Fleurs de Rocaille

As a naive 15 year old, I was initiated into the appreciation of perfume by the mother of my best friend, a sophisticated and urbane woman. In a remarkable perfume shop in Bermuda, she explained perfume ingredients, top notes, heart and base notes. She taught both my friend and I how to apply, wait and sniff. After several hours, we were served tea (British high tea at that), re-sniffed, and were asked to make our final selection. Any bottle we wanted. I knew immediately, had known from the moment I first smelled that aldehydic floral blast, that Fleurs de Rocaille was the one for me. My friend's mother was equal parts surprised and delighted by my choice, which she pronounced perfect, perhaps a little mature, but a wonderful choice. And so it became my signature scent, with a new bottle arriving each Christmas from my friend. We lost touch over time, but my devotion to FdR remained. Over the years I have had the parfum, the extrait, the bath oil, the cologne, the EDT in purple and white label bottles, and the old EDT (my favorite version of the EDTs), a rectangular bottle with a silver label). They are all different to one degree or another, but all are essentially lightyears ahead of most florals, especially at this price. The parfum has the most mesmerizing rose, the old EDT has the best jasmine ever, and the carnation is beautiful in all, but esp. in the bath oil and extrait. The aldehydes pack a punch, so stand back after spraying, and wait. Soon a narcotic blend of violets, jasmine and rose begins to emerge in subtle waves, with a green sparkle and shine. Now, remember this floral accord, because it will be back. I know these are listed as top notes, but Caron fragrances seem to have this strange time release capsule effect, with persistent notes reemerging long after it seems possible. The carnation and ylang ylang burst upon stage with a sweet green LOTV that brings a clean soapy effect. With the persistent rose, jasmine and violet, this becomes a gorgeous, rounded, creamy floral accord, big, sexy, and spicy with clove. Just at the moment when you think it can't get any better, it does. What a dry down, the sandalwood, musk and oakmoss joining to create a warm, woody earthy tone in perfect balance with the florals. Scintillatingly vibrant on opening, this progresses over time to become warm, simmering, and deep. The name is perfectly chosen: from high on a rocky bluff, windy, under a bright blue sky, the burst of fresh air, and then the distinct notes of each flower, slowly building to a floral crescendo. Not for everyone, perhaps, but definitely for me.

My introduction to this wonderful scent was modern EDT reformulation. The reformulations are often disappointing to me but this one... I instantly fell in love with it. Later on I tracked down the vintage pure parfum, which is slightly different but also incredibly beautiful. What can I say? This perfume is an epitome of floral elegance. The floral bouquet is not shy here but it is utterly beautiful, evocative and expressive. The stunning and slightly dark combination of ylang-ylang, carnation, rose and jasmine is sensual and silky smooth, seductive and romantic at the same time. It feels like a gentle floral silk wrap. I could not believe how smooth and sophisticated this floral is. It manages to interact with a skin in such a natural and organic way that it seems to radiate from the skin and become part of me. FLEURS DE ROCAILLE composition is complex and exciting with long development arc. In the opening, the pure parfum is stronger and heavier than the modern EDT. The carnations are heavenly beautiful here, and in pure parfum the floral notes are layered on lovely, almost buttery wood notes. There is richness of ylang-ylang and carnation that I find that modern EDT does not have. However, the modern EDT in the opening has this lovely lighter feel, which I love, while still maintaining similar composition as pure parfum. As the scent develops, something magical happens. The scent becomes one of the most gorgeous, gentle floral scents I have ever tried. It is like a light floral mist radiating from the skin. It does not feel like a perfume but like a glowing warm floral skin scent with very gentle violets, rose, iris and white musk. The lasting power is better in pure parfum but I equally love both versions. I wore FLEURS DE ROCAILLE first time on a nice, slightly cool, calm and clear night in early May and the scent perfectly fit the surroundings. It was utterly romantic and very feminine. This scent is definitely worth trying. It is one of my favorite classic scents. Overall score is 9/10.

