Parure

@blkleather_redlace, @eunicemichelle, Ok, so here is what I know from a reliable source at Guerlain (this goes years back): Parure was “adjusted” over time still before it landed in the bee bottle. However, the levels of some restricted materials (not only oak moss) contained in the formula were allegedly so high that it could never comply with very strict norms which were about to be implemented. Since Parure was a very special fragrance to Jean Paul Guerlain, which he created for his mother, he personally undertook to reformulate. But his attempts were not able to produce a result without changing the fragrance beyond recognition, which he wouldn’t approve of. This in combination with rather low sales (Parure had never been a bestseller) was a reason to discontinue the fragrance. I don’t think the costs of reformulation have anything to do with the decision. After all, companies like Guerlain keep reformulating and adjusting their fragrances for many reasons all the time, the costs of which are calculated into each bottle of fragrance you buy. Also, I’m absolutely convinced ( but that’s just my opinion) that if it was any other fragrance, they would have probably approved a mediocre reformulation as acceptable and left it on the market. But Parure was a different story because of the personal attachment of JPG, so he had the final say. I love Parure and cherish my last bottle of it. Sometimes I think I would prefer to have a reformulated version rather than nothing. But I also admit I get very frustrated with botched reformulations, so perhaps it’s still better to have a good memory of the fragrance not ruined by a clumsy attempt to keep it alive at any cost.

Soft verdant hues, watercolor rose, distant hay bales, a periwinkle color sky, this is what I feel as Parure EDT opens on my skin. A few minutes in, I am reminded of wisteria and their scent, sweet and musky, and of labdanum and their powdery, fragrant golden chains. Echoes of mimosa, Poet's narcissus, and iris soon after fold in. It feels the way that distant chimes sound, ringing in a shadowy lilac and twilight plum, headed towards an enchanted forest. The deep, rounded sonority of the florals are heartbreaking, much like the timbre from a flugelhorn or an oboe, baroque in design. They slowly melt into a tawny leather, oakmoss, and Guerlinade, pensive, yet sensual. Pink roses fade into a forest haze, a warm glow, like foxfire, illuminating the forest floor as the horizon. Parure proves to me that it is such a profound chypre that it may have been a bit too much for the ordinary world to handle. Intellectual, yet tacitly erotic, it picks up where Mitsouko left off and amplifies the verve to a new level of complexity. Parure is a wonder and a chypre for the die-hard chypre lover.

I find this stately chypre a plummy leathery version of Nahema even though many have reviewed its similarity to Mitsouko. It is complex and full of contrasts. It is tangy with a smidgen of sweetness from the plum and rose, brightened by citrus but darkened by leather, patchouli and incense, noticeable lilac but woodsy in the dry down. While Barbara Herman thinks it is the perfect warm-weather fragrance, for me, its richness makes it a great dark floral for fall when the weather is warm during the day and cool at night. According to Monsieur Guerlain ~ Jean-Paul Guerlain stated that he created Parure for his mother, who loved jewelry, out of childhood memories of her elegance. The characteristic scent of balsamic resins, at once velvety like cinnamon and enigmatically smoky-woody, is closely linked to antiquity's perfumes and incense, and Jean-Paul Guerlain further explained that his olfactive vision for Parure was inspired by the riches of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb.~ Vintage parfum review.

If the world should end and three perfumes had to saved, I would choose PARURE, 1000 and FRACAS - in this order. Parure is one of the most magnificent scents ever made, it is perfect in every aspect and has no fault of any sort. I see it has been compared to others but for me this is truly unique. I am not aware of any other scent resembling Parure in any way. It is too complex to be appropriately described: it's chypre with a touch of fruit, it's woody with a touch of flowers. It's the epitome of what a Great Scent should be: complex without being too much, opulent without being aggressive or overwhelming, elegant without being banal or too understated. I really can't see why this has been discontinued even though a sales person at Guerlain whispered me that a bottle every now and then surfaces on the counter desk and soon it disappears. Maybe to be saved for future generations so they can enjoy this masterpiece.

This is SOOooooooooo good! I was gifted a sample of this by a dear friend here at Fragrantica ( thanks, hon! ) which I then took with me on vacation. At first I was Pleased with this fragrant creation. After an entire week of Generous Application I'm in Love. :) There is a way in which this seems to me very close indeed to the same Guerlain aura as Mitsouko, but the reviewer who stated it's lack of peach is correct. I don't miss it, even though my nose detects no fruit whatsoever. Oakmoss is now considered such a "dangerous" substance that Guerlain cannot properly reformulate her. To discontinue this beauty is perhaps the most respectful choice. But!!!! In the final analysis, PLEASE do try Parure if she crosses your path. Guerlain lovers will not be disappointed by her oh-so-special charm!

