Many have lamented the passing of successful fragrances, artistically masterful and commercially popular, and one always wonders why this happens.
L'Artisan Parfumeur has its own share of that (I'm still inwardly yielding my fist with rage at the discontinuation of
Oeillet Sauvage and
Jacinthe des Bois; both lovely, both initially limited editions and then brought into the main line in total uniformity with the rest of the bottles, a move which promised at least a marital contract and then derailed into a custody figh with plates thrown around).
Vanilia which gave its place to
Vanille Absolument (or Havana Vanille as the successor was originally launched; it's hard to keep track, but we did announce the discontinuing there on the link first) was the proverbial straw which broke the camel's back. It seemed most uncomprehensible and caused a rucous online.
But now L'Artisan Parfumeur is axing another oldie with a cult following, namely
Tea for Two (2000).
I fear for some of the quirkier/slower seller favourites along the line as well (
Navegar, L'Eau de Navigateur, Dzing!).
I understand the need for a streamlined line-up and all that, it aids selection, but perhaps a more limited distribution or a special size for collectors or even a seasonal re-issue (like Clinique does with
Wrappings every Christmas) would be appreciated by those who dearly love the fragrance in the first place.
Question: Is L'Artisan Parfumeur growing too corporate for its own good?
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Sad news indeed, this; but thanks for the early warning nonetheless!
ReplyDeleteL,
ReplyDeleteyou're welcome. I think L'Artisan has rather too many launches lately and so some cuts are unavoidable. :-( Though I hope they stop here.
Tea for Two was nice if not memorable for me.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand I am holding a galactic grudge for the axing of my favorite Ananas Fizz :-(
Tea for Two is my favorite tea fragrance, and the first L'Artisan I ever bought. I thought it was fairly popular. Anyway, it makes me sad that it's going.
ReplyDeleteOMG SO SAD!
ReplyDeleteWell... shout out loud when Dzongkha is going to be axed so that I can stock up. I liked their limited edition thingies but those are long gone anyway... sigh.
ReplyDeleteA,
ReplyDeletecan't say I have worn TfT myself either. But a discontinuation of something popular with dedicated fans cuts all the same. Pity about Ananas Fizz. May I suggest you try MPG Bahiana? (same ballpark)
F,
ReplyDeletejudging by the boards, blogs etc. TFT is cult (and so are a couple more). Apparently, the sales do not reflect it or something else is going on (possibly a new Duchaufour tea fragrance in the make). ;-)
D,
ReplyDeleteit's never a happy day, is it. But you can still stock up! (there, I brought you something positive to focus on)
L,
ReplyDeletehonestly? I don't see Dzongha being popular. The name doesn't help for one. The composition is incensey but not church-incensey (therefore even more of a niche within a niche). You can deduce the rest.
If I find out though my deduction is on to something, knock on wood, I will let you know.
I recently succumbed to temptation and bought both TfT and Dzongka when they were on sale at their site. Now i am so happy i did; must have been providence! Cheers, Wendy
ReplyDeleteJust ordered a bottle from Luckyscent because I love it so! Thanks for the warning!
ReplyDeleteTea for Two was never on my L'Artisan radar, but I just this week got a decant and find it quite nice. Vanilia was a favorite, but I'm satisfied with the fact that I find MPG Fleur de Comores and even Chanel Jersey (yes!) to be near-dupes (plus, I have stocked up a bit).
ReplyDeleteI fear you are right that Dzongkha may not be popular, though I absolutely love it. So yes, do shout from the rooftops if you hear anything!
Have a wonderful weekend, dear E.!
Wendy,
ReplyDeletethe right kind of precaution, you were so clever in doing so!
B,
ReplyDeleteyou're welcome. It's fortunate when one has fair warning ahead of time and so I'm spreading the courtesy.
Joe,
ReplyDeletehow absolutely nice to hear from you! How are you?
I will certainly do my best to warn if push comes to shove, so to speak. Vanilia was unfortunate. Fleurs de Comores is a very sweet, vanilla take on ylang. I hadn't thought of it in ethyl-maltol terms, but now the thought has stuck in my head and I will forever think about that. In a way, that's a very good thing! So thanks.
Of all this however one thing strikes me as jaw-dropping: Jersey a dupe of Vanilia??? Oh my! (I haven't even tried Jersey after all the initial disappointment from everyone).
I'm doing well, E, thanks for asking, though I have far far too much perfume clutter these days! I hope you're well also.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, I'm not sure I've read any other comparisons of Jersey to Vanilia (Jersey is perhaps not written about very much after the launch; it didn't make a big splash, did it?). I'd be curious to get the opinion of other noses, as well as some commentary on the aromachemistry behind the scents, about which I know nothing.
Jersey has much more lavender, for sure, (as well as other major differences) but only upon first smelling Jersey and feeling a similiarity did I do a bit of research and find that Vanilia actually has a lavender note listed in many sources. Lavender never came to mind specifically when smelling Vanilia, so it was interesting to see it in the notes. I believe that's the source of similarity. Consequently, I quite enjoy Jersey; I've been growing very fond of lavender in recent months. You should absolutely try it in due time, E., though there's no great urgency.
Vanilia has always been, to me, one of those unusual scents that defies easy association with its simple name. However, I absolutely cannot wear or enjoy Havana/Absolument (also, incidentally, my enjoyment of Frapin 1697 is impaired because I'm convinced Duchaufour has used a similar accord in it).
Joe,
ReplyDeleteno you're the first one who makes the connection so now, naturally, based on your acute observations of the past I will locate a sample of Jersey to see what it is about.
Lavender does have caramel-licorice facets and it is routinely played alongside vanilla in almost everything, classic included. (It's rare that they use it on its herbaceous/medicinal edge, unless we're talking about a very fresh, sporty masculine and even then). So that connection doesn't surprise me. In Vanilia it's more ethyl maltol than plain vanilla pods, so that makes it interesting to see you found lavender listed. I need to check now my stash and see. I don't recall catching lavender per se, just that caramel aspect I talked about.
As to Duchaufour, I think he excels at a handful of innovative accords which he re-twists for his various compositions, like Ellena does. Even though on the whole I think the latter is more of an artist than the former, I believe the former also does it out of the desire to create a signature style himself. So, that might play a role in your particular aversion.
Belatedly: This is wrong! Just wrong! I've always thought of Tea for Two as being analogous to those delicious book classics that will never go out of print, like the best Agatha Christies.
ReplyDeleteBut, I have a full bottle, so I suppose I'll survive.
CF,
ReplyDeleteyour analogue is right on the money: some things are a cult and deserve continuous presence on the vending slots.
Alas....we're left with Batucada.
Enjoy your bottle, life is short!