iris: 65 posts

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

Apothia L Eau de Parfum is the chord of iris fading into the green musky sweetness. Iris is the scent of chill, and its fascinating interplay of rooty and floral facets finds a range of expressions in the perfumery, from the smooth richness woven into the emerald tonality of Chanel No. 19 to the rooty iciness pervading Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist. In contrast to the melancholy aura of many iris based compositions, L Eau de Parfum explores the brightness of iris, enlivening its proud stance with a scintillating spicy ornamentation. As much as I love the aloof elegance of many iris perfumes, the unsentimental and vibrant iris is always a welcome encounter, especially given the fact that such explorations are relatively rare.

For those familiar with Divine L’Homme de Coeur, L Eau de Parfum will be a very interesting discovery, since both of these iris perfumes were created by Yann Vasnier….

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

The most compelling quality of Bois d’Iris, a fragrance created by the perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena for The Different Company is its ability to present the silvery and earthy iris root as layers of petals, transparent as if shot through with intense light and soft as if made from Varanasi silk. In contrast to the earthy and rooty irises, Bois d’Iris is marked by such as a lovely floral softness sustained over the dry woody base that I can forgive its lack of tenacity and make a room for it in my crowded collection of iris fragrances (and perfumes by Jean-Claude Ellena, for that matter.)

If creating a rose fragrance is a task of rendering a blossom out of oil extracted from its petals (or from various synthetic materials that range from photorealism to abstraction in terms of their link to the actual flower), constructing iris does not lead the perfumer to think of the sweet, honeyed scent of its flowers. Instead, it entails blending notes that conjure a scent of its roots, the intriguing blend of violets, earth, wood and metallic dust. The sheer complexity of the orris root is the reason for perfumers’ fascination with it, starting with the iconic Jacques Fath Iris Gris (1947). ….

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

“The icicles, which seemed to have been deliberately hung in different lengths from all the eaves, were incredibly beautiful and looked like waterfalls of crystal,” writes Sei Shonagon in The Pillow Book, a beguiling example of the classical Japanese prose from the 10th century. The silvery glitter of ice, the sparkling expanse of whiteness with an occasional glimpse of bare black branches, the metallic taste of snow on the lips–winter instills serenity and melancholy in the scenes that ordinarily would strike one as quotidian. The chill of winter in fragrances is usually expressed through the usage of the icy notes of iris, the white musk accords marked by the radiant metallic freshness as well the touches of ozonic elements to create the crisp effect of cold air.

Jean-Claude Ellena’s Frédéric Malle L’Eau d’Hiver (2003) and Paul & Joe Blanc (2003) are often compared, however while there are similarities, the fragrances are sufficiently different that a predilection for one would not necessarily mean liking for another. Yet, they both share the white powdery accord woven into the arrangement. Jean-Claude Ellena cites Après l’Ondée as his inspiration for L’Eau d’Hiver, which took the classical structure of the Guerlain classic, refined it to the essential features and added a scintillating hesperidic top. …

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

There are a few conventional wisdoms that one can cite in regards to fragrance, and the one that comes to mind immediately is the oversaturation of the market. The releases are becoming more and more frequent, with the shelf life growing shorter and shorter. Each release entails significant sunk costs, therefore it is not surprising that most of the big companies choose to play safe, researching the fragrances through focus groups and other market testing methods. Safe choices indeed abound, and it is difficult to say anything of interest on them. In the masculine market, it is even more difficult to be daring, because there are more rules of what defines a commercial masculine fragrance. Therefore, encountering Christian Dior Dior Homme, a fragrance intended for the wide audience rather than the niche fragrance consumers and introduced with little market research, is rather heartening.

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

If perfume allows the imagination to paint vivid pictures, Chanel Cuir de Russie is a fragrance that seems to embody a whole story. From the shimmering dry aldehydic top to the warm leathery base, it unveils one image after another. One can almost envision an elegant woman reaching into a black leather handbag, her hand rummaging through its contents: red lipstick, powder compact exuding an aroma of violets, a silver cigarette case… The owner of the fragrant handbag also seems to be fond of listening to jazz in smoky clubs since Cuir de Russie has an alluring note redolent of soft tobacco pervading its leathery smoothness. It is indeed a scent of the fine handbag and the warm skin of its beautiful owner.

Cuir de Russie, “Russian Leather” was a popular theme at the end of the 19 th century, with similarly named fragrances offered by houses like Guerlain and LT Piver. Created in 1924 by Ernest Beaux, the fragrance was intended to provoke and shock, being dedicated to the woman who is not afraid to smoke in public nor speak her mind. …

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