mercredi 24 mars 2010

Penhaligon's Orange Blossom by Bertrand Duchaufour: The Bride Stripped Bare


The first time I smelled orange blossom, it was in the arms of a boy in Seville during the processions of the Holy Week. It had another name then for me, bequeathed by the Moors to the Spanish language: azahar. Standing under those trees still heavy with oranges, studded with fragrant white stars against dark waxy foliage, was one of the most head-turning olfactory experiences of my life. Of course, Román, he of the chocolate eyes and flamenco hips, might’ve had something to do with that too… And so I couldn’t think of a lovelier, more thrillingly evocative scent for Easter time than Penhaligon’s new Orange Blossom, and that’s what I plan to drench myself with instead of flying down to Seville as I did so many times in the past…

The 10th instalment of the Anthology collection confirms Penhaligon’s bid to infuse a more contemporary style of perfumery into its heritage, with a deliciously old-fashioned – indeed, multi-secular – theme, reworked by Bertrand Duchaufour from top to bottom. Who knew Mr. D.’s headlong rush into lush florals would shed light on such an unexpected facet of his talent, and that he had it in him to thrive in such a sensuous register? (Well, clearly, Penhaligon’s knew, or at least they had a hunch. Watch this space for his answer in a few weeks, for the launch of Nuit de Tubéreuse, the next L’Artisan Parfumeur…)

Orange blossom absolute is vegetal, mineral and animal all at once. It betrays facets of the flower that are usually kept well hidden under its tiny white skirts -- a dark green tip of asparagus, a whiff of hot tar just before a storm, a fatty smear of wax, a dusting of honeyed pollen… Bertrand Duchaufour has studied it, stripping its layers away and reassembling them as he did the vanilla pod for L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Havana Vanille, as though it were a material never encountered before.

The result is not as complex as last fall’s Amaranthine: Orange Blossom is a soliflore, a vertical structure that says “orange blossom” from top to base notes. Yet its seamless construction is exemplary of Duchaufour’s increasing mastery of his materials.

The fragrance is built like an olfactory fugue, each stage picking up on the notes unveiled in the preceding one. The sparkling opening buzzes with zesty notes and the orange-flavoured baby aspirin smell of petitgrain; the snapped green bean/asparagus facet of petitgrain is stretched out with violet leaf, which presents a similar facet. Cardamom absolute echoes both the zest and the green of the top notes in a warmer tone, while the anisic flavour of pink bay adds another, different nuance of green to the palette. The warm/cool interplay of the two spices work here in a similar way to aldehydes, to bring a vibrant, bubbly quality to the fragrance, churning the sparkling top notes into the headier heart.

The scent segues into its main accord through further green facets of rose, tuberose and jasmine sambac: these floral notes flesh out the orange blossom core, a blend of absolute and Aurantiol (itself a base combining methyl anthranylate, the main odorant molecule of orange blossom, and hydroxycitronellal, a lily-of-the-valley-smelling material). At this stage, Orange Blossom plays on soapy green notes set against a narcotic bouquet – an expansive, green-gold, pollen-dusted sillage of muguet, jasmine and honeysuckle deepened by tarry whiffs of indole.

As Orange Blossom reaches its drydown, it is the honeyed/waxy, almost resinous aspect of the absolute that takes over, with a vanilla, musk and sandalwood base drenched in balsamic, slightly oily “solar notes” – in other words, benzyl salicylate, the ingredient once used as a filter in European tanning lotions and which has become a signifier of “beach” to Continental noses… This tropical kiss, warmed with a touch of clove, lingers on the skin for hours.

Though it doesn’t go quite as far up the frills as Amaranthine, touted by Penhaligon’s as the “smell of a woman’s thigh”, Orange Blossom does manage to insinuate a few racier innuendoes behind its playful, spring-like smile. After all, the crown worn by brides since ancient China as a symbol of innocence can’t help but hint at the earthier proceedings of the wedding night…

And now… Ask me how do I feel from this chemistry lesson I’m learning?

Well sir all I can say is if I were a bridge I’d be burning…

Or if I were a season, I’d surely be spring,

And if I were a bell I’d go ding, dong, ding, dong, ding…

Oh, hell, you might as well listen to the whole song. My favourite version of If I were a Bell is, fittingly, by the Betty Boop of Bop, Blossom Dearie. Click here. For Easter bells, it’s just the thing.


Orange Blossom will be on sale in the last week of March.


Picture by Sofia Sanchez and Mauro Mongiello.

24 commentaires:

  1. I love orange blossoms - and there is always space in my wardrobe for one more OB scent. This one sounds wonderful and I already fell hard for Amaranthine. Seems I'll be possibly getting them together. :)

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  2. I didn't realize how much I loved orange blossom until I recently fell for SL FdO. I love a good soliflore -- I love the idea that one particular flower deserves so much attention and care.

