It's spring and green perfumes are the order of the day. The problem is that too many of them fall under the "fresh" category, and I don't do fresh (or airy, or light, or... you get the picture). Also, my skin tends to eliminate green notes almost on application, so I can't really be bothered.
Except for when they have far more personality than the usual herbal stuff.
Niki de Saint Phalle, an 1982 perfume by the late French-born and NY-educated artist has that personality. It's as far from typical 80s creations as can be, but is still vibrant and full of life and surprises. The biggest one is the note that's most prominent on my skin: Marigolds (also known as tagetes).
I love these little tokens of summery sunshine and grow them in my yard every year. I plant them between my vegetables and herbs because they're a natural insect deterrent (if only they were as effective with Steve the groundhog and Sheldon the rabbit I could even have broccoli again). The flowers and leaves have a strong, pungent scent that I adore and could just roll in it. But I don't really have to, because I have a precious bottle of the pure parfum, a little masterpiece of presentation (see photo), that holds this lovely juice. I'm aware that some find this scent too weird to wear. Marigolds have this combination of green and tobacco, and are quite different than feminine flowers. But I think the other florals here, while mild and almost faceless, manage to keep the weirdness to a wearable minimum.
The marigolds are a bit subdued in the musky-mossy sweet dry-down, but are still present and maintain the green feel. I can't say that I clearly smell any other of the official notes (Jasmin, Rose, Marigold, Ylang-Ylang, Vetyver, Sandalwood, Patchouly, Amber, Musk ) other than, maybe, the amber. I'm actually glad about it. The perfume is so well-blended that it has a very distinct character that is all about the complete and final product.
While the common knowledge is that this fragrance has been officially discontinued, this official-looking site still claims that at least the EdT and the body line are still being made (which explains why they can be easily found from many online discounters). It's the pure parfum that sadly has been lost. The 80s were not just about Giorgio, though it's becoming harder and harder to remember with all the reformulations and discontinuations of lovely classics.
If you live in the UK and can get to Liverpool, their local Tate is running a Niki de Saint Phalle exhibition until May 5th.
Addendum: Here's a story about how I found a bottle of the Niki de Saint Phalle parfum in Paris, didn't buy it but got a much better deal here at home (and also a couple of photos of the artist's creations in Paris).
Images:
Golem, an architectural project for children in Jerusalem’s Rabinovitch Park, Playart.org
Marigold Magic by Linda Falge, ebsqart.com
Perfume bottle image from the Niki de Saint Phalle Perfumes site, linked above
My vintage bottle was purchased on eBay.
Except for when they have far more personality than the usual herbal stuff.
Niki de Saint Phalle, an 1982 perfume by the late French-born and NY-educated artist has that personality. It's as far from typical 80s creations as can be, but is still vibrant and full of life and surprises. The biggest one is the note that's most prominent on my skin: Marigolds (also known as tagetes).
I love these little tokens of summery sunshine and grow them in my yard every year. I plant them between my vegetables and herbs because they're a natural insect deterrent (if only they were as effective with Steve the groundhog and Sheldon the rabbit I could even have broccoli again). The flowers and leaves have a strong, pungent scent that I adore and could just roll in it. But I don't really have to, because I have a precious bottle of the pure parfum, a little masterpiece of presentation (see photo), that holds this lovely juice. I'm aware that some find this scent too weird to wear. Marigolds have this combination of green and tobacco, and are quite different than feminine flowers. But I think the other florals here, while mild and almost faceless, manage to keep the weirdness to a wearable minimum.
The marigolds are a bit subdued in the musky-mossy sweet dry-down, but are still present and maintain the green feel. I can't say that I clearly smell any other of the official notes (Jasmin, Rose, Marigold, Ylang-Ylang, Vetyver, Sandalwood, Patchouly, Amber, Musk ) other than, maybe, the amber. I'm actually glad about it. The perfume is so well-blended that it has a very distinct character that is all about the complete and final product.
While the common knowledge is that this fragrance has been officially discontinued, this official-looking site still claims that at least the EdT and the body line are still being made (which explains why they can be easily found from many online discounters). It's the pure parfum that sadly has been lost. The 80s were not just about Giorgio, though it's becoming harder and harder to remember with all the reformulations and discontinuations of lovely classics.
If you live in the UK and can get to Liverpool, their local Tate is running a Niki de Saint Phalle exhibition until May 5th.
Addendum: Here's a story about how I found a bottle of the Niki de Saint Phalle parfum in Paris, didn't buy it but got a much better deal here at home (and also a couple of photos of the artist's creations in Paris).
Images:
Golem, an architectural project for children in Jerusalem’s Rabinovitch Park, Playart.org
Marigold Magic by Linda Falge, ebsqart.com
Perfume bottle image from the Niki de Saint Phalle Perfumes site, linked above
My vintage bottle was purchased on eBay.
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