Chypre: 72 posts

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

The grand reopening of the Guerlain flagship store at 68, Champs Elysées brought a number of new perfumes, from the regal Vega to the reintroduced Attrape-Coeur, Metalys, and a few others. Rose Barbare joined the Guerlain line under the auspices of “L’Art et la Matiere,” which also includes Cuir Beluga and Angélique Noire. Created by outside perfumers, the perfumes are nevertheless like visions of Guerlain through non-Guerlain eyes. The creamy vanilla that is the characteristic note in many classical Guerlains is made richer and creamier. The powdery opulence of Guerlinade is rendered soft and luxurious.

Rose Barbare, created by the perfumer Francis Kurkdjian, is my favorite so far, even if it is the least Guerlinesque of the three. Unlike Cuir Beluga and Angélique Noire, it is not adorned by the plush sweetness or the gilded richness…

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

Rose is often considered as a quintessential feminine flower, a flower that represents woman in different stages of her life, a flower that men traditionally give to the women they love. The pronounced rose notes in the modern perfumery are usually reserved for feminine compositions, despite the fact that this fascinating flower appears into 75% of all modern fragrances and into 10% of all men’s scents. In the Middle East, where rose is traditionally considered masculine, the yellow rose being the symbol of Islam, it finds way into fragrances intended for men much more often than it does in the West. Since rose is usually interpreted as sweet, lush and soft, it is interesting to experience creations that highlight its masculine side, such as Serge Lutens Rose de Nuit, Les Parfums  de Rosine Rose d’Homme and L’Artisan Parfumeur Voleur de Roses.

Created by Michel Almairac in 1993, Voleur de Roses speaks of rose blossoms covered with wet soil. Patchouli creates a heavy feeling that pervades the atmosphere after the rainstorm as the humid vapors rise over the drenched vegetation….

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

French fauvist painter Henri Matisse once observed that “there is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose, because before he can do so he has first to forget all the roses that were ever painted.” The same could be said about the perfumer and the art of creating a rose fragrance. At once familiar and desirable, the rose theme has been explored in the modern perfumery quite widely, which means that creating something new and daring requires not only forgetting the classical traditions, but also being able to erase the familiarity, to surprise and to even shock.

The beauty of Serge Lutens Rose de Nuit, created by perfumer Gilles Romey lies in its abstraction of a delicate blossom into a nocturnal animalic scent, as if the petals slowly transform into the warm skin. Every single quality one might expect of rose—sweetness, powderiness, brightness, is twisted into its opposite. Where the roses might evoke delicate softness, Rose de Nuit sheds dark petals, withered at the edges. …

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

Chypre category with its strong accord based on the interplay of hesperidic, floral, woody and mossy facets has gathered popularity since 1917, when Coty Chypre intriguingly explored the extremes of olfactory spectrum to create a memorable and unusual fragrance weaving bergamot, oak moss, labdanum, and patchouli . Subsequently, the affinity of the chypre accord with the voluptuous fruity and floral notes has been discovered, resulting in the orchestrations that fused various flowers, peach (Guerlain Mitsouko, Rochas Femme), plum (Guerlain Parure, Shiseido Féminité Du Bois), as well as exotic fruit (Jean Patou Colony) with the classical chypre accords. The marriage of chypre with other notes is likewise fascinating, with fragrances like Grès Cabochard and Robert Piguet Bandit being examples of the animalic leather chypres, and Dior Diorella, Clinique Aromatics Elixir and Couturier Coriandre exhibiting the beautiful interplay of chypre accords with modern synthetics such as hedione.

While the popularity of the classical chypre has waned, the chypre category is hardly ignored. Ralph Lauren Pure Turquoise, Lulu Guiness Cast a Spell, Dior Miss Dior Cherie, Chanel Chance, Coco Mademoiselle EDT are the examples of the fragrances released in the past couple of years and classified as posssessing chypre accords. The very definition of the chypre seems to be changing, with the emphasis made on the transparent and fruity notes combined with the chypre facets, and many fragrances classified as chypre these days do not even seem to be related to the classical chypre accords. Narciso Rodriguez for Her and Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely are two examples of the classification that would consider them as floral oriental compositions with chypre accords and they are often compared. The main similarity between them is in their luxurious musk accords touched with the ambery warmth that makes these compositions melt beautifully on the skin, and while the fragrances are by no means identical, they create a similar effect of warm, sensual softness.  Now, whether chypre classification might applicable here is a whole another story. …

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

In the constellation of Caron Tabac Blond (1919), Chanel Cuir de Russie (1924) and Parfums Grès Cabochard (1959), united by the smoky leather, Robert Piguet Bandit is the most fearless and daring. It is neither coy and naughty nor aloof and chic. It does not hide its aggressive animalic side under the layers of vanilla like Tabac Blond, nor softens it with the rose and jasmine sweetness like Cuir de Russie. A classical chypre, Bandit is unmistakably alluring, even if it is not the easiest acquaintance to make, especially for someone unfamiliar with this genre.

Bandit was born out of the dreams about pirates and sea voyages. Robert Piguet, a former Poiret fashion designer, upon establishing his own house in 1940, decided to create a fragrance to accompany his new avant-garde couture collection that had models walk down the runway wearing black masks and brandishing knives. His encounter with the perfumer Germaine Cellier, a rebel herself, led to the creation of Bandit in 1944, an essence of rebellion. It shocked and enticed simultaneously, its dark leather notes hinting at dark desires. …

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