Place Vendôme Haute Parfumerie : Cult Shop

My article about Place Vendôme Haute Parfumerie is going to appear in The Financial Times Magazine, May 3rd June 7th issue. The store is a unique perfume destination featuring exclusive fragrances, skincare and candles. Place Vendôme makes its home in Wevelgem, a small Belgian town that feels a world apart from the rarefied glamour one typically associates with perfume. Nevertheless, the boutique has managed to earn cult shop status, and its selection is impressive as is its customer service.

guerlain2

“Gold on the inside,” says David Depuydt, owner of Place Vendôme Haute Parfumerie, describing Chanel No 5. The flacon is austere, but it contains a mélange of the most precious essences available to perfumers. Depuydt’s comment applies equally to his store. Although you would hardly suspect it based on the plain façade and modest location, the boutique is a unique luxury beauty destination.” Read the rest here.

The new magazine issue will be available at newsstands this weekend. To read the online version, please click here.

Photography by Bois de Jasmin.

Subscribe

26 Comments

  • Cath: This is a great store indeed. I never had the pleasure to visit, but I ordered my SDV from them. The communication by email went smoothly, the perfume was carefully wrapped, with several samples added in the box. All the way from Wevelgem to Osaka.
    It was perfection.
    I’m looking forward to the article. May 2, 2014 at 9:13am Reply

    • Victoria: The first time I visited I was amazed by the customer service. Everyone was so attentive, knowledgeable and ready to answer any question. So, I’m not surprised that your overseas order also went smoothly. May 2, 2014 at 9:46am Reply

  • Austenfan: Easily my favourite place to shop for perfume. I will be interested to see what you’ve written about them. I like the comparison with No.5! May 2, 2014 at 9:18am Reply

    • Victoria: Thank you! It struck me, especially since the store is decorated with large bottles of No 5 (real ones!) May 2, 2014 at 9:47am Reply

  • patricia borgenon: And suddenly, it feels like a privilege to be a Belgian, and to have my special friends David and Steven close by.
    This very stylish and high quality perfume shop is unique, not only because of the exquisite collections, but also because of the people who run it. They have a language of their own, all in scents of course but also with an huge respect for their customers.
    Chanel, Guerlain and many other great brands should be happy to be represented by such specialists.
    It makes me happy to see the international appreciation for their every day work!
    I’m proud, very very proud. May 2, 2014 at 11:13am Reply

    • Victoria: Being Belgian is indeed a privilege–you have so much history, a country that blends many traditions, beautiful cities and nature. And of course, such a wonderful perfume shop! 🙂 May 2, 2014 at 3:07pm Reply

  • Cornelia Blimber: Looking forward to your article! May 2, 2014 at 11:17am Reply

    • Victoria: Thank you! Hope that you’ll like it. May 2, 2014 at 3:07pm Reply

  • spe: Do they ship to US? I look forward to the article! May 2, 2014 at 1:58pm Reply

    • Victoria: I think so! If they ship to Japan, as someone mentioned earlier, I imagine that they ship to the US too. You can contact them directly via their website to find out. They usually respond very quickly. May 2, 2014 at 3:10pm Reply

    • Cath: I ordered SDV from them in December 2012, bc the exclusive range was not sold in Japan at the time. Plus, the yen was strong so it was advantageous for me to order from them. I’m from Belgium too, so it was just an added pleasure to be doing some shopping in “my country” again. Correspondence and service were great, I highly recommend this store. May 2, 2014 at 9:29pm Reply

    • Illdone: I’m pretty sure they will ship to the us.
      They have recently re-acquired the Caron Urn fragrances. Limited for now but I believe there are more coming.
      The owners are incredible ; they have the French grandeur and “politessse” , they love what they’re selling and they spoil their costumers. Do visit if you ever have the chance!! May 5, 2014 at 11:35am Reply

  • Figuier: Looking forward to reading the article! it’s great to see such wonderful, independent shops get the global recognition they deserve. I haven’t visited (yet) but had a lovely e-mail exchange when I purchased their very last bottle of Attrape-Coeur. The customer service is impeccable. May 2, 2014 at 3:30pm Reply

    • Victoria: Lucky find! Attrape-Coeur even before it was officially discontinued was becoming rarer and rarer. I love this perfume so much and treasure whatever I have left.

