The description on Frederic Malle site portrays Iris Poudre as a "raw classical beauty"; I respectfully disagree. Beauty- undoubtedly, classical- yes, perhaps more classical than modern, raw- not at all. For raw, rooty iris may I recommend you try Jean-Claude Ellena's Bois d'Iris. Iris Poudre is a pampered iris, grown in the most luxurious surroundings, a spoiled, coddled and cherished belle.
Iris Poudre is a warm, sweet, dark-golden scent; aldehydes don't bother me here at all, I will go so far as to say that they are practically a no-show, to my nose’s delight. I love the musk note in the drydown, it brings a hint of “animalic” to the whole composition, adding a certain sensuality and a risqué feel to what otherwise could have been a rather tame albeit imposing perfume. I must add that, despite the name, the fragrance is not powdery at all, on my skin.Iris Poudre demands to be worn in cold weather, accessorized with cashmere (but of course!), or in any weather at all for a posh evening out. It may also deign to help you out and make you feel like you are comfortably sitting in the very lap of luxury, even if you are at the moment dressed in your old pajamas. Then again, it may not.
In an interview, Pierre Bourdon revealed that his favorite artistic style is the period between impressionism and fauvism, characterized by a balance between figurative interpretation and transcendental reality. I apologize to M. Bourdon for not perceiving his wonderful Iris Poudre as one of the paintings of that period. To me, this scent is an idealized version of what a beautiful woman should look like, a stunning pinup. To illustrate my point, please take a closer look at these paintings by Elvgren, Vargas and Runci. Each of those stunners looks the way Iris Poudre smells.
Iris Poudre is available from Editions de Parfum or Barneys, $160.00 for 100ml
*Painting No 1 - Suzette by Gil Elvgren; Painting No 2 – Beauty by Alberto Vargas; Painting No 3 – Sheer Delight by Edward Runci
*Painting No 1 - Suzette by Gil Elvgren; Painting No 2 – Beauty by Alberto Vargas; Painting No 3 – Sheer Delight by Edward Runci
V., this is indeed like Chanel No 5, only much much softer and sweeter to me. Iris Poudre is beautiful and warm and somehow it comes as no surprise to me that both you and N. (comment below yours) love and wear this scent.
ReplyDeleteThank you, dear N, you are so kind!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about not being able to easily revisit perfumes that you wore some time before. Those don't even have to be bad times, sometimes happy memories are just as overwhelming. There are some scents like that, when I smell them, they almost "knock me off my feet" with the flood of memories.
a side comment: I love the sense I have of you through your blog ... the visuals, the thought processes, your perception of the fragrances. lovely. xoxo
ReplyDeleteOh thank you M! Coming from you...it made me happy on this tenebrous day. :-)
ReplyDelete*pouts* Is powder week over now?
ReplyDeletej/k, and must echo M: it is a lovely blog!
I am only just starting on powder, R. *snickers* I am kidding, it is over...for now.
ReplyDeleteThank you!!!
GAH! I really need to organize my samples. I am CERTAIN I have a sample of this, and it is not revealing itself to me. I still have not tried it (so many samples, so little time) but you've made me want to dig it out. And what gorgeous pinup images you've found, very nice.
ReplyDeleteThank you, K! I am curious to hear what you think about it, when it finally deigns to be found.
ReplyDelete