Olivia Giacobetti: 18 posts

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

Attempts to capture rain often result in something limpid and pale. Or worse yet, artificial and sharp. Water smells of nothing, yet rain is not mere water. It blends the scents of soil, leaves, flowers, with individual aromas blurring into an abstract perfume. Created by Olivia Giacobetti in 2000, Frederic Malle En Passant is one of the most successful “rain” scents after Guerlain’s enchanting Après l’Ondée (1906). Giacobetti captures the Impressionist vision of the scent of raindrops trembling on the lilac bushes. All notes reveal themselves at once conjuring a vision of passing a lilac bush in full bloom, dropping a confetti of tiny blossoms into the puddles on the pavement.

When selecting an image to accompany my discussion of this particular fragrance, it is not accidental that I chose a dark and somewhat ambivalent painting by Vrubel, depicting a dark figure against a large lilac bush, with the dusky shadows slowly creeping from the corners. Contrary to the expectations, En Passant is not a sunny heady lilac, but rather a scent of air still bearing traces of the rainstorm that ravaged the lilacs, tearing off their blossoms and leaving the ground covered with a haze of flowers. Although the rainstorm is over, En Passant hints at its distant rumblings.

Notes: white lilac, rain accord, cucumber, wheat, orange tree leaves.

Painting: Lilac by Mikhail Vrubel (1856-1910), one of the greatest Russian painters, founder of Russian Art Nouveau.

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

Update 9/5/2011: The IUNX line was reintroduced to the market, and the fragrances are currently available at the store next to the entrance of Hotel Costes in Paris.

Ten fragrances in the Iunx range in addition to L’Ether Eau de Parfum and Splash Forte were created by Olivia Giacobetti between 2003 and 2004. Below, I present a brief Iunx description in italics, with my own comments underneath. One thing I should clarify is that these are fragrance waters, extremely light compositions based around a single note. Please do not expect Angel level tenacity from them, since at best they last for half an hour, although No. 3 and No. 5 are slightly more potent.  One may perhaps wonder as to the necessity of something that does not last, and I would say that these are rather fun fragrances, especially suitable on hot days, or days when one needs something uplifting, but does not want a sillage, or lives someplace that bans fragrances in public places, like Nova Scotia.  Nevertheless, I wish that Olivia Giacobetti came out with stronger versions of these Eau de Toilettes.

No. 00 L’Eau Juste (Pure Water) “The true essence of water, as pure as a wave. Thus plant and mineral based fragrance is the water of waters: the beginning of time.” Absolute of cucumber, mint, violet leaves.….

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

Olivia Giacobetti’s fragrances have a distinct voice—clarity contrasted with darkness. The aura of her creations is a haze over the rising morning sun, radiance shining delicately through the mist. Préparation Parfumée is not an exception in this respect. Created in 2001 in collaboration with interior designer Andrée Putman, Olivia Giacobetti’s fragrance joining the divide between masculine and feminine perfumes captures perfectly a scent of sunbleached wood. A touch of crisp sweetness is provided by a modest ornamentation by water lily, while the top notes are a whirlwind of the black pepper.  Transparent and minimalist quality of the fragrance should in no way be interpreted as anything promising boredom, because one simply cannot be bored while basking in its misty, yet bright glow.

Painting (click to enlarge): Mermaids (Rusalki, Based on Night in May by Nikolai Gogol) by Ivan Kramskoy, 1871. Oil on canvass. The Tretyakov Gallery collection, Moscow, Russia. www.abcgallery.com.