaxing reflex of "suntan lotion smell"; that memory redolent of Coppertone, coconut rum and Cherry Cola with a spattering of sea salt right out of an ocean-dip clinging on skin still (Salty accents have formed quite a trend as we discussed previously). It's a bit more coconutty than I am comfortable with on a regular basis, but not to the point of it being sickening which is always a concern with that type of scent. I don't really smell fruits, nor is it too powdery as it would have been incured by the notes and I am sure it will be included in "beachy scents" lists in the future, I predict it will be popular.
South Water lists sun-drenched tangerine with ozone breeze, coconut milk, juicy guava, gardenia petals, cactus sap, sea salt and white musk. Additional notes include blackcurrant, aniseed, violet, orris, coumarine, vanilla and tonka bean.

The rest of the Lily Bermuda line includes~
For the ladies: Pink, Coral, Lily, Oleander, Jasmine, Passion Flower, Frangipani, Paradise, and Fresh Water (unisex), and
For the Gents: 32°N, 64°W (the topography of Bermuda obviously), Cedar, and Navy.

The fragrances (with some exceptions) come in various sizes starting with 15ml/1oz, making them especially handy to choose from! A Library sample box (samples are generously sized, I might add, allowing about three wearings easily) will set you back 25$.

You can see the selection on the official Lily Bermuda site which is very nicely designed and shop online.

If interested in sampling all three scents, drop a line in the comments and I will pick a winner!

In the interests of full disclosure, I was introduced to the line through a promotion. Natalie Wood pic via The art of staying up all night blog

Puredistance Black Crystal Column: exclusive preview

Puredistance, the uber-niche luxe Viennese brand, is launching their new Black Crystal Column, the ultimate accessory to the Puredistance I perfume spray. The minimalistic concept of the Black Crystal Column is reminiscent of traditional Japanese design. Black and gold have always been a powerful and elegant combination provided the design is not over the top. In this case the deep black and warm gold of the Black Crystal Column are used in an understated and elegant manner. The Founder of Puredistance, Jan Ewoud Vos, says: "The first reactions to the Black Crystal Column are unanimously positive. There is a kind of magic to it that is hard to explain. As Coco's Chanel little black dress became the epitome of chic and simple elegance, this Black Crystal Column to me is the ultimate example of a perfectly simple, yet very desirable object. The Puredistance I Perfume Spray perfectly fits into the Black Crystal Column and the combination of the two is simply magic!"

The idea for the Black Crystal Column was born in November 2008 in Moscow when the Puredistance team sat together in bar of the Ararat Park Hyatt. Just when the economic crisis was starting to knock on the door. The Puredistance team knew that launching new truly exclusive products would not be easy for a new brand like Puredistance, yet felt confident about the future of truly beautiful and exclusive products in the long term. And they decided to continue the design and production of the Black Crystal Column. (After all, wasn't it just after the the Wall Street Crash of 1929 that Jean Patou launched his famous perfume Joy? An extremely expensive perfume, created during the worst possible economic times.)
Jan Ewoud Vos says: "We will launch the Black Crystal Column in Florence at the Fragranze fair that takes place from September 11-13 [You can read our article about it here]. The Fragranze fair is dedicated to the best perfumes and fragrances in the world and brings the leaders of niche perfumery to Florence. The 'Black Crystal & Gold' and the 'Black Crystal & Steel' Columns will be the highlights of our presentation in Florence with of course Puredistance I Perfume, the heart of Puredistance!"

The retail price of the ‘Black Crystal & Gold’ Limited Edition (only 750 pcs) including two Puredistance I perfume sprays is 2.750 euro. The ‘Black Crystal & Steel’ Limited Edition (1250 pcs) including two Puredistance I perfume sprays is 1.750 euro. The retail price of the 17.5 ml. Puredistance I perfume spray is priced at 165 euro.

Puredistance is available at: the Puredistance Perfume Lounge in Vienna, in the online boutique at www.puredistance.com and at selected stores worldwide including, but not limited to world renowned places like Roja Dove's Haute Perfumery in Harrods London, Corso Como in Milan, Quartier 206 in Berlin, Taizo in Cannes, the Gallery Lirouage in Moscow and Swarovski's Crystal World in Wattens.

Read the full story at http://www.puredistance.com/ where you can download the 'Story of Puredistance", a 120 page book about the company and its products.


