 
THE EXCLUSIVE BOUTIQUE GUERLAINS
Guerlain, a venerable house with perhaps the richest history in perfume, alongside Coty and Caron, created hundreds of perfumes in all its years. In 1828, Pierre-Fran¢ois-Pascal Guerlain opened his first shop street on Rue de Rivoli in Paris, he created different perfumes for each customer. In 1840, he was installed in buildings on the Rue de la Paix. From there he went on to create his legion of perfumes, over 300! Most of them can be seen here. Maison Guerlain was established in Champs Elysées in 1914 and went on to become an institution, providing olfactory pleasure to everyone from Catherine Deneuve to Mme Chirac.
Some of them were lost for good, what with the passage of time, what with the elimination of some ingredients for various reasons, what with the sales angle that usually leaves unscathered only the best selling ones, abandoning the others to an early grave.
In light of this injustice, the heads of Guerlain had a brilliant idea : to re-issue some of those perfumes for the delectation of perfume lovers everywhere, like an Il était une fois story, but in order to keep the experiment still within the realm of profitability, they opted for an exclusive distribution at elevated prices. The boutique Guerlains, as are affectionately called, are a fairly recent phenomenon. Recreated by Jean-Paul Guerlain for the opening of the renovated La Maison Guerlain the re-editions of past classics of the house start a yearly tradition of bringing back masterpieces from another era.
They are exclusive to 68 Champs Elysιes boutique, in Paris (Interior design: Andrée Putman and Maxime D’Angeac, 2005 ) and can be ordered by emailing Antoine-Olivier Metz, the store manager, at [email protected]. Elisabeth Siroz is the head of Guerlain's PR and she says of the new Maison Guerlain :Visiting La Maison should feel like coming home, our home, the home of all Guerlain lovers.
La Maison is home to several collections :
Les Parisiennes are creations of Jean-Paul Guerlain: Métalys, Quand vient l'été, Mayotte, Guerlinade and Derby (€130 each). The perfume exclusives at Guerlain from their line "Les Parisiennes" are ressurrected scents that traded their commercial names for a more poetic one:
Metallica/ Métallys
Terracotta Voile d'été/ Quand vient l'été
Mahora/ Mayotte.
All of them packaged in the beautiful bee flacon.
Heritage fragrances, mostly conceived by Jean-Paul’s grandfather Jacques, will be issued as annual limited editions such as Mouchoir de Monsieur and Violette de Madame (€800 each). The Legacy Collection is the annual olfactory revival, for 2005 it was the sumptuous jazz-baby classic, Vega (€180) and for 2006 it is Sous le vent. Rumour is that the next to be revived is Ode, but that remains to be seen.
There is a new Jean-Paul Guerlain, Plus Que Jamais Guerlain (€260) and the re-issue of Guet Apens, now called Attrape Coeur. The company’s fragrance development director, Sylvaine Delacourte, has overseen not only a home range, but the inauguration of four new fragrances, the famous Matières including Olivier Polge’s Cuir Beluga , Danièle Andrier's Angélique Noire, Francis Kurkdjian’s floral Rose Barbare and incensy Bois d'Armenie (€140 each), a project not disimilar to that undertaken by Frederick Malle: independent, not in-house perfumers who choose their ingredient and produce what they really want.
ART ET MATIERE LINE
Cuir Beluga
Beluga in most people’s minds is tied to caviar associations, the richest and costliest variety actually, yet not the one on top of every gourmet’s list who often go for Sevruga with its more delicate, less fatty taste and smaller dark beads.
I was therefore surprised to find out that it also refers to a species of small whale (Delphinapterus leucas) that is almost white in colour and completely endearing to watch. Beluga after all is white in Russian. The full name of course hints at some terrible cruelty that would have Brigitte Bardot up in arms, and justifiably so.
However no whale hide is necessary for the production of this scent and there is no other leather smell discernible to me or anyone else either. The chemical ingredient isobutyl quinoline that is most often used to render such a note is hard to miss, due to its bombastic character that has the ability to obliterate other scents.
Thus, Cuir Beluga resembles a trompe l’oeil, the artistic effect of visually hinting at something that isn’t actually there; or even the manner of painter Magritte and his way of making us think in a completely different way than usual.
