WWYW- Birthday Party edition

By Tom Today I went to a birthday party. It was at Spago, where I'd never been before. I was the only man in a group of about 40. I am friends with about half of them and was invited by the birthday girl, who jokingly said "are you sure you'd like to be alone in a roomful of women? (Husband) wouldn't on a dare." Of course I answered "well I consider myself one of the girls.." Of course being ladies from the real Beverly Hills they ran the sartorial gamut from just-came-from-elementary-school jeans to Chanel suits. I recognized a few scents that I really love: Joy, Fracas and (the real, original) Chanel No 19 I recognised, all applied in the proper "you can only smell me if I choose to hug you" daytime strength. There were others I didn't recognise, but they were lovely ones. I'll have to shoot off a few emails to find out what they were. I wore nice Khakis, a blue blazer and a tie. Oh, and one spritz of Féminité du bois. What would you wear to a ladies who lunch lunch? Wolfgang Puck came through at one point to say Happy Birthday to the birthday girl and clapped me on the shoulder on his way out of the room, saying in that singular accent "How'd you manage to be the one man in this group of women?" My answer? "Blind luck".. Image: Basenotes

Russian Saturday: Bandit Robert Piguet

By Alena Любители винтажных ароматов знают, как больно смотреть на высыхающие капли редкого и малодоступного аромата, как расстрачиваются остатки нервов в ожидании особого случая, чтобы позволить себе их надеть. Пару капель винтажного Бандита в духах 1948 года я умудрилась растянуть на несколько лет. Пусть от них у меня останутся не только воспоминания, но и слова. Bandit – это черный кожаный плащ среди полынной степи. От кожи aka skin, долгие месяцы не знавшей ни солнца, ни ветра, пахнет "французскими духами". Свет, горечь и тепло тела. Каждая стадия аромата накатывает волнами. Сначала гесперидная, ослепительно-солнечная, и при этом мягкая, как прикосновение ладони. Подкашиваются ноги, слабеют колени – это пришла полынная волна. Высота взята. Все, что наступает потом (роза-жасмин-иланг, особенно иланг!, кожа aka leather), не менее прекрасно, но уже не имеет никакого значения. Bandit 1999 года совершенно иной аромат. Я пробовала для сравнения наносить оба Бандита одновременно, но оставила эту затею. Рядом со своим предшественником, современный Bandit старомоден и чопорен, чего не скажешь о Бандите винтажном. Мне даже сложно понять, почему он шипр. Возможно в духах аромат проявляет свою шипровость, но в парфюмированной воде это холодный, отстраненный цветочный аромат на сухой кожаной базе. Я его по-своему люблю, но он не сводит меня с ума. Даже наоборот. Bandit отличный аромат для работы. Он как внутренний начальник, беспристрастно напоминающих о поджимающих сроках. В верхних нотах аромата резкие и кислые, до боли в зубах, геспериды. Нероли? Нет, недозрелый лимон. В сердце (а оно у него есть, сердце?) холодные, хлесткие цветы, жасмин с илангом. Пахнет солоновато, немного подземельно. Кожа в Бандите черная, сухая и жесткая, как на старом портфеле, за которым давно перестали ухаживать. С этим Бандитом главное не переборщить. Он не даст вам расслабиться, даже если вам будет казаться, что на сегодня вы уже достаточно поработали. Поэтому я никогда не сажаю его на голову за уши, только на запястья. Не оставляю надежды, что в духах молодой Bandit будет способен носить не только портфель с бумагами, но и кожаный плащ. Ведь в современной парфюмерии духи – хранители лучшего, что есть в ароматах. Bandit Robert Piguet (Germaine Cellier, 1944-1974/ Delphine Lebeau, 1999): neroli, orange, ylang ylang, galbanum, jasmine, tuberose, rose, carnation, leather, vetiver, oakmoss, patchouli and musk. -------------------------- Lovers of vintage perfumes know how painful it is to look at the drying drops of a rare and hard to find fragrance, how many nervous cells are lost when one is waiting for a special occasion to wear such a fragrance. I managed to make a couple of drops of Bandit parfum circa 1948 last a couple of years. Let them leave behind not just memories but also words. Bandit is a leather trench coat in a field of sagebrush. The skin, which hasn't known sun or wind for months, smells of "French perfume". Every stage of the fragrance's development comes as a wave. First, hesperidic, blindingly sunny, and yet soft like a touch of a palm. My legs get weak when the wave of sagebrush comes. The peak is reached. Everything that comes after (rose-jasmine-ylang, especially ylang!, leather) is no less beautiful but already doesn't matter. Bandit circa 1999 is an entirely different scent. I tried to wear both at the same time, for comparison, but abandoned the idea. Next to its predecessor, the modern Bandit is old-fashioned and prim, which is not true of the vintage. I find it hard to even understand, why it is considered a chypre. Perhaps, in parfum, the aroma displays chypre quality, but in EDP it is a cold, aloof floral composition on a dry leathery base. I love it, but I am not crazy about it. To the contrary, Bandit is a great fragrance to wear to work. It's like an inner boss, dispassionately reminding about the approaching deadline. The hesperides in the top notes are sharp and sour, to the point of tooth ache. Neroli? No, an unripe lemon. In its heart (does it even have a heart?) there are cold, biting flowers, jasmine and ylang. It smells slightly salty, a little bit subterranean. The leather in Bandin is black, dry and hard, like an old briefcase which hasn't been take care of in ages. With this Bandit, it is important not to overdo it. It won't let you relax, even when you think that you've done enough. That is why I never apply it behind my ears, only on my wrists. I still hope that, in parfum, the contemporary Bandit will be able to carry not only a briefcase with papers but also a leather trench coat, because in modern fragrances, parfum is the form that is the truest to the composition. Bandit Robert Piguet (Germaine Cellier, 1944-1974/ Delphine Lebeau, 1999): neroli, orange, ylang ylang, galbanum, jasmine, tuberose, rose, carnation, leather, vetiver, oakmoss, patchouli and musk.

