Fath de Fath

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Leah

Fath de Fath

While not reaching the mythic status of its predecessor Iris Gris, Fath de Fath, released in 1953 is a lovely green thing of a fragrance, another in the long list of those which has suffered at the hands of reformulation. The Fath fashion house, created and headed by Jacques Fath, was part of the post-WWII triumvirate, which along with Dior and Balmain, paved the way for more feminine women’s fashions after the austerity of wartime attire.

While Fath de Fath is described nearly everywhere as an oriental fragrance, it immediately calls to mind the mossy green fields of the chypres. In fact, it reminds me slightly of Ma Griffe, though with more emphasis on florals than on moss and green spice.

The fragrance opens with lush orange notes that remind me of a softer Idole by Lubin (vintage version) but quickly softens to a golden, floral heart. Fath de Fath is both bold and luminous, with a comfortable sillage that wears fairly close. The fragrance then proceeds to a lovely mossy, animalic base, a throwback to the time when a woman’s scent was not complete without a hint of the body. Looking through photographs of the elegant, ladylike fashions of the time always strikes me. It is as though fragrance was intended to serve as an earthy, corporal counterbalance allowing cosseted and corseted women to let down their proverbial hair.

Unfortunately, I was only able to obtain a tiny bit of Fath de Fath for sampling purposes from a generous fellow perfume collector, but this lovely gem is worth seeking out in its original form.

Jacques Fath and his wife Geneviève Boucher de la Bruyère

Chypre

Notes: Orange, floral and moss notes.

Bond No. 9 – I Love NY for All

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Leah

Bond No. 9 – I Love NY for All

Given my predilection for vintage perfumes, it is not unusual for me to sometimes miss new releases and on occasion entire perfume houses. One such house which had escaped my attention, in part due to the fact that it was not available in my geographic area for sampling, was Bond No. 9. Imagine my joy (as only a fellow perfumista can) of walking into my local Nordstrom one Saturday morning and finding a counter-full of their line-up.

While somewhat daunting to find myself face-to-face with such a comprehensive display of bottle after bottle bearing the iconic Bond No. 9 design, (where to begin??) I decided to start with the obvious. Housed in a black bottle, emblazoned with the well-known I Heart NY symbol, I Love NY For All is to date my favorite of the lot.

Bond No. 9 – I Love NY for All is definitely compelling, a fragrance built around a coffee accord, and what could be more NYC than a rich cup of your favorite brew. I Love NY for All starts off with a spicy floral mix highlighted by citrus which quickly gives way to warm notes of coffee and hazelnut. The juxtaposition is decidedly odd and yet it works somehow, like the woman in your office that can pull off plaid with lace and high heels. As the fragrance unfolds into a velvety base of patchouli and woods, the coffee is sweetened with a hint of vanilla.

Despite the potency of these individual notes, aside from an initial sour sensation, the fragrance overall feels smooth and is extremely wearable. The sillage and lasting power are decent, which is a relief given the fragrance’s price-tag. While this would not be a signature scent for me, I love having it in my collection when I want something really different.

Gourmand

Notes: Bergamot, Lily of the Valley, Pepper, Coffee, Patchouli, Leather, Sandalwood and Vanilla.

Pardon the Dust

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Leah

You may have noticed some changes to the site recently. I have been trying to make some modifications to make the site easier to navigate and search for my readers. Please pardon any intermittent glitches as I work through this. Hopefully you will all be happy with the changes once the construction is done. Hope you all had a wonderful, fragrant holiday!

Heeley – Iris de Nuit

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Leah

Heeley – Iris de Nuit

Located just north of Manhattan’s Madison Square Park district, in the NoMad Hotel, is an incredible boutique called Kitsuné. The NoMad recently underwent a major overhaul, where it was restored to its former European splendor thanks to the careful eye of architect Jacques Garcia. The shop, like the clothing line it houses, is an exercise in elegant restraint. In addition to its super-chic clothing line, Kitsuné has some incredible accessories, ranging from bags to fragrances. Prominently featured in the shop was the full line of Heeley Eau de Parfum fragrances, which I happily sampled with the assistance of its happy, helpful staff.

While I was not able to get samples of all the fragrances, they left strong impressions. Esprit du Tigre is an innovative melange of camphor and mint, buoyed by woods and spices. As its name suggests, Verveine d’Eugène is a bright lemon verbena, softened by jasmine and light musk. Sel Marin, starts off with a lemony freshness, which morphs into a salty aquatic, that reminded me slightly of Secretions Magnifiques. Ophelia has the depth of white florals, lightened by green and aquatic notes.