Created by Olivier Polge, son of famous Chanel nose Jacques Polge, the man who created such successful numbers as Coco and Allure, it promised the innovation and dare of a person who is young and willing to take a risk; the stance of someone who has artistic freedom to do as he pleases. However, Cuir Beluga a risk it certainly does not take. The Guerlain brief says about it: "a fragrance suggesting the absolute, contemporary luxury of leather. An initial burst of aldehydic mandarin orange, strengthened by everlasting flowers/immortelles contributes a luminosity all its own, then merges into deeper, sophisticated notes of leather, amber, heliotrope and vanilla"
The immortelle note, often compared to fenugreek, is nowhere near the omnipresence found in Annick Goutal’s Sables or even in the much tamer L de Lolita Lempicka. The hard, craggy Mediterranean beach cannot survive in the pedigreed salons of Paris, that’s understood. But neither is amber particularly present, never managing to make a full appearance on the dry down phase, making the composition somewhat linear.
Starting and finishing with a lullaby of soft vanilla, with elements of slight bittersweet taste that is the heliotrope note echoing the minimalist composition of Eau d’hiver by Frederic Malle or Etro’s Heliotrope, but less sweet, it resembles the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale of the girl who sold matches: she glimpses the warmth of the rich house with the garlanded Christmas tree and the table full of delicacies, but it’s only behind the cold pane of glass. Never in my life have I smelled such an aloof vanilla. Although it has a very pleasant effect and is undoubtedly a nice smell that would never become suffocating and heavy like many vanillic perfumes inadvertently do, it cannot justify the cachet of exclusivity when it could just as easily sit on the shelf of a department store making sales by its sheer inoffensiveness.
Angelique Noire
The inconsistency between name and scent is probably a characteristic of the exclusive Art et Matière line, I am beginning to believe, because this fragrance is certainly not noire, at least not in the manner of which we have been thinking of, courtesy of the Golden era of Hollywood. The grotesque look of Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard that simply screamed for its daily dose of Caron’s sumptuous Narcisse Noir as a talisman against mediocrity and decline is nowhere to be found.
There is a historic reference that might be noted: a black slave by the apt name Marie Joseph Angelique, a personage in the history of Montreal, accused of being the incendiary of the 1734 episodes. However, far from such upheaval and restlessness, here we are dealing with a pre-Raphaelite Madonna with curly hair and silky robes that is lost in mystical reverie over the impending Nativity or a post-romantic painting by Waterhouse.  Created by nose Danièle Andrier, the Guerlain brief goes something like this: "a composition based on angelica, weed known to be an elixir promoting longetivity. The bergamot and angelica notes are fresh, vibrant and slightly bitter. They contrast with the sophisticated fullness of the vanilla”.
The core of the perfume is undoubtedly the pairing of citrus and vanilla which in Guerlain terms would translate as Shalimar, surely. But this is a Guerlain through non-Guerlain eyes, ergo the treatment is completely different.
A sweet oeuvre of pleasant and cherubic notes, full of the tart juice of bergamot and toiling harvesters eager to gather crops as it opens with the tangy and difficult to obtain angelica, garlanded with a spicy touch enough to intrigue us further; later segueing on to a soft heart of almond haziness and drying down to ever persistent vanilla; it is not especially reminiscent of any of the Loukhoum scents (Lutens, Mecheri) that feature some of the same notes . Guerlain has based its reputation on the quality of its vanilla and it always features in one way or another in their perfumes. This is no exception. I don’t know if angelica is supposed to prolong life in humans really, and how that could be a good thing in a world that despises old age, but the fragrance lasts quite well and in that respect it is not a bad investment.
Rose barbare
Barbaric rose, rose of Attila, rose of the Goths, Rosicrucian and mystic.
Where are you? The lines of Walt Whitman in my ears:
I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable, I sound my barbaric YAWP over the roofs of the world.
Or even this one:
November sun is sunlight poured through honey:
Old things, in such a light, grow subtle and fine.
Bare oaks are like still fire.
Talk to me: now we drink the evening's wine.
Look, how our shadows creep along the grave!--
And this way, how the gravel begins to shine!
This is the time of day for recollections,
For sentimental regrets, oblique allusions,
Rose-leaves, shrivelled in a musty jar.
Scatter them to the wind! There are tempests coming.
It is dark, with a windy star.
If human mouths were really roses, my dear,--
(Why must we link things so?--)
I would tear yours petal by petal with slow murder.
I would pluck the stamens, the pistils,
The gold and the green,--
Spreading the subtle sweetness that was your breath
On a cold wave of death....