Info & pics via press release

Kenzo's Matrioshka: limited edition collectible for Flower Xmas 2009

In a quite early exhibit of limited editions for Christmas (a time when companies issue their most lavish special flacons in the hopes of collectors splurging on themselves and those they love), the flagship fragrance of Kenzo in terms of sales, Kenzo Flower, gets the Matrioshka russian-doll treatment. Matrioshka/Matryoshka is perhaps the most characteristic Russian souvenir, a wooden nestling doll, its Russian name (Матрёшка) deriving from the Russian female first name Matryona; often erroneously referred to as babushka (which actually means grandmother), it can depict young people or men as well. With its alleged history being that Sergei Maliutin admired a set of Japanese dolls that represented Shichi-fuku-jin (the Seven Gods of Fortune) and wanted to interpret it ruski-style around 1890, is it any wonder the Japanese are returning the compliment over a century later?

Charlotte Gainsbourg for Balenciaga's new perfume: the triumph of jolie-laide!

Now there's a cool face to front a fragrance!! I am almost jumping up and down from joy at the confirmation of news that Charlotte Gainsbourg, muse for Balenciaga's creative director Nicolas Ghesquière for some time now, will be fronting the new fragrance of the house coming out world-wide February 2010.
French actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg, the daughter of Jane Birkin and "bad boy" of French music Serge Gaisnbourg is taking the baton from her mother (who had commissioned perhaps the most daring "celebrity" scent, the skankilicious Eau de Rien to Miller Harris, lovingly reviewed here). What strikes me as particularly hopeful is that in Charlotte Gainsbourg we're breaking from the "mold effect", which I had playfully alluded to while talking about other releases with less promise (such as Kasia for Idole d'Armani), being the very embodiment of what the French call jolie-laide: a woman with a non classically pretty visage that manages to exude terrific charm nonetheless. There is a lithe and delicate quality about her, the "daddy-long-legs limbs" of her (gorgeous) mother coupled with her hippy-chic hairstyle as well, but also jarringly the cubist-friendly features of her father superimposed on the canvas. The total is unexpected, graceful in a way that defies definition and intriguing into casting a second and a third glance. In essence (no pun intended) a super-cool choice to front a fragrance, whose very charm lies on mystery and the intrigue it creates into questioning "who is this wafting stranger?" She also has the ability to metamorphosize into more accepted perceptions of sexy which is not without merit in the shallow industry of the glossy arts. (watch her styled by Carine Roitfeld photoshoot for Vogue Paris Dec.2007)

Charlotte, fresh from Cannes win of Best Actress with the film Antichrist by cineaste rebel Lars von Trier intimated to WWD: "I have the feeling that the house of Balenciaga has become my second home." Ghesquière, who described Gainsbourg as "one of the most inspiring girls in the world" and "really representative of what France is today," declared she personifies his upcoming fragrance. "Her unique sense of style, her graceful and intense talent have always been very inspirational for me," he said. "This fruitful and long-standing relationship Charlotte has with me and the house of Balenciaga gives all its meaning to this project."

On the other hand, the handling of the Balenciaga franchise by Coty is foreboding (even if it had been announced last October as a salvaging move to bring the house under Coty's aegis), suppossing the downturn of the prestige status of the once venerable brand of innovator François is anything to go by. Coty fragrances are sold...well, at drugstores and mid-market stores. Spanish-born Cristobal Balenciaga, the top couturier admired by all other couturiers, had always been about impeccable and understated luxury. Never mind that Catherine Walsh, Senior Vice President Marketing American Licenses Coty Prestige said: "Charlotte Gainsbourg, besides her close collaboration and friendship with Nicolas Ghesquière, truly embodies the unique Parisian chic of this new fragrance." Will the new fragrance have "unique Parisian chic"? Or will it remain a visual manifesto more than a nose-trip, pardon the expression?

The introduction of a new fragrance rather than the re-introduction of the illustrious specimens in the archives probably heralds the definitive death toll on the classic fragrant line-up (Le Dix, Ho Hang for men, Prelude, Quadrille, Michelle...): They were discontinued and hard to find anyway, but I doubt they will resurge under the Coty label with any aspirations as to preserving their soul. The latest IFRA restrictions do not help along either, as does not the cost effectiveness of bean counters at headquarters (Michelle from 1979 for example has a ginormous tuberose and rose heart that far exceeds the naturals ratio sanctioned today with an oakmoss and sandlwood base to scare horses, more of which later; it's supreme! ) That only leaves Cristobal, Talisman, Rumba and their respective flankers out. Which is sad...



Clip originally uploaded by unnouveauideal on Youtube