I never would have ever had the chance to try out a vintage of this. Thank you ClairaNoir! This is pretty special to me. You've chosen a person that can truly appreciate this and lives in a dream world whilst wearing it. This has just a itty bitty bit of Windsong in it...don't ya think? It's a grand perfume for any weather. I can't imagine a bad time of year for it. It takes me back to something. I don't know if it's a time, a person, or memory of the scent itself. It's a familiar scent. I snook a tiny spray of this for bedtime, but I will really "wear" it when I am all gussied up! We have many elderly and retired age people in our church. I think this will be a welcomed scent to these mature noses. But I suspect I will smell just as pleasing to many ages. I'd be happy near someone wearing this in the movie theater also. It isn't suffocating. It's gentle and very pleasing. Perfumes like this are made for scarves and sweaters. I very much would fake a bit of a chill to wear a sweater that has this scent on it. It would make me feel calm, safe, and as cheerful as momma tucking me in bed. It IS a good momma scent also. If you have a bottle at the back of your stash, give it to a loving home. This perfumes needs to be loved...it has a fragile heart. She's such a pretty girl. I'll probably need more of this! Sweet dreams to me!

Wow, talking about letting an aldehydic genie out of her bottle! The top notes are impressive; they stop me in my tracks and make me grin at their beauty. I love the first blast of Fleurs de Rocaille, it's intense, bubbly, and I experience it as having a light yellow color with a slightly greenish tint, like a nice Savignon Blanc would and an airy quality to its texture. I love all individual notes listed for the top notes -- and I'm not sure I see a connection, except for the aldehydes of course which are quite unmistakeably there. This first blast makes me think about champagne and lemonade at the same time. I am a warm blooded animal and the initial coolness and crispness gets much warmer on my skin. I know it's a cliche, but it does make me feel as if I fell asleep in the warm sunny spot on a bed of garden flower petals (rose, yes; thorns, no). Francoise Sagan once wrote that a woman discovers how her own skin smells with her first lover, becoming first surprised then grateful. This perfume reminds me of how warm my skin is (everyone want to hold my hand coming back from a cold windy beach!). I am surprised and grateful. What a journey from cool and crisp to warm and sensual!

I'm in love! And I finally know what Al Pacino was talking about in SCENT OF A WOMAN! For years, I ignorantly believed that my bottle of FLEUR DE ROCAILLE was the perfume alluded to in the film. (A case, yes, where knowing French actually hurt rather than helped since the two are pronounced identically!) I only recently learned the truth, that Caron put out the singular, highly floral FLEUR DE ROCAILLE after the film. Was it some sort of bizarre marketing scheme? I don't know. All I know is that FLEURS DE ROCAILLE is a beautiful floral aldehyde, and maybe the names of the two quite different formulas should be switched, so that the floral is plural, and the floral aldehyde is singular. (Just an idea...) FLEURS DE ROCAILLE opens with much more of a floral burst than CALECHE, while being less dark and mysterious than ARPEGE. At the same time, FLEURS DE ROCAILLE is less floral than JOY, and the aldehydes shine through later on, becoming the centerpiece, and making this a complex, wonderful perfume that I'll wear again and again.

I haven't tried the most recent version; I'm guessing this is EdT from the early 00s at the latest. For those who like early-to-mid-20th century aldehydic florals, this is lovely. Evokes a flower garden in sunshine (maybe I fell for the ad copy, but it does), through a blur of soapy-creamy aldehydes. Highlights are spicy-buttery carnation, lilac, and rose, sweetened with mimosa, rounded with just a little bit of musk and civet, and underscored by a soft sandalwood base that's still evident on my skin a day later. This doesn't have the come-hither-powder puff style of Chanel No. 5--this is No. 5's bookish, pretty sister in a twinset and pearls, reading in the garden. Luca Turin calls it "prim," and I kind of see what he means, but I dig it anyway. She won't purr, "come up and see me sometime," but she'll give you a wink and invite you to sit beside her in her garden. I hate to add another bottle to my vintage wishlist, but....

I just wanted to add a note here to state that this has not been discontinued. I have seen a number of comments around and about stating that this lovely fragrance is no more, but I recently bought a bottle of EDT direct from Caron, and they still stock the EDT and the Parfum and told me there is no plan to retire it at the moment. Confusingly, this one doesn't however feature on the Caron website, but then for whatever reason it seems that quite a number of their scents aren't featured, despite being still very much available (at time of writing). I just thought people might wish to know. I will try and return to write a proper review soon. I have a vintage EDT and the current EDT plus a sample of the current parfum, and I really rate this stuff! Surprised at the reviews calling it quiet, skin scent, short lived etc as this one goes BIG on me, and lasts and lasts. Lucky for me as I love it!

Many years ago my college room mate wore Chanel No.5, and I was not to be outdone. Being a totally unsophisticated perfume wearer, I marched down to Sak's Fifth Ave. and sniffed a few scents. After getting nowhere, and shopping in another department, I encountered someone wearing this and I was wowed. Being a college student, I was in for "sticker shock," although by today's standards, it probably wasn't that expensive. Finally, I sprung for a bottle, and it was my signature scent for a few years. I don't recall much of what it smelled like, but it was very floral and just out and out pretty. I had one of my instructors "converted."

(Pure Parfum Review) Rose Perfeccion! Hints of jasmine, carnation, rose, violet and lily of the valley are evident, but everything is so well blended, it's like being in a victorian garden. This scent is a delicate, powdery floral, a great example of high quality French Fragrances. On my skin this is more ylang-ylang and violet than carnation or jasmine. My only regret is that this fragrance wears VERY close to the skin, but at least the scent doesn't disappear. Fleurs de Rocaille is an absolute masterpiece.

Delicious floral scent, very feminine and sophisticated, a classic. A masterpiece.

This Review is from a mid-1960s bottle of EDT. This opens with a very green and soapy aldehyde punch that is followed by a whisper of an indolic jasmine. The soap, however, is more strongly ylang-ylang and lilac scented. After this initial punchy opening the lilac and rose fully open up. It’s a pretty and slightly powdery rose. The lilac seems to have a sharp edge as it is blended so well with the Jasmine. It’s more of one note (Lilasmine?) instead of two distinct ones. It takes a while for this scent to fully settle. I feel like I have arrived at a floral class reunion where I need to meander around saying hello to everyone and exchanging pleasantries, “Oh. Hello powdery rose.” “Good to see you again peppery carnation.” “Lovely day Lilac.” Eventually I sit down with a group near the door and settle in for a more in depth conversation in the heart. Here in the heart a powdery rose comes forward and sits close to the skin. The rose joins up with some ylang-ylang and they blend together to make one of my favorite note combinations in perfumery. I love the way these two florals sing together, both lovelier together than they could ever achieve on their own. Clinging to them is the soapiness from the aldehydes which are still persistent though muted. This soapy bite will follow us to the end of this scents evolution. There is also the lilac still floating around brightening everything up a bit, taking the edge off the soapiness, and dampening down the powder so that we are left with a perfectly balanced composition. I cannot find the words to convey how magical this scent is. It’s expertly balanced and blended, almost heart-stopping in its beauty. After about eight hours it becomes a skin scent. The dry down has sweetened up a little bit, most likely from the addition of sandalwood. The rose is still very prominent and is more powdery now than it was in the heart. It is incredibly beautiful and once again I am at a loss for the right words to describe it. After fourteen hours I can no longer smell it. This was a beautiful piece of art to wear and experience. It’s the vision and child of a true master of his craft.

Fleurs de Rocaille, EDC review These old perfumes are so well blended that it's going to be hard to pinpoint notes, but I will try. FdR opens with a bit of aldehyde, that stays on until the drydown, and a note of "Caronaide" that soapy ylang-ylang aldehyde scent that their older perfumes seem to have. Quickly a bloom of flowers is present, like putting your nose into a bouquet, a hint of rose, some spicy carnation, ylang ylang, sweet lilac perhaps? The floral notes are prim and conservative, and remind me of ladies who would go to church with a veil over their freshly lacquered hair, wearing white gloves, red lipstick, high heels and stockings. Very refined. The drydown still has a hint of perfumey aldehyde over a woody chypre base. Wears as a skinscent, a well blended mix of the natural (florals) and the synthetic (aldehydes) err I guess it makes sense since this is a floral aldehyde perfume! Anyone who likes florals should check this out. I want to reiterate that this is for the old Fleurs de Rocaille eau de cologne, NOT FLEUR de Rocaille.

I don't know why, but the last two times I tried this, all I could think of was the way it smells when you walk into a funeral parlor. I also own this in extrait form and do not have the same problem. I don't want to give up on this quite yet and plan on testing under various conditions. Worse case scenario, I might try layering with something else, but to do that to a vintage Caron - even a relatively newer vintage - feels like sacrilege. I have yet to experience many of Caron's "greatest hits", but I do have to say that in the battle between the titans Guerlain vs Caron, I am firmly in the Guerlain camp. ========= Knock me over with a feather! I just tried this tonight, layered with the extrait, after clearing out the nozzle by spraying about 10 times. I finally see the beauty and there are no longer any funereal-type notes! I get quite a bit of lilac, carnation, and ylang, plus something spicy, akin to cloves. I am very happy!

Not to be confused with "Fleur(no "S"on the end of the word)de Rocaille". I don't know if "Fleur" is a flanker or a reformulation but I know it is dreadful: metal polish and Caron's typical soapiness run amuck. What a difference a letter makes! "Fleurs" is the kind of perfume that made the House of Caron the best of the best. A beautiful mixed bouquet, it is soft, dry, dusty. It is sweet but not one bit sweeter than it needs to be. This is a subtle perfume that lies close to the skin. It is not for those times when you want to make an impression as soon as you walk into the room. It is for those intimate moments when you want to impress just one. Please note: "Fleurs" has been discontinued but many sellers still list it with a photograph. What they send is "Fleur" and often give you a hard time about getting a refund. Contact the seller before buying and verify.

whoa strong aldehyde opening-sparkly and floral. i *like* aldehydes but can also get overwhelmed by them on myself. i also get some lilac, lily and musk. very much a vintage musky floral at the beginning. after a few minutes i get the rose, which is dewy and a bit green. on me it's primarily lilac, oakmoss and aldehydes with musk and rose in the background. i get no ylang ylang. really beautiful and nostalgic but i am not sure it's wearable for me personally.

Trying to figure out why this one's classified as floral aldehyde when no aldehyde note...??? I think it's a heavenly blend anyway; soft smoky flowers. When will people stop calling scents "old"? It's been around since the '30's girls, there's a reason. Update: Aw, I see aldehyde has been added by the Fragrantica powers that be. I still don't think they're a primary player, just give this scent a slight lift. Excellent stuff!

I find Fleurs de Rocaille a cold, distant floral, if you get that. I agree it wears close to the skin, and it seems to disappear before it fully develops, so I never get to really experience it. I'll apply more next time and see if I can experience what so many other reviewers have described. (Edit:Nov 15) I wonder if my vintage miniature is any good or not. The description and reviews just don't add up with my experience.

Vintage EDT Al Pacino in "Scent of a Woman" referenced this scent. It is all woman. Huge aldehyde opening of soapy goodness from a bygone classic era. The rose and ylang add sexy richness to the feminine lilac. Lilac. Not seen a lot in todays scents. Gorgeous. This is the perfect 1950's lipstick, pantyhose, all dressed up scent with pearl earrings and a ton of hairspray. Shes RetroGorgeous!!!

A dark, almost saturnine floral blend. Countless reformulations have likely rendered this scent unrecognizable to Caron afficionados, but to my unpracticed nose it is discreetly sexy, the sort of scent one of those plain-looking lab assistants in a 1950s "B" movie would spritz on just before whipping off her glasses and letting her hair cascade down. "Why, Miss Rocaille, you're beautiful!"

you girls have never understood perfume when i read those soap and bathroom comments...fleurs de rocaille has magic in it and it is the reactions one gets when wearing it, that count in the end. As a European lady you attract the nicest GENTLEMEN with it...naturally not the Jeans wearers and casual friday guys..but this is not the group that counts here anyway