My favorite of the lot, which I was fortuitously able to get a sample of, was Iris de Nuit. Heeley’s interpretation of one of my favorite notes does not disappoint. Heeley combines the chilly grey notes of iris with violet, angelica and ambrette, giving it a fresh and lively feeling. Ambrette has a fantastic, unique plummy scent, which those familiar with Chanel’s Égoïste and No 18 may be familiar with. Rather than shy away from the rooty, carrot-like impression common to orris root, Heeley takes a bold move and emphasizes the sensation by adding carrot seed. At this stage, Heeley’s Iris de Nuit reminds me somewhat of Serge Lutens masterpiece Iris Silver Mist, but the comparison ends there.

In the drydown, Iris de Nuit takes a sensual turn, revealing a warm, luxurious base of cedar and grey amber. While many of my favorite iris fragrances suffer from poor sillage and longevity, Heeley is positively perfect, with nice projection that feels sensual and yet elegant. If you are in NYC, be sure to check out Kitsuné and the Heeley line. If NYC is not in your travel plans anytime soon, Heeley fragrances can be purchased at several online retailers or here.

Notes: Angelica seed, ambrette, iris, violet, carrot seed, grey amber and white cedar.

Maison Kitsuné at NoMad

1170 Broadway, (212) 481-6010; kitsune.fr.

Fragrant Projects

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Leah

Fragrant Projects

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While I carefully arrange my budget to set resources aside for fragrance purchases, I love finding inexpensive, do-it-yourself alternatives. For example, if you have a favorite perfume but prefer not to purchase expensive scented lotion (or worse, it doesn’t exist) you can easily make it using a few drops or a spritz of your favorite fragrance and the unscented lotion of your choice. Before I go to bed, I put a quarter size drop of lotion in my palm, a tiny bit of perfume (either the one I have been wearing that evening, or a soothing night-time scent) rub my hands together and voila! Just enough scented lotion to moisturize my arms and ensure sweet dreams.

To that end, I have been reading a book by Laura Fronty and Yves Duronsoy called “A Well-Kept Home: Household Traditions and Simple Secrets from a French Grandmother”. The book is full of wonderful suggestions for keeping leather shoes extra shiny (rub with the cut side of a lemon), traditional recipes for making preserves, natural pest control and how to make scented waters. While I don’t want to spoil the book and give away its secrets, this “recipe” for making Iris Water was too good not to share.

Iris Water

18 ounces surgical spirit

1 ounce ground Florence Iris

2 ounces Benzion dye

The ground iris is placed in the surgical spirit solution for a week. Once the week is up, the liquid should be filtered and the benzoin added. Once the Iris Water is ready, it can be used as a topical skin solution, light fragrance or bath additive.

While not common in the U.S., surgical spirit is used as a skin disinfectant, which also serves to tighten the skin. The spirit also contains castor oil to help prevent dryness and cracking. In addition to its delicious ambery smell, Benzoin is reputed to have anti-inflammatory properties. A quick internet search will reveal where to purchase these items if they are not readily available in your area.

Do you have any DIY fragrance tips?

Cartier – Eau de Cartier Concentree

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Leah

Cartier – Eau de Cartier Concentree

Following its launch of Eau de Cartier in 2001, Cartier followed up with a related fragrance, not so much a flanker as a reinforced version of the original. Released in 2002, perfumer Christine Nagel amplified certain of the aspects of the original with the addition of spice notes and, as the name implies, intensifying the concentration. While the original Eau de Cartier was an excellent fragrance, there was some disappointment surrounding its lasting power. In fact, perhaps the only criticism I had of the original was its sillage and longevity, both of which are fairly minimal, but then again it is marketed as an “Eau”.

While Eau de Cartier Concentree comes off as slightly more intense than its predecessor, the general structure of the original remains intact. Eau de Cartier Concentree starts off with a burst of yuzu, a citrus fruit somewhere between a grapefruit and a mandarine. Concentree is enhanced with coriander, giving the opening a bit more “oomph” than the original. At its heart, the fragrance takes on an aqueous floral scent, with a subtle green, medicinal tang from the violet leaves and lavender.

The drydown takes on a considerably more intimate feel, with a deliciously warm, slightly salty, woodsy finish. Concentree feels like a master of disguise, as the fragrance maintains a fresh aspect despite the introduction of patchouli and warm amber. I have seen the fragrance marketed in different stores as a men’s and women’s fragrance. Needless to say, Eau de Cartier makes an excellent unisex fragrance.

Woods

Notes: yuzu, coriander, bergamot, violet notes, musk, lavender, cedarwood, patchouli and amber

Robert Piguet – Calypso

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Leah

Robert Piguet – Calypso

Odysseus and Calypso by Hendrik van Balen

It has been a long time since I experienced a love at first sniff. Quite to the contrary, I typically sample repeatedly before I buy and implore my friends to do the same. There is nothing worse than an impulse buy – especially when fragrances today are designed to smell especially good in the opening notes. I have heard too many perfumistas sing the praises of a perfume, only to arrive home and feel the heartbreak of paying too much, or having the romance be short-lived because the drydown was disappointing. And yet despite all precautions, there I stood face to face with a new love at the Robert Piguet counter at Bergdorf Goodman in New York, and had no choice but to summon all my willpower to avoid buying it on the spot.

