Fleurs de Rocaille

This classic icon of a stylized bouquet of rock garden flowers says it all from the electric blue tulips to the vibrant lip-stick pink daisies, a multi faceted floral/amber parfum of immense beauty & complex construction. My recently opened flacon of 'extrait' from the early fifties has kept remarkably well, like a genie locked in his/her lamp this golden hued amber juice yearns to be liberated from it's crystal prison with the sole purpose of bestowing fragrant wishes upon those who would seek to sample one of Caron's most treasured jewels.This big boned Ernest Daltroff creation is a sumptuous affair receiving similar recognition & acclaim also afforded to many of his earlier works including 'Bellodgia, 'Narcisse Noir' & 'Tabac Blonde', a symphonic opus masterly constructed with high quality absolutes, essences & raw materials all cleverly fixed & bolstered by powerful synthetics considered novel and innovative even 10 years after the launch of Chanel's No.5 & Arpege by Lanvin. I appreciate the slightly offbeat & diverse floralcy in Fleurs de Rocaille with jasmine, violette, palisander, lilac, lily of the valley and a most gorgeous deeply spiced carnation/rose effect vaguely similar to the 'heart/middle' theme in 'Bellodgia', no animalic undertones detected apart from a slight hint of musky civet, drying down with a warm lactonic ambery base counter balanced by cool woody notes of cedar & sandalwood. Fleurs de Rocaille could be perceived as being dated, slightly stuffy and reserved by some although I have found this masterpiece from 'Caron' thoroughly charming and deserving of it's Grand Dame status in classic perfumery !

Mon Dieu que dire sur ce parfum sans tomber dans l'emphase tellement j'aime ce parfum. A mon esprit il est comme une valse, tourbillonnant, rond, les notes viennent et partent, reviennent et repartent comme une valse à Vienne et le tout en tournant sur soi-même avec son partenaire de danse. Concrètement j'ai l'impression d'être dans un champ d'immortelles écrasées de soleil. Accompagnées de mousse de chêne, de lilas. Fleurs de Rocaille porte admirablement bien son nom... Des fleurs qui poussent dans la rocaille dans le Midi de la France ou ailleurs en Italie et tous ces pays gorgés de soleil et dans un univers très minéral. Cette association pierres/fleurs que je sens sur ma peau est provoquée par les aldéhydes je pense... Très loin des parfums linéaires qui me barbent à l'époque actuelle ! C'est une véritable association de notes d'une qualité qui fait honneur aux parfums français. Des accords harmonieux qui se bousculent qui se dissipent et qui reviennent dans la pyramide olfactive. Mais dites moi, n'est-ce pas le génie des parfums d'origine russe, Ernest Daltroff,qui a créé ce petit bijou ??? Hé oui.... D'un nez aussi génial ne peut sortir que des créations géniales...

Vintage parfum: sparkling floral. My first introduction to aldehydic florals was Chanel no.5, so my first association when I smell an aldehydic floral is to compare it to no.5, but the vibe here is quite different. Fleurs starts off with a blast of soapy aldehydes and the most cheerful flowers. I get an image of a grand white room filled with vases of every type of flower so no single one stands out. From the outset this is not no.5. This is innocent, pure, sheltered femininity. Whereas no.5 has a haughty edge, Fleurs de Rocaille has people and walls to keep the unwashed masses away. The sweet warmth of the Caronade joins in the symphony over time, but does not disrupt the Golden Age scene. I can hear Edith Wharton narrating... Beautiful and of another time. This was my grandmother's signature when she was young. It gives me insight into who she might have been before the burdens of womanhood.

I own this fragrance in two formulations - a 125ml EDT and the 15ml parfum. Both vintage. Both absolutely beautiful. An incredibly ladylike floral that you could wear to church or to a wedding, simply beautiful without being sexy or animalic in any way. Caron fragrances always seem to me to come and go with your body temperature and sweat, so they swell or fade all day. Both formulae are very long-lasting, the perfume just requires a smaller quantity - a dot or two really is enough. One of the greatest fragrances ever made.

I have the vintage pure parfum. It is nothing like the modern version. One drop on neck and one on wrist projected and surrounded me for hours and hours. I put on at 6 a.m. and am still going strong at 9:30. It is a floral soapy aldehyde perfume that is not heavy on the oakmoss or woods but is rich and deep.