Elegy

To put it in few words let me take you to a scene from Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954): when Grace Kelly demonstrates her "preview", she clicks her overnight case open in front of James Stewart amazed eyes, in a piquant gesture her sophisticated silk night slip, veil like robe and satin slippers are revealed. I want to make a still of this. This is what Elegy is: delicate, sophisticated scent of powdery smoothness, airy lightness of those extremely feminine accessories - timeless elegance. Just like Grace herself in this classic movie, Elegy exudes femininity, vulnerability and disarming charm. PS: Heliotrope is not in the pyramid, but sillage is breathing these small purple flowers... For those who's interested in more detailed description: Feels like Elegy is composed of a few layers, I’m totally mesmerised with its complexity. 1. First layer is a fizzy bergamot/petitgrain sparkle, slightly bitter and tangy, its texture is effervescent and, like a heartbeat, it lasts throughout the composition and dies down closer to the base. 2. Second layer is a warm powdery cloud, soft and cosy, it makes me think of a swan’s plumage (if only I could take a photo of my bottle nestled in between its beautiful feathers! I just need to tame a swan from our local river park, haha!) This soft cushiony layer is what I can smell in projection, it feels like it’s woven from a heliotrope and some cuddly white musk (I know, heliotrope is not listed among the notes, but something gives me this impression). This part provides a character to the perfume, defining its feminine outlines, its delicate softness, it’s silky and caressing in texture. It gives me a feeling of bliss, that particular state of mind which comes to us when we’re daydreaming, experiencing some pleasant memories. Second layer is accompanied with 3. The third one, composed of flowers: I can detect rose/geranium duet, twirling in a dance, changing turns, and further in the development a full blossoming jasmine (Grandiflorum) emerges. It’s not a scent of the flower when you bury you nose in it, it’s more like a sun heated bush from a distance: that diffused aroma emanating for a few metres. It comes and goes, it plays with roses and disappears to emerge again. 4. The dry down is a soft benzoin/labdanum with, echoes of jasmine and roses - perfect canvas for holding up this delicate beauty. Elegy is perfectly balanced with medium to soft projection. I am still getting to know it and I am sure it’s got more to show me. I adore its bitter nuances counteracting the soft feather-like roundness of the perfume, this contrast emphasizes them and provides complexity. Wearing Elegy is like wrapping yourself in a soft luxurious shawl, pampering, shimmering. If it's a chypre, it's a fine one, delicate, heart-stirring, alive.

Wow. Just wow. Those were the first words I spoke after smelling this gem of a fragrance. I keep smelling it on my hand; over and over and over again. There a lot of fragrances that I put down that I love on this website for the way that they weave weird notes into a painting that is really refreshing and amazing, especially when put next to the designer fragrance market. This upon first initial spray is an ultra realistic pithy citrus mixed with this powdery lavender and a hint of nondescript white floral. I know that may sound more feminine, but to me the mixture comes together very clean smelling. This smells like a very old soap that my grandmother had back when I was a kid and would visit her house. Then as it dries the citrus seems to die down as it becomes more like this androgynous mixture of the listed middle notes but a powdery version of it. This whole fragrance is a very very powdery, so much so that my sister said it reminded her a bit of baby powder; which I can see if I turn my brain off to the notes and just focus on baby powder. The main notes I get in the mid notes are geranium, lavender (again?), petitgrain, clean almost green rose, and non specific white floral. Then as it dries it slowly fades from powdery to musky as the ambrette mixes with the base notes to make this very lovely concoction of musks, cedar wood, ambers, and hint of oud. This to me is a powdery almost soapy niche fragrance that I don't see anyone actively disliking. I would say off first blast it can be a bit feminine, but give it a good 5-10 minutes and you are all set to go. Then as it dries it becomes more and more masculine as it dries, but never fully reaching a "masculine" fragrance if that makes any sense. This is also very powerful on my skin as I get a solid 4 foot range with my trail and 7ish hours longevity. Perfect for an office wear, but I can see this being someone's signature if they dig it enough. 9/10

Elegy should have been my soapy aldehyde dream fragrance. It’s a glowing ambrette with golden warm and resinous benzoin, with soft musk, aromatic geranium with a soft hazy dry hay with salty/musky mysterious ambergris. To me, Elegy smells like what the Grand Soir bottle looks like it should smell like - oily tree resin, honeycomb, semi-precious amber necklaces and ancient myths. But Elegy isn’t sweet, it’s aromatic and only gently glowing with innocent benzoin warmth. Whilst it’s beautifully crafted, it just misses the mark as it enters the baby oil territory. It reminds me of Harajuku Lovers ‘Baby’ and Al Haramain’s attar ‘Saturday’ which both gave that Johnson & Johnson’s baby oil powdery talc warmth. Having said this, you have to wear Elegy to really appreciate its magic. It evokes a sense of backstage theatre with powdered wigs, heavy stage makeup, plush velvet, anticipation, decadence, scandal, taffeta costumes and stage lights. Sounds like I’m falling for this modern classic. But I didn’t like it when I first got it, as a couldn’t move past the baby oil element. Once worn, it’s far more multifaceted - the heather, petitgrain, labdanum and honeysuckle are tickling my fancy. Sillage reaches quite far and it has my boyfriend commenting that I smelt good (he likes the No.5 and Dia types on me, so of course he likes this). There is an aspect of Elegy which reminds me of a luxury and refined version of Charlie ‘Gold’, it’s the glowing warm honied-peach amber, but Elegy is the niche aromatic upgrade. I’m wearing this for bedtime and I think this could really grow on me. Pretty sure I’m waking-up to a new favourite. If Salome was too much of an operatic diva for you, then try the less dramatic but still theatrical Elegy.

I can see why people compare this to Dia Woman, it does remind me of that fragrance but it is a bit different. Where Dia for me is all about peonies caught in a horror frost this is a frosty heather, geranium, and lavender mingling on a bed of hay and oakmoss. This smells extremely classic to me a bit more classic than I was expecting but I love it. It has a honeyed frothy, shaving cream vibe going on. Quite powdery as well, like a pollen type of powder that can make you sneeze when outdoors in the springtime. Or if you are pitching hay to cows and horses, I get that hay dust smell here and I am loving it. I really love the addition of Heather here, a floral you don't smell often it smells of an aromatic floral honey with slight lavender undertones. This is a very beautiful fragrance. There is an elusive quality here that is hard to define. It makes me feel nostalgic. It captures that emotion through scent. Beautiful.

Something about the opening of this fragrance makes me think of cherry. It's so juicy and sweet with a bit of tartness in the opening. Makes me think of sweet nectar. The note breakdown definitely paints a different picture, I was imagining some kind of soapy floral rose blend that I would find off-putting. I don't get much lavender or soapiness. I will say this leans quite femme, some might say hyperfemme. It's just a big sweet and tangy bouquet of flowers. For me that's a slight negative since i tend to gravitate to more unisex leaning stuff. Still, i really enjoy this blend even though it might not suit me. Hats off to the perfumer.