Now let us walk back, slowly, as we came.
We will light the room with candles; they may shine
Like rows of yellow eyes.
Your hair is like spun fire, by candle-flame.
You smile at me--say nothing. You are wise.
For I think of you, flung down brutal darkness;
Crushed and red, with pale face.
I think of you, with your hair disordered and dripping.
And myself, rising red from that embrace.
(excrept from a poem by Conrad Aiken 1889-1973)
Rose barbare is a very nice rendition of a floral composition that features rose notes, soft and a little astringent at times on my skin, like the Centifolia variety grown in Grasse. Rather sweet and not particularly powdery, underscored with some peach fruit, but not as loudly fruity as Sa Majeste La Rose by Serge Lutens, neither as deeply chypre as Rose de Nuit by the same house, it bears a passing resemblance with Nahéma, especially as it develops on skin, however that one was feistier, like a red-haired woman in wrath, whereas Rose barbare is a dark blonde affair of sweetness, chic and insouciance.
Although the formal brief talks about a heady rose, I don’t find this one heady. On the contrary it is light and chyprish and quite modern, in the best possible sense. It is a proud young scent, made for a house that needs an injection of young clientele.
Personally I am a little overwhelmed by Nahéma , so the prospect of a less potent rose would seem like a good idea to a person who is no big rose lover by my own admit ion. But it is also supposed to harness other elements of the Guerlain tradition and the chypre base of Mitsouko is one of them. Mitsouko has achieved legendary status through the years and is often used as an example of what great art in perfumery can achieve. However its impact on modern noses is demystifying and for that reason Guerlain probably wanted to keep the best elements of it and modernize the idea behind it. But whereas Mitsouko is all loss and poignant introversion, Rose Barbare is pride and prickly fingers.
The addition of synthetic musks, some fruit and aldehyde C11 gives both booziness and volume to the scent of Rose Barbare and alludes to its rich heritage.
This one is a perfectly soft composition with a base that hides a green and dusty quality reminiscent of oak moss, but not quite (since the latter is one ingredient that has had its fair share of allegations to be an allergen and is about to be phased out of production); instead patchouli with its rich aroma anchors the composition into deeper waters of sexuality that might lure me in to explore further my dysfunctional relationship with rose.
Created by nose Francis Kurkdjian, who was one half of the creative team behind the winning composition of the mesmerizing Narciso Rodriguez for Her perfume, conceived in only three weeks and without a brief from the House according to Chandler Burr, it is a feat; a little enigma in that it stands alone in its pedestal as something unique, but at the same time it doesn’t produce a visceral reaction to it, which is perhaps to its detriment. Probably my favourite from the bunch so far.
Bois d’Armenie
Guerlain has this to say about the new offering: "A surprising Bois d'Arménie, which has you trailing in the scent given off by Armenian incense paper: this olfactory relationship is, in part, explained by the presence of benzoin, used in the 19th century Armenia, which is found in the heart note of this new fragrance. A heady sensuality in the omnipresent warmth of the wood."
The notes include: incense, benzoin, Gaiac wood with a very light vanilla accent.
Full review to come shortly.
VEGA
 Vega was originally created in the 1930's, in 1936 to be precise, by Jacques Guerlain. It was such a loaded year: the Berlin Olympics, the Nobel for Eugene O neil and cinematically speaking My man Godfrey with Carole Lombard who could wear this perfume effortlessly.
The recreation was undertaken by Jean Paul Guerlain for the opening of the renovated Boutique Guerlain in 2005 and bears his mark alongside the well-known Guerlinade base.Belonging to the family of aldehydic florals that first took off with the infamous introduction of Chanel #5 in 1921 by Ernest Beaux, Vega has the fizzying, sparkling element of the aldehydic opening, that can sometimes smell waxy or even soapy.
Vega is such a beautiful name : being the brightest star in the Lyra constellation and the 5th brightest star we can see in the sky, it has 58 times the brilliance of the sun, although scientists tell us that they are full of cosmic dust.
The name however evokes luminosity and the perspective of cosmos.In 1936 Paris was indeed the capital of Light, the chic metropolis of every emerging trend, the place to be.