Cruelty Free: Cravache by Robert Piguet

By Tom Unlike Marina, I've never had the pleasure of smelling the original version of this 2007 reissue from the newly revitalized house of Piguet. Reading her description, that's a pity; losing leather in a fragrance is in my opinion never a great idea. On the other hand since that version isn't readily available perhaps it's no bad thing that I don't have to compare that version to the new one. I've actually been on the fence about this new version of Cravache for a while. For months now I've been casually spritzing myself with it at stores and thinking "really nice, but..." Not that it's not a lovely thing: the bright yet chilly citrus opening is as fresh and crisp as a brand new fine cotton dress shirt and the drydown does some interesting dances between warm spicy patch and cool lavender. It smells good in a masculine and well tailored way that whispers of quiet good taste. It's certainly not about the price, since these days $55 for 1.7 oz is practically like having shoplifting it, especially at places like Neiman Marcus, where you can get into some Clive Christian scents that cost more than a couple months rent. I suppose that it's just that when the name Piguet is on the bottle I expect a bit more, well, ooomph. Fracas, love it or loathe it certainly isn't lacking in that department and even the new version of Bandit is true enough to the Cellier original to pack a considerable wallop. But finally I did fall. Bandit and Fracas have that over-the-top film noir vibe to them; were Cravache a film from that era it would be "The Thin Man". You can easily imagine this is what William Powell would smell like as he effortlessly solved some convoluted crime, a Martini never far from reach, a sardonic quip at the ready, and Myrna Loy (wafting Futur no doubt) lounging on the chaise feeding Asta her olive. Because even I want some quiet good taste once in a while. $55 for 1.7oz, $85 for 3.4, at Neiman Marcus (where my bottle was purchased), Bergdorf Goodman and others.

Old & New: Robert Piguet Bandit

By Tom Well, wandering around Beverly Hills during the three minutes it wasn't raining this weekend I wanted to stop and smell Cravache, the mens Piguet that I'd never tried. I think I might need one. I also wanted to smell Bandit and see if it's been reformulated from the small bottle I have. It has been, but it's not as dire as some of the other reformulations I've run across. The bottle I have is the one that Marina wrote of as having a "viciously green galbanum" opening and a drydown that's "moss-green and animalic and très sensuel" I can see her point that this is a scent that Marlene Dietrich would wear and did. The newer version reins in some of that brutality. It's still galbanum and green, it's just not a shiv to the ribs. The drydown is still animalic and sensual and even edgy, just not as forbidding as the original can be. It's 95% of what was there, and while I love my bottle of the older formula, I have admit that I'd wear the new one a lot more often. It's one time that sanding the rough edge down has actually improved things. The original was like a corset and six-inch heels: sexy, but not something you'd exactly wear to church. The newer one still suggests that bondage aspect, but you won't be assigned twenty Hail Marys if your Priest smells it on you.. Bandit is available at Neiman-Marcus $85 for 1.7 oz and $120 for 3.4 oz.