I had stopped by the beauty and fragrance level of Bergdorf to gaze at the lovely Guerlain display and sample Caron to my heart’s delight, but more on that later. After spraying myself with various different fragrances, and picking up samples of Oud, Bois Noir and Casbah, I left the store to do some sight-seeing.

The rest of the afternoon I was haunted by a soft, slightly floral, powdery patchouli dream of a drydown. My only problem was that I had tested no less than 9 perfumes on my skin that afternoon, so how to uncover which I had fallen in love with! As I sat down that evening, I went through my blotters and notes, which allowed me to eliminate many candidates. I knew it could not be a Caron, as it did not have the distinct flourish unique to Carons in the drydown. I know all the Guerlains by heart, so those were eliminated immediately.

I went through each of the Piguet samples until I found the source – an alluring and yet subtle mixture of modern lightness and a soft powdery quality prevalent in vintage fragrances such as L’Heure Bleue. The geranium opening quickly softens to a light rose, tempered by a soft iris. The drydown arrives fairly quickly, and in fact, is perceptible from the opening. The loveliest warm patchouli, mellowed by a light amber and soft, suede-like smell. Now that I have fallen in love with the modern version, which was reformulated by Aurelien Guichard, I am extremely curious to smell the 1950s vintage version. And yes, I have since purchased a bottle!

For those familiar with Chanel’s Coromandel and Borneo 1834 by Serge Lutens, this will seem like a tamer, subtler interpretation of a similar patchouli theme, but it has its own merits. While Calypso is not particularly edgy or innovative, it has a subtle beauty and sophistication which make it a joy to wear. And after all, isn’t that what fragrance is all about?

Notes: Geranium, mandarin, rose, iris patchouli, amber and suede.

Lubin – Idole Vintage

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Leah

Lubin – Idole Vintage

After Gilles Thevenin (Guerlain’s former director of creation) rescued the Lubin perfume house from bankruptcy, the group has been hard at work creating a bright future with the release of several new perfumes, in collaboration with the talents of Thomas Fontaine, Delphine Thierry and the supremely talented Olivia Giacobetti. While the quality and creativity of their new line is undisputed, I have a soft spot for the firm’s vintage creations. So while the internet is flush with reviews of the spicy and almost decadent Idole created by Giacobetti, this review is for the vintage Eau de Parfum released in the 1960s.

Idole was originally released in 1962, and while the modern release bears the same name, this was more a reference than a reformulation. The vintage Idole is a floral chypre, rendered in the elegant and somewhat understated Lubin style. The fragrance opens with a rich, almost fruity, bergamot which seems to be deepened by drop of peach – our first hint of the sensuousness of this creation. Although the fragrance features a heady jasmine rendered velvety and somewhat opulent by a lush Lily of the Valley note, Idole never becomes cloying or over-powering. There is a slight hint of woods emanating from the heart, giving the perfume just a touch of smoke and depth. I have found Lubin’s vintage fragrances to be extremely well-crafted, with an emphasis on quality ingredients and thoughtful compositions. In Idole, Lubin achieved a lovely balance between the rich floral notes by interposing a warm animalic base redolent of leather and moss.

Idole is certainly more unabashedly “feminine” than other Lubin fragrances I have tested, and this fragrance seems to me their version of the femme fatale parfum. That being said, the fragrance maintains a type of discretion that keeps it lady-like in the midst of its sensuality. If you have not had the opportunity of sampling any of Lubin’s vintage fragrances, I would highly recommend seeking them out via a decant service. Kudos to Thevenin for resurrecting this house and for developing what will no doubt be the next generation of vintage masterpieces.

Floral Chypre

Notes: Bergamot, jasmine, lily of the valley, woods, leather and oakmoss

L.T. Piver – Cuir

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Leah

L.T. Piver – Cuir

While not well-known in the United States, the French L.T.Piver house has been producing fine fragrances for over two centuries. The firm dates its origins back to the court of Louis XVI and has continued through the to the twenty-first century, adapting many of its traditional fragrances to a modern sensibility. Similar to the houses of Lubin and Guerlain, L.T. Piver became an official purveyor to the royal court of Louis XVI and later expanded to the other royal families of Europe.

The firm is named for Louis Toussaint Piver who began the Piver legacy, and helped propel it to international acclaim in England, Belgium, Spain, Austria, Russia and Brazil. L.T. Piver maintained a flower-processing factory in Grasse, plus a second facility in Aubervilliers dedicated to the manufacture of cosmetic products, of which L.T. Piver created a prodigious range. Similar to Guerlain, the firm commissioned special edition bottles from Baccarat and Lalique, which would be destined to become collector’s items.