I can't possibly know what the original smelt like and I can only imagine. In the re-issue nevertheless those notes are said to be softened, to suit modern tastes who have arguably distanced themselves from the more perfume-y tastes of yore. However that is not to the detriment of the perfume at all. Rather it emphasises the rich floral heart . The ylang ylang is the predominant note in the composition after the initial blast, a flower that smells piercingly sweet, jasmine and orange blossom come along too. It also features the fleur de cassie (acacia) blossom with its rich, sweet smell. Notes of iris are also mentioned, but to me they were not to be found, at least not in the usual earthy version I come to witness in most true iris perfumes, like Luten's Iris Silver Mist or Hiris. Rosewood is another note that seems untraceable, yet said to be in there. That sweet floral heart in combination with the standard Guerlain vanillic warmth and the warm and plush vetiver-amber base reminds me of the fond of Vol de Nuit and Shalimar at the same time. That is to say it definitely has an animalic musky tonality in it that would potentially drive off people not atuned to rich and full, musky florals. It is not a perfume for shying violets!
The heart and base have elements of Chanel #5, especially in its parfum version, although Vega is significantly sweeter . That darker, more serious element is a great attribute of the creation and although it is only an idea of darkness,really, it still manages to make the perfume rise above merely pretty. Guerlain had always had an afinity for making likeable and wearable perfumes, often taking insipration from other compositions and making them laugh, like Jacques Guerlain did with Shalimar and Mitosuko (inspired in part by Coty Emeraude and Chypre respectively). They have a bourgeois sensibility that makes for generally very "french"-smelling perfumes, at least in what is considered french in the collective unconsious, France being a vast country emracing many different cultural stimuli. This is such a case here however and this aldehydic may be a wonderful alternative for people who cannot enjoy Chanel#5 or Arpège or the fabulous Editions des parfums Frederic Malle Iris Poudré. (more's the pity).
ATTRAPE COEUR
Formerly known as Guet Apens , which was released as a limited edition in 1999, encased in a geometrical bottle, and after that named #68 in 2002 (not to be confused with the new Cologne 68) this re-issue named Attrape Coeur is the same glorious fragrance as that of the past editions and since 2005 has joined the ranks of the permanent collection of Guerlain to the rejoice of perfume lovers.
Although the scent is credited to Jean Paul Guerlain, the original scent was made by Mathilde Laurent, the nose behind the controversial Pamplelune with its sulfureous grapefruit and the Shalimar Light which was so fabulous. However her move to Cartier perfumes recently has been the main cause why the attribution to JP Guerlain has taken place I guess.
The name Attrape Coeur means heart-catcher and it is lovely in its connotations, although it can have its adversaries too.
Hearts are usually a corny matter, depicted in nauseating permutations as a symbol of romantic love. Guet Apens in French means ambush on the other hand, which makes for a much more intriguing name, but maybe that is just my opinion.
I think of a seducer, a woman who is out to get men entrapped in her tentacles, but all that done in a most elegant way. This perfume doesn’t do anything vulgar.
In a way it goes way back to another era. It reminds me of Marguerite Gautier, famously known as “la dame aux camellias” and her influence on French society, both as the heroine of the novel by Alexandre Dumas fils and as a representation of the Parisian courtesans of the 19th century.
Modeled after a real person, Marie Duplessis (real name Alphonsine), lover of Listz at one point and of Dumas naturally, dead at only 23 years of age, due to consumption but having made her reputation already, Marguerite is a very alluring personality. With her pale appearance due to tuberculosis and her manners of a grande dame she captures the attention of the Parisian high society.
Gustave Claudin writes about her in Mes Souvenirs: “She was fickle, capricious, wild. She adored today what she hated yesterday. She possessed natural elegance to the utmost degree. One could certainly say she had style. No one could copy her originality. As long as florists were able to provide them, she always went out with a bouquet of white camellias”.
Her natural sensuality and maturity beyond her years are a logical fit for a perfume like this one.
Camellia of course in not featured in Attrape Coeur, rather dark violet is , which is very apt taking in mind that Violetta is the name of the heroine in the opera version of the novel La Traviata (which means woman who strayed) by Guiseppe Verdi and numerous theatrical versions, hence the association.
In the enchanting and nostalgic Langage des fleurs, a book by Charlotte de la Tour, violet stands for secret love. (You can see the meaning of other flowers too)
Violets then with a little underscoring of rose form the core of the perfume and the lingering impression is that of a rich but not syrupy dessert in a combination that brings to mind other similar efforts, most notably Lipstick Rose by Frederic Malle editions des Parfums. However, compared to that one Attrape coeur is not as sweet and waxy. Compared to other offerings from Guerlain it is somehow between Shalimar and L’instant : not as animalic or harsh in the opening as the former, not as sweet and –dare I say it?- cloying as the latter, it combines the element of earthy iris and woods like sandal or cedar in order to give a stability and powdery dryness that is much needed to bring balance to compositions based on sweet elements.