      Yes, I liked that they were independent and dedicated to quality. If there were more stores with this kind of customer service, more people would be interested in perfume. May 2, 2014 at 4:42pm Reply

  • Alicia: Victoria, I waa just looking at the alarming news from the situation in Eastern Ukraine. Are you and your family safe? I hope so since I understand that you are in Central Ukraine; still this is anguishing. My prayers for the integrity of the noble Ukranian nation. May 2, 2014 at 4:19pm Reply

    • Victoria: Thank you very much for your thoughts and prayers, Alicia. My family is mostly in Kyiv and Poltava, and our friends in other parts are safe. For now, it’s calm here. While I feel much despair when I read the news, being here, with my grandmother who means the world to me, makes it all easier. We find comfort in being together, cooking our favorite Ukrainian dishes, and taking care of the garden. May 2, 2014 at 4:41pm Reply

      • Alicia: Thank you so much for your answer, Victoria. I was quite alarmed, but feel much better now. Enjoy the best of times with your grand mother. Mine died years ago, and I still buy gardenia bouquets, and pick up violets in my garden, in memory of her. May 2, 2014 at 5:46pm Reply

        • Victoria: Thank you again! Please don’t worry about me. Here is our town today

          We still tend to the flowers planted by my great-grandmother, and like your grandmother, she loved violets. She planted the whole garden with them, and whenever they bloom in March-April, we think of her. May 3, 2014 at 2:30pm Reply

  • annemariec: I am looking forward to reading your article Victoria, although envious as well of people who can shop at Place Vendome! There is no perfume boutique where I live and even when I travel, which is mostly for work, I don’t have time to get to the boutiques in other cities. I have to stick with the department stores, and although many of them do now have very wide choices, they are not fun places to shop. I get so sick of the heat, the noise, the poorly trained SAs (‘Bandit? Um, no, I don’t think I’ve heard of that one … ‘) and the broken or missing testers.

    I’m travelling to China soon and will have a chance to go duty free shopping at Singapore Airport. That will be fun in its own way, I guess. May 3, 2014 at 2:16am Reply

    • Victoria: I haven’t traveled through Singapore, but I had to compare the list of brands at various duty free shops last year, and Singapore scored at the top for the variety. I imagine that you might find some interesting choices there! And of course, enjoy your trip to China, and I will be looking forward to your stories. Again, not a place I visited, but I’d love to go someday. May 3, 2014 at 3:04pm Reply

  • Mary K: Looking forward to reading the article. This sound s like such an interesting shop! Like the photograph of the bottles, too. May 3, 2014 at 2:47pm Reply

    • Victoria: Thank you, Mary. The article will have photos from a professional FT photographer, and I can’t wait to see them myself. May 3, 2014 at 3:06pm Reply

  • Isabeau: Oh this shop is heaven on earth and Steven and David are great! Their knowledge of fragrances is great and the service is of really high quality! Can’t wait to read your review. May 6, 2014 at 5:30am Reply

    • Victoria: I always learn something new whenever I visit, so I’m only too happy to have them relatively close by. May 6, 2014 at 10:28am Reply

  • Karin: After reading your blogpart about this shop i wanted to visit it. So i did almost 2 weeks ago, sinds i live in the north of the Netherlands, it is not close to my door, but the good excuus is that my folks are in Lembeke! wat is a good opertunity to visit them 🙂 Double fun.

    We did visit the store, and i was and still i’m amazed with Place Vendome and the way how we where treated, so lovely and great, they took the time for us, and we spend more than one hour! And went home with a bottle of Mon Precieux Nectar, and samples to test, pure love,

    After one week i did email them for a FB of l L’Heure de Nuit, very smooth and fast comunication, i resieved the parcel today, it was packed with all the love, and care, realy stunning in my eye’s and genourus testers/samples + a little card, with a handwritten note from Steven, i became silent from it, those two man, i did see them work, and let me feel like a princes 🙂 Place vendome, and Steven and David, are my knights on the white horse, Thanks to them, and Thank you Victoria for writting about this amezing store, can’t wait to read your article onlne. June 19, 2014 at 1:41pm Reply

    • Victoria: That kind of service is exactly what makes this boutique one of a kind. Enjoy your perfumes, Karin! And thank you very much for sharing your story. 🙂 June 19, 2014 at 2:52pm Reply

What do you think?

Latest Comments

Latest Tweets

Design by cre8d
© Copyright 2005-2024 Bois de Jasmin. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy