Reader's Mail: Suggest a Beautiful, High Class, Uncommon Perfume

Sweet husbands are worth their weight in gold. One of them, Ronald, wants to surprise his wife with a beautiful, high class smelling new perfume. He gives me a couple of pointers to work with: she likes Alien by Thierry Mugler, has liked the original Miss Dior Cherie eau de parfum and uses Tommy Girl for casual daytime.  Not bad; a perfume expert can work with these guidelines.

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I imagined the wife as a fashionable, but not too trendy, woman who enjoys a decent silk scarf and grainy leather handbag when she sees them, and has a mildly sweet tooth in what concerns fragrances. Without making Ronald jump through hoops I suggested the following rich-smelling and quite classy fumes.

First of all since she's already familiar with the prolific Thierry Mugler brand, why not upgrade to the truly gorgeous Thierry Mugler Alien Essence Absolue? It retains the jasmine and amber scent of the original Alien, and is not miles away in concept, but adds a soft luxurious undercurrent of resinous myrrh, orris and a leathery scent impression which nudges it into true luxury; the difference between an Hermes purse and a Coach one...

Next came the following recommendations I made.

Staying in the Mugler universe, there's Mirroir des Envies; still sweetish but classy and with a jasmine-y heart. Quite uncommon too!

Sarrasins perfume by Serge Lutens is jasmine scent heaven. The scarcity is also a plus in this instance. Not to mention it even has a soft fruity hint via osmanthus.

Exploring the jasmine and white floral theme with a cocoa-vanilla overlay: Christian Dior  Pure Poison Elixir. Less common than the original Pure Poison and a tad softer too.

On the subject of white chocolate (and the patchouli hinted at by her like for Miss Dior Cherie), I suggest the perennial classy favorite Chanel Les Exclusifs Coromandel. Drop dead gorgeous!

If a fruitchouli is considered, then Badgley Mischka eau de parfum is a good option, classier than most in the genre and not well known in order to smell herself coming and going.

Finally, for daytime, because a girl needs a clean floral sometimes, I went off the beaten track and suggested the ethereal Le Cheuvrefeuille by Annick Goutal. She might also like Gelsomino Nobile by Acqua di Parma. 

What do you think? What would you suggest he surprises her with? 

Polly Bergen TorTue: vintage fragrance

Sometimes what had been filed under "tidbits" in my mind resurges thanks to the unending stimulation that my readers provide. Jean, one of my favorite people in Perfume Shrine's elite readership, pointed out that a "tortue" perfume was advertised by Polly Bergen.

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Indeed it is so. 

The American actress Polly Bergen, best known for her role in the original Cape Fear movie, founded the Polly Bergen Company which sold cosmetics in 1965. The concept and catchy marketing pitch was the inclusion of turtle oil (the snail mucus of yesterday I assume). Hence the name Tor Tue (turtle in French, please note the parted writing which looks fetching on the actual product label) for her first perfume, introduced in 1973. The scent came in a tubular shaped spray perfume bottle with either a silver metal colored cap or a deepest brown one. The label was deep brown itself, lined in silver, to reflect a upmarket interpretation of the tortoise scheme, I presume.
There are also specimens of rounded bottles with a dark navy round cap, resembling the Lanvin Clair de Jour fragrance minis. Same glass manufacturer obviously, mass market mould. 

The ambery color of the juice accurately reflects the heavyweight feeling of the scent, full bodied and not conceding to modernities of the times, even if not the fragrance family in which it technically falls. From what I recall from a tiny sample a fellow collector had once shared generously out of her own derelict little bottle, Tortue is a chypre fragrance with fresher top notes of hesperides which had unluckily degraded over time leaving a rather resinous feel (I seem to detect myrrh and vetiver in the mix). The mossier elements made it a classy perfume-y scent , something to wear with tweet suits or gabardine pants and a twin set, which lovers of vintage often hanker after. 

Seeing as the prices on auction sites and collectors' sites are extremely friendly (due to low demand I wager) it's not a risk investing in a bottle or mini of TorTue by Polly Bergen.

The Great White Shark in Plain Sight

The sleek contours of Clinique's Aromatics in White had just been the stepping stone; the trigger that pushed the thought bullet into motion spinning through my brain. White shone everywhere. White shone blindingly.
I was sitting on something that was staring me -unlike the big white shark- straight in the eye.

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White code is now a specific meaning in contemporary perfumes of the last couple of years or so. Without breaking with the "white floral" world of feminine and pretty fragrances it touches on a smooth unisex abstractedness at once eerily close to polishedness and to blandness.

My article which came out of this train of thought aided by observation appears on Fragrantica as "The Great White Code". You can reach it on the link for more info touching on white tobacco and cuir blanc (white leather) as well as white musk and the impossibility of opaqueness in white perfumery.
You're welcome to comment here or there of course!

Acne "Rita" motorcycle jacket in white leather

You might also want to check out my previous Perfume Shrine article The Truth about Patchouli Chypres or Floral Patchoulis which discusses some of the perfumes which appear in the "white code".

The winners of the draw...

...for the 5 Aedes samples sets are:
Droneclone
Kokorico JP
Birte
Mandarin90 
and JanieK

Winners please email me with your shipping data using Contact so I can have these out to you soon. Your email should have AEDES DRAW in the title and your username in the body of the mail.  Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one!

Guerlain Petite Tortue: new fragrance & re-issue of historical "tortoise" bottle

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.

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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.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: 

Really Expensive Perfume Bottles to Feast Your Eyes On

The Guerlain series: Guerlain News & Perfume Reviews

Upcoming fragrance releases