Jasmine also makes a brief appearance but then I regrettably lost it : it’s a jasmine note like that in another Guerlain, Flora Nerolia : it remains fresh and dewy. Amber clearly discernible gives the final tone, mixed with a little vanilla and civet (which I was not aware of particularly, meaning it is restrained ) that is so characteristic of Guerlain perfumes.
It has a lingering aura, blooming on the skin and lasting on my wrists the span of a whole day and going on well into the night. This is especially satisfying as it is such a wonderful perfume and a nice surprise at this time of fleeting perfumes that make us apply over and over again.
A wonderful addition to the Guerlain stable. A thoroughbred.
SOUS LE VENT
Being a favourite of Josepine Baker, that black gazelle of the merry times between two world wars, should give us a hint that this one is a strong minded affair of great sophistication and caliber. Difficult though to wear as a scent to seduce or invite people to come and linger closer, but very fitting as an unconscious weapon for a woman about to close a difficult business deal, embark on a divorce case or hire a professional assassin. It transpires strength!
It starts with a rush of medicinal top notes of herbs that smell like lavender or rosemary. Its heart encompasses dry accords of wood and green, while the base is a classic chypre composition of dusty moss with a sweet tonality. Very potent and assertive, a take no prisoners affair for a lady who was known to dance with only a skirt of bananas on, leaving her country for France and being idolized by all social strata, it screams of individualism and élan. Complex and elusive, it is certainly not an easy option for today’s sensibilities; however this travel back into more glamorous and individual times is worth the price of admission.
Wear it if you are really interesting as a person, it will only enhance that quality.
LES PARISIENNES
MAYOTTE 
This is a re-edition of the discontinued Mahora of the early 90’s.
A ripe and creamy exotic mega- floral, named after the island where Jean-Paul Guerlain has his ylang ylang plantations, it was a total flop when launched under the name Mahora mainly because it had impolite association in English speaking people’s minds and also due to the fact that it launched at a time when loud white florals were very unpopular indeed. However to French ears it must have a South-Pacific sound to it, perhaps recalling the Polynesian Maori people. I am afraid the new name, pronounced with an english accent though, might recall mayonnaise, but maybe I am exagerrating. Remains to be seen.
It displays tropical charms of exotic blooms that are highlighted in a potent composition including frangipani flower, Grasse tuberose, Grasse jasmine, Ylang Ylang from Jean-Paul Guerlain's own plantation in Mayotte, a little vetiver and some sandalwood as anchor and a touch of vanilla.
A furore of carnal flowers for those who like such indulgence.
DERBY
A male scent that has been noticed by women. Guerlain describes it as a leather fougère, a family of scents known for its traditionally butch, macho character.
Popular in past decades, with such iconic representatives as Drakkar Noir and Kouros, not to forget the mighty Azzaro pour Homme, it was almost forgotten in the clean, ozonic 90’s.
This new representative includes leather notes atop the moss and herbs, with a very thick, spicy clove introduction. After some time a floral phase of carnation and jasmine peek under the clove and give a smooth richness that then goes into the forest floor of a traditional men’s fougèrescent and the leather note of a battered jacket that has withstood the elements in a battle at some far away place.
This is tough and it shows it and why women would fall in love with it is more aptly the business of pop psychology, telling us women are attracted by the danger and excitement of the bad boys. If that’s what they had in mind over at Guerlain, they have made a wise decision profit-wise.
Credits: info on lines, prices and classification by Guerlain boutique, Musee de Grasse, LVMH mag, ladefense.fr
Old Guerlain ads courtesy of Psine.net Gargoyle photo by Luciano Duse. Actors pics courtesy of silverscreensirens and imdb. Photo A stranger in paradise by A cow Signal courtesy of flickr. Traviata artwork by Rafael Olbinski courtesy of allposters.com Artwork Josephine Baker by Paul Colin. Frangipani pic originally uploaded in smellyblog. Woodhouse painting Boreas courtesy of allposters.com. Artwork Caged heart by sheispretty couretsy of deviantart.
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