This review is for the modern Cuir produced as an Eau de Toilette by L.T. Piver. The fragrance was originally created at the end of the nineteenth century under the Cuir de Russie moniker, consistent with that era’s fascination with Russian culture. This manufacture date makes L.T. Piver’s creation a contemporary of Guerlain’s Cuir de Russie, and indeed, the two share certain similarities. Both feature a stronger, smokier birch tar smell than either the Chanel or Lubin Cuirs, giving the fragrance a more rustic feel. The strength of their smell characters also feels decidedly more masculine, although the Guerlain Cuir softens to a floral heart in the drydown, while the L.T. Piver maintains a fairly homogenous character throughout its wear. The modern L.T. Piver Cuir is marketed to a male audience, so the emphasis on the strong birch tar aspect without a softer, floral counterpoint seems intentional, but gives the fragrance a somewhat one-dimensional aspect when compared to the Guerlain.

Cuir’s opening features a bright citrus accord of mandarin and bergamot, which serve to lighten the fragrance somewhat and create a sense of refreshment. As the smoky birch tar unfolds, I detect the spicy notes of clove and cinnamon, giving the fragrance a rich feeling, one that makes it suitable for autumn or winter use. At the heart of Cuir is a hint of soapiness, and here is where the fragrance begins to soften somewhat. At its base, Cuir features a touch of woods and oakmoss, sweetened by a honey-like note, which I imagine to be the coumarin making its presence felt.

While Cuir does possess a distinct character that makes it a natural choice for a man, this is definitely a fragrance that can be carried off well by a woman who is not afraid of bracing leathers. The fragrance is fairly tenacious, lasting well throughout the day without fading excessively. The sillage, while potent, is never offensive with careful application, though I would not suggest more than 2 sprays of the fragrance.

Leather

Notes: Bergamot, mandarin, leather, woods, spices and honey

Chanel – Cuir de Russie

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Leah

Chanel – Cuir de Russie

There are those fragrances that carry with them strong emotional associations, either because they were worn by a loved one, or because they were our close companion in the journey of life. My first encounter with Chanel’s Cuir de Russie was not unlike a scene in a movie where the protagonist’s life flashes before their eyes, revealing a series of memories and profound emotions. I was flooded with a thousand images and impressions. The stillness of the air on a cold winter night. The fur collar on my Russian great-grandfather’s coat mingled with the sweet scent of tobacco. The finest leather gloves and the elegance of a scented handkerchief. And yet how could a fragrance unknown to me have this effect?

Of the four Cuir de Russie fragrances I have tested, for me, Chanel’s interpretation most closely embodied the romanticism and elegance of the genre and of the individuals who inspired its creation. Chanel’s fragrance embodies the exotic elements which the exiled Russian community brought with them to Paris, and yet it captures all of the refined elegance of their new home. Chanel’s Cuir de Russie personifies the spirit of the Roaring Twenties, where flappers shocked the world with their emancipated fashions, their dancing and smoking.

Chanel’s Cuir is a close contemporary of Lubin’s, and indeed the two share some similarities making it evident that they are variations on a theme. While the Guerlain Cuir de Russie invokes a rustic, revolutionary feel, Chanel’s is starkly different. Chanel’s Cuir de Russie was created in 1924, by master nose Ernest Beaux, himself a Russian exile. Beaux was born in Moscow and trained in perfumery with the prestigious A. Rallet and Company, creator of perfumes for the courts of Imperial Russia. He eventually settled in Paris in 1919. He was introduced to Coco Chanel by the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia, giving rise to a very successful and prodigious professional alliance.

Chanel’s Cuir starts out with a familiar burst of hesperidic aldehydes, which will be immediately familiar to devotees of Chanel No 5. But where No 5 softens to reveal a floral heart, Cuir de Russie unleashes a series of provocative notes: the sweet and acrid tobacco, an animalic fur note complete with a touch of mothballs, as though an elegant old coat had been taken out of storage in preparation for winter. The heart is an elegant floral composition which also feels like familiar Chanel territory, the finest examples of jasmine, rose and ylang ylang available. The fragrance culminates in the beauty of leather, the softest, most supple leather imaginable, and yet through its smoky darkness, retains a touch of the soft floral heart.

This review is based upon both the vintage parfum and the reformulated version available from the Chanel Les Exclusifs line. Both are phenomenal, with the parfum revealing more of the depth and beauty of the animalic leather notes and the eau de toilette possessing more of the life of aldehydes.

Leather Oriental

Notes: Orange Blossom, Bergamot, Mandarin, Jasmine, Rose, Ylang-Ylang and Birchwood

Quintessence

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