The Futur is Green. Robert Piguet Futur

Knock on wood, there seems to be a new wave of green fragrances upon us. Parfums de Nicolaï Le Temps D'Une Fete, Estee Lauder Jasmine White Moss, Issey Miyake A Scent, re-released Givenchy III (such as it is) and now Piguet's newly re-issued Futur (and am I forgetting something?) are making me hopeful and longing for more. Green is the perfume category I adore, from A (as in Aliage) to Y (as in by YSL). Green scents smell classic slash edgy, and as such- forever modern. That classic-edgy duality makes them ladylike in one context and bold and outre in another. It all depends on the angle at which they turn to you, and they are full of angles. Futur is a perfect example of the angular, jolie laide beauty of the green genre. And by the way, kudos to the brand for not only avoiding the usual "toning down" that is the curse of most re-issues but actually making the new version seemingly even more forcefully green, dry and sharp than the old (at least judging by a vintage sample). When I say, sharp, in regards to green fragrances, I always mean it is a compliment. That is what I am looking for in green scents: the snappiness, the haughtiness, the attitude, the coldness. Bergamot in the top notes and vetiver with cedar in the base provide plenty of that in Futur. Were it not for ylang-ylang and jasmine in the heart, the scent would have been maximum attitude and zero wearability even for me. As it is, the creamy flowers soften the blow of spiky green accord and lend the composition a hint of classic femininity. "Old money" dressed in kinky leather. Available at Harrods, £85.00 for 100ml. Image credit, Mario Sorrenti for Vogue Paris.

Fracas

By Beth I don’t know what I could say , feel or write about the Robert Piguets legendary Fraca’s that hasn’t already been experienced before. Ah…I’ve thought of something. When I wear it, all that I want to be is completely naked , eating breakfast and chocolate in bed or perhaps topless in Provence , sipping a lemon presse and getting tanned in all of the right places. When it comes to Fracas I’m pretty sure these aren’t original thoughts and I know that none of them will come as any sort of surprise to those who know me well, especially the lusty man that I was smart enough to marry. I cherish food, perfume and passion equally with a fervor that some reserve solely for diamonds and pearls. Not this girl….gift me with truffles or tuberose on any given day and I will be properly enslaved ! Fraca’s IS the undisputed grande dame of the sexy white florals , completely sensual, captivatingly sexual and literally dripping with the sweet fleshy smell of the morning after a marvelous night with the naughtiest man / men ? Fracas is also the carnal and sardonic smell of the deep south, a little bit bordello richly spiced with a lot of exquisitely witchy savory voodoo. The intention of Fracas is obvious and that intention is trouble with a very swirly capital T. You cannot ignore her haunting call although you might hate yourself in the morning for heeding it (but only temporarily, I promise!) When I was a child, my brother went to Tulane in New Orleans for medical school. I have never forgotten the flowers, jasmine vines and dripping wet gardenias in the courtyard outside of Brennans Restaurant, where their pungent aroma mixed with the chicory and cinnamon coffee was about as heady a scent as a precocious child like me could have asked for. I remember eating Banana’s Foster dripping with hot caramel and the flowering Jasmine climbing the wrought iron fences. I remember the candlelight and my mother’s flirtatious laughter. The sticky Tuberose that grew everywhere was as stunning as a full moon and totally narcotic and then there were the women, gorgeous hot house buds with slickly coral lips , caramel skin and curvaceous bodies that were a promise of something that took me years to understand. Southern women just astonish me with their ability to entice and enchant. I’ve never met a man who didn’t just love them even if they love them in secret , but I’ve met lots of women who absolutely hated them although I’ve never understood why. Not me…..I’ve always wanted to be one because they literally smell of orange blossoms and chocolate. Their powers of seduction are legendary and who wouldn’t want some of that? I’m pretty sure that most of them own a bottle or ten of Fracas! This is the sexiest fragrance that I wear and it makes me happy, happy, happy on a sunny day with my hair brushed out and a wispy pair of sandals. Nothing can perk me up faster on a terrible, moody day than a spritz or two , a black turtleneck and a velvety nude lipstick. When I spray it on I get an initial rush of orange blossom but that doesn’t linger at all although I wish that it did, orange blossom is a wonderful childhood memory for me. With me and Fracas it’s all about the Tuberose and Jasmine which stay with me until the very end of the day when it dries down to a soft layer of moss…to my vivid imagination that would be Spanish Moss dripping from gnarled old trees that my husband would spread a blanket under. At this point I can hear all of you thinking...”There she goes again........” OsMoz describes Fracas as an “Intense, Glamorous, Haute Couture Tuberose”. My husband describes Fracas as “Bombshell in a Bottle” and always makes sure that I am never without it. He’s a smart man! Fracas can be found online in many different places but I really enjoy buying it at a store in La Jolla, California that I’ve discovered called Alexander, Perfume and Cosmetics. They sweetly let me me sniff and spray to my hearts content and they specialize in hard to find fragrances! They can be found online at beautyandscents.com