    Now. Do you think M. Duchaufour would come to Texas in June & stand beneath a chinaberry tree? I feel that is a smell that needs to be shared with the world.

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  3. Bravo bravo, D. Fantastic, well-thought write-up. Many kudos to BD for this creation; the man is on fire!

    Not to take away the thunder of Orange Blossom, in particular its animal facets, but this makes me want to experience Amarinthine all the more.

    Marcus

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  4. Oh my, you are in a springtime mood, D! (I adore Blossom Dearie.) I used to think I hated orange blossom--it kept mucking up my tuberose--but then I fell for Lutens version this winter and have begun to go back and sniff all the things I dismissed before. I very much look forward to trying this one, though I will have to hold my breath through the baby aspirin bit.

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  5. Ines, this is a much simple, go-to scent than Amaranthine, and I'm happy to have both in my wardrobe.

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  6. Amy, I've loved the Lutens for years, ever since it came out in fact, because it was kind of *soiled*, not the sweetish OB fragrances I usually smelled.
    But then, this has an advantage over the Lutens for cumin-phobics: there is none.

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  7. Marcus, you can try both I guess! And, yes, Mr. B is getting a lot of work thrown his way, isn't he?

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  8. Alyssa, the baby-aspirin bit is fleeting. And it's interesting to smell orange blossom *apart* from tuberose, even though there's a bit of the latter in this fragrance.

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  9. Guys and Dolls, one of my favourite musicals and Blossom Dearie is one of my mother's favourite singers so I will listen at home with interest and pleasure. And I love Orange Blossom scents. Does OB play a special part in the Orthodox celebration of Easter too? And as the Church is sometimes decribed as Christ's bride I suppose that fits, sort of.... I have Guerlain's AA Flora Nerolia and a decant of the Lutens so I believe there's room in the wardrobe for another treatment especially by M. D who seems on fire right now. Thanks for the beautiful review! Nicola

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  10. Nicola, in Seville it was more of a seasonal thing: orange blossoms come out around Easter, and there are bitter orange trees all over the old town...
    Definitely, this is different enough from the Lutens to warrant a try.
    And thanks!

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  11. Love Seville orange marmalade - I bet the blossoms are gorgeous too.

    I became obsessed with finding the perfect OB scent two years ago after a trip to Sicily in April; the botanical gardens at Palermo were full of different varieties of orange tree, and all were in bloom. So far, L'AP's really expensive limited edition is the winner...maybe this will provide a more financially viable option :)

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  12. Parfymerad, I haven't had the opportunity to compare with the L'Artisan which I remember as not quite the thing for me: too one-dimensionally OB. Orange Blossom does have lots of other facets: going through the honeysuckle right now...

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  13. I'm confused. At some point in the late 80s or early nineties I distinctly - almost distinctly - remember sneaking out of my office in London and almost running to the nearest Penhaligons branch to buy a bottle of Orange Blossom. In fact I'm fairly sure I spilled rather a lot on my desk. Am I mis-remembering or....

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  14. GraceNature, you're not confused at all. There was an Orange Blossom launched in 1976 and later discontinued, of which this one is a re-launch. But since it's a totally different formula, and I never smelled the first one, I thought it best to treat this fragrance as though it were entirely new, which it is.

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  15. Thank you so much! Had I waited til a more sensible hour I might have remembered to say what a joy and a revelation your blog is.

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  16. It sounds lovely, I can't wait to try it! Though you described it so well, I almost don't have to. Now to the French version pour garder un peu de mon francais...

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  17. Carla, one can *never* dispense with the nose...!

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  18. I am always in awe of your ability to break down a fragrance and to so vividly communicate its smell and development. It is really a virtual sniffa!

    I love the whole family of orange blossom (and/or neroli), bergamot, and petitgrain so this is a definite must sample.

    Thanks as always for the brilliant review. ~Donna

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  19. Donna, I get by with a little help from my friends... Having more and more access to raw mats definitely helps. Hope you enjoy this one!

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  20. I just came back from esxence, where I smelled several new 'fumes: I liked this one very very much. My nose didn't get the nuances and perceived it as a soliflore, but one of the most beautiful Orange Flower I tried so far. I see a bottle in my future!

    On the other hand my first encounter with L'AP Nuit de tubereuse or howvere it's called was a stark insuccess: a green mango tried to funnel through my nose. I didn't dare to put it on skin, and I'll try tomorrow because sometimes some perfumes need a bit of flesh to warm them up!!!

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  21. Zazie, you're the second person that mentions the green mango being very prominent: I've been wearing NdT for months now and don't get that.
    The Orange Blossom *is* a soliflore but I find it has quite a complex development with other floral aspects.

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  22. Swoon! Orange blossom with cardamom absolute! I am So looking forward to this one!

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  23. Flora, as far as I know it'll be in shops this week.

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