Edt review Achingly beautiful scent. The more you wear it she opens up her beauty. Its complex, aloof, warm sensual, and stunning. Moments are different with the notes that envelop you. Body warmth coaxes her secrets into bloom. I've never quite experienced anything like it. You think maybe Y by YSL or Givenchy III but no she is a cut above. I was eating dinner and suddenly this beautiful scent enveloped me and I knew suddenly it was Parure. Guerlain said his mother wore it, and it shows maturity, complexity, feminine, and only the very best. A stunner. If I attempt to say what it smells like, I will not do it justice. The musty green start is rough, like a woman that guards her heart. But once the heart opens..she is magnificent. oh the lilac and spicy drydown...best in the fall/winter

Parure is, in fact, my favourite Guerlain of all time. Even Shalimar, Mitsouko, and the other greats can't touch it for me. I have contacted Guerlain asking them to reissue Parure in some form... I recommend anyone who also wants to see it return do the same! For those who haven't smelled this, the greatest of discontinued fragrances, it's an incredibly lush plum chypre with heavy oriental undertones. Sweet and flippant, it bathes everything around it in a haze of rosy purple, with an enchanted forest drydown that makes me want to die and wake up there. It belongs in the Guerlain collection alongside Chamade and Nahema.

I read somewhere that the creator of this perfume was inspired by his wife, who he had divorced a few years earlier--he said his inspiration had been the idea of "icy flowers"--sweet, fragrant and yet cold and distantly elegant. I think he achieved this perfectly. I remember seeing a rare TV ad for this scent in the late 70's,that featured Katherine and Heathcliff meeting on a moor and kissing passionately--a fitting metaphor for an intense but failed relationship. It is elegant, feminine and emotionally unavailable. I love that kind of complexity in a fragrance!

Guerlain Parure (1975) - soft leather chypre - The sadly discontinued creation of #jeanpaulguerlain that has a place in their legendary classics. At the top, I get greenish hues, cut grass, hay, and stone fruits akin to Chamade. As it develops, it transitions to a complex floral accord - soft, powdery, radiant. I get a mixture of Rose, Jasmine, Mimosa, and Iris. This beauty doesn’t stop there - the drydown comes across as a leathery chypre that is Oakmoss heavy. I also get a warm amber Signature of the Guerlinade.

Yes, too bad it's so difficult to find it. IMO it would have deserved a better fortune when launched, maybe it was too avant garde, as all Guerlain perfumes are. Parure is pure perfection bottled, absolutely wonderful, elegant. I bought my first Parure when I was 15 and it's among the very few that I still love to wear after so many years. I use to describe Parure as Mitsouko's Little Sister. The Guerlain Marketing Direction should do something to avoid this oblivion, totally undeserved oblivion

Even if they are both Guerlain chypre perfumes,Parure never had the status Mitsouko has which is a shame. Luca Turin thinks Mitsou is the best perfume ever created and many people care about his opinion. Before it was discontinued and actress Kim Cattrall complained about it, Parure was not a very popular perfume, considered old fashioned.I have no doubt that the cost of making a good reformulation of it was a reason why it was discontinued. Too bad for those who love it.

Thierry Wasser, Perfumer in chief at Guerlain was asked a few years ago if Parure could be commercialised again. His annwer was no. The reason why it has been discontinued was because it not comply with IFRA norms, I understood that they tried a reformulation but it did not work, it had nothing to with the original. IFRA should disappear, One can dream .

Masterpiece indeed. I've got a 100 ml bottle from June 1978. Since the bottle is opaque, it's hard to tell how much is left, but there is at least 50 ml remaining. Strong, long lasting, beautiful, perfect. If anyone is interested, PM me.

A totally unigue perfume that cannot be compared to anything ever created. So no, it's nothing like Mitsouko. Wearing Parure is like entering a beautiful dream. A perfectly blended floral with a clean, crystal clearness. A masterpiece.

Dear Guerlain, if you read this PLEASE bring Parure back as a limited edition in “exceptional pieces” line. I’ll buy all the bottles... of course only if Ms. Cattrall doesn’t manage to grab them before I do...

So earthy at the opening so heavenly rosy at the drydown. In two words; A precious gem! And you don't need any other adornment (=parure) when you wear this.

I would consider it a floral version of Mitsouko. A touch of aldehyde, which settles down to pure exquisitness.

this reminded me of a spring summer garden after a rain storm , wish they still made it

Hello everyone, I want to let you know that if you go to Etsy.com, look for Nunzio's Discoveries by ODONA, they have a vintage Parure edt that they recently listed for sale (they put it up on Thursday) and I checked just now June 14 at 8am, CT (US) and it's still there. They find lots of beautiful vintages; they also have a vintage Chant d'Aromes edc and Shalimar edc just listed, amongst others. I bought my vintage Anais Anais from them and they are great people to do business with. I just wanted to mention them. I am not connected to them in any way at all. I'm just a fellow perfume fan sharing a little gem of a source.

Reviewing the vintage EDT. Parure is opulent, sweet, feminine, and green. In the opening I get a lot of orris and a little oakmoss and green notes. The drydown is sweeter, with a dewy rose, narcissus, and sweet plum. A testament to Guerlain's workmanship but not to its trendsetting ability. It came out too late; it's very 30s/40s/50s in style. This perfume is more a summation of some of the good that was in perfume from the decades before it than any kind of groundbreaking creation. However, it's a must-have for vintage perfume lovers.