![]() ![]() As it happened for Edmond Roudnitska with Eau Sauvage (1966), another planetary hit for decades rejected by consumer panels, not only Déclaration happened to be a success in times when panels seems like Perfumery Gods Oracles, but also a Declaration of Independence.Įau d’Hermès by Edmond Roudnitska (credits Art et Parfum)ĭéclaration is reminiscent of another masterpiece from Roudnitska, Eau d’Hermès (1951), which Jean-Claude Ellena highly prized and studied to elaborate the same smoky radiance of this uberchic supple leathery cologne. Madame Gaultier submitted the perfume to the panel anyway and told him: “We tested it and you lost, but anyway it’s your perfume we chose”. She was pinpointing on the fragrance so Ellena asked her not to submit the trial to consumer panels as he knew he would have come to a cropper. With Véronique there was a strong connection. A very spicy masculine loaded with a pretty original minty cardamom overload backed by a dash of bitter orange and the leathery warmth of cumin suggesting the smoked tannins of Lapsand Souchong. ![]() Mariage-Frères Parisian flagship store (credits Mariage Frères)Ĭartier Déclaration was nicknamed Souchong. Despite both wear gender-free, the lemony floral Bulgari lends more on the feminine side while Cartier with its herbaceous and grilled woods feels a tad more masculine. As those small dried leaves in hot water release their magic, the same leaves out of that handwritten doodles dipped in an ocean of creativity gave us two modern masterpieces that set a reference for tea fragrances. ![]() It is no secret that Monsieur Ellena is fascinated by tea in perfumes, but not everybody knows that he used to enjoy his tea-breaks at Marriage Frères, that once he was allowed to stay alone at 30, rue du Bourg-Tibourg (close to the Parisian Town Hall) to smell various teas and take notes. He gave an amazing speech on the role of in-house perfumer (photo credits Ermano) Jean-Claude Ellena with me at Per Fumum Torino. They didn’t know each other and Monsieur Ellena presented to her another of his work based on tea, this time a smoked tea. Haarmann et Reimer (now Symrise) was offering a three years contract in New York for a chief perfumer so what a better chance to leave Paris for some fresh air? He had quite a tough time in the States though, and later came back to Paris where he signed Cartier Déclaration the direction of Véronique Gaultier (who after went to Hermès and later proposed that M. He was quite bored by this and so, started to write about perfume. Right after the launch of Bulgari Eau Parfumée au the vert, Jean-Claude Ellena was still working at Roure (now Givaudan) but the management didn’t approve his revolutionary working method focusing on a limited palette and on total creative freedom. Last May while in Turin for the cultural event Per Fumum – Torino, I had the chance to hear Master Perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena himself telling how things were with Cartier back in time. So when I first smelled Cartier Déclaration in July 1998, it felt so elegant yet youthful that it was an instant crush and I immediately bought it along with a matching minimal-chic iron grey Prada suit to the wedding of a friend. At least speaking for the masculine side, they happened to smell also quite grown up for a 20 years old guy like I was in the late 1990s. Think of the subtlety of the top notch citrus laden Pasha, or the solid masculine confidence of the aromatic woods in Santos for example. They looked daunting in their neo-deco steel and gold package and smelled utterly chic. Cartier perfumes always succeeded to be a perfect extension of the luxury jewelry the house has designed since 1847. ![]()
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