Jean Laporte: 6 posts

Maître Parfumeur et Gantier Santal Noble is my “reference” sandalwood fragrance, my baseline for other fragrances featuring this note.  It is part of MPG’s “Parfums du Levant” collection for men, the “Levant” broadly referring to a geographic area that is here stretched to include India and therefore the famous and now endangered Mysore sandalwood.

Although marketed to men, Santal Noble is, in true niche fashion, genderless.  Sandalwood connoisseurs might find the sandalwood note somewhat too mild, but Santal Noble gives me a rush of pleasure each time I wear it.  It is creamy, smooth, and I would go as far as to say, bewitching.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Whenever I wear Maître Parfumeur et Gantier Ambre Précieux and find myself charmed yet again by this sumptuous sweet amber, I wonder why this gem is so rarely mentioned on blogs. Fragrances from Maître Parfumeur et Gantier are well-made and distinctive, and compared to many other niche brands, the price point is very reasonable. Ambre Précieux can hold its own next to many other fancy and not so fancy ambers out there. All comparisons aside, it is a fantastic composition for those—men and women alike–who like their ambers dark, velvety and smoky.

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L’Artisan Parfumeur is a quintessential niche line, with the fragrances possessing quirky compositions, whimsical names and a flair for elegant simplicity. Under the direction of Jean-François Laporte, it has produced the classic like Mûre et Musc (1978) and the maltol overdosed Vanilia (1978). It was the first to introduce a fig accord in Premier Figuier (1994), to use coffee notes in L’Eau du Navigateur (1978), to make an animalic composition like Dzing! (1999) appear ethereal. That being said, a number of perfumes in the line are disappointingly thin, especially the florals, some of which strike me as so dainty that I feel like walking on tip toes when wearing them.

Orchidée Blanche is one of the few exceptions that make a bold floral statement. Created under the direction of Laporte in 1985, it presents a stunning white flower wrapped in a delicious layer of sweet iris and a subtle accent of spice. Its voluptuous arrangement shares more lineages with the soft floral-aldehydic fragrances of 1970s than with the rest of the L’Artisan florals. Perhaps, the now unpopular powderiness is one of the reasons for Orchidée Blanche being a relatively obscure L’Artisan perfume. Yet, the glamorous character and vintage elegance make it worth exploring, especially for those with the penchant for classics. …

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

I often forget that L’Artisan Mûre et Musc is going to celebrate its 30th anniversary in just two years. Created in 1978 by Jean Laporte, the original L’Artisan Parfumeur founder, it became one of the first fragrances exploring the softness of musk with minimal ornamentation. The cologne version (now discontinued) was created by perfumer Akiko Kamei.

What differentiates Mûre et Musc from earlier perfumes exploring the same theme, such Jovan Musk (1971), is its ingenious fusing of a blackberry note into the musk accord. While the synthetics nitromusks favored in the first half of the century are marked by soapiness and floral warmth, many musks that became popular in the second half possess distinct fruity facets (please see my earlier article on the topic of musks.) …

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Created by Jean Laporte in 1988, Soie Rouge, “red silk,” is a powdery carnation with peppery bite supported by a base of moldy peaches oozing sweet juices. This would not have been that bad—or perhaps it would have been–but with the typical Maître Parfumeur et Gantier musk dominating, this is among my least favorite fragrances of the range. Notes: carnation, heliotrope, apricot, pineapple.