Bandit by Robert Piguet

I am at heart a gentleman. Marlene Dietrich Bandit is another Piguet scent that for me has always been associated with Marlene Dietrich; whenever I smell it, I see Dietrich in her trademark suit, with a cigarette-holder casually and elegantly smouldering in her hand. According to Jan Moran, this scent was in fact one of the star’s favorites; Dietrich had the kind of confidence and insouciance that must have made fragrances like Fracas, Bandit and Tabac Blonde seem absolutely stunning and natural on her. In my opinion, Bandit requires even more flair and chic from its wearer than its sibling Fracas and it is not an easy scent for me to wear. The beginning is harsh and potent, mostly a smoky and viciously green galbanum with a vague citrus accord hidden somewhere within that smoke, however, the scent subsides, it is quite shocking, how it changes and becomes much quieter. Within five minutes or so after the application, Bandit is an elegant, refined fragrance with notes of peppery rose and green jasmine, with the leather note being just sharp enough to keep the scent true to its provocative name. The drydown is moss-green and animalic and très sensuel; it is perhaps my favourite part of the fragrance. There must be some magic in both Piguet scents to make me like them as much as I do; apart from Fracas and Bandit I don’t really “do” heady white florals and chypres. Bandit is a stunning scent, the one that works exceptionally well when one is dressed especially sharp and is in a mood to act rather aloof. Chanel said, "elegance is refusal", and that describes Bandit perfectly to me; it is an elegant perfume that says No. Bandit is available at Nordstom Online, $65.00-$190.00 Tomorrow, Greta Garbo and Le Parfum de Therese

Fracas by Robert Piguet

They call me Lola. Lola Lola (Marlen Dietrich), Der Blaue Engel Whenever I smell Fracas, the line from Raymond Chandler's Farewell My Lovely comes to my mind: "It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained glass window." Fracas is an olfactory equivalent of a stunning, strong-willed, supremely confident, sharply dressed blonde; to me, it is one of the olfactory portraits of Marlene Dietrich who, according to Jan Moran, did in fact wear Fracas. Fracas starts deceivingly low-key on my skin, almost citrusy, gradually the scents becomes sweeter and sweeter, the fragrance gathers momentum, with the orange blossom note heralding the arrival of the queen tuberose…and suddenly there she is, immense tubéreuse rose à bandes orange (Luca Turin), in all her carnal glory. Tuberose takes the limelight and puts all other notes into the shade, even the usually equally ferocious ones, jasmine and gardenia. The only note able to stand up to tuberose is, unexpectedly, lily of the valley, that note is like a cold silvery streak running through the creamy, luscious middle stage of the perfume. The drydown is vaguely mossy and slightly animalic (musky) to my nose. I am a self-confessed white floral hater, but I adore Fracas. It is a grand scent, a diva, a heady, incredibly sensual perfume, tuberose extraordinaire, and yet it fails to intimidate me. I feel I can actually pull it off. Granted, I need an occasion to wear it, and I have to be dressed to the nines, in an uncluttered and flamboyant Piguet style, but when I do… just call me Lola. Fracas is available at Nordstom Online, $65.00-$190.00