Madeleine Vionnet

Intrigued by the reviews --I love the depth and feeling of classic French and "French smelling" fragrances (Boucheron's original is a long-time favorite)-- I bought the edt and love it so much that I bought the edp as well, which is much harder to find. The edp lasts 12 hours on my skin and does have greater depth than the edt which lasts about 6 hours. And I get a honey note in the edp that I don't detect in the edt but those are the only differences between them. Myrrh provides a nice "bitter bite" that tempers the sweet creaminess of the tuberose and osmanthus both of which sometimes seem too cloying to me, but not here! Each concentration is also a showcase for ylang-ylang, another of my favorite notes. Rather than call this an oriental floral I'd be more inclined to say it's an oriental chypre or a chypric oriental because the floral notes are a mere tickle to my nose that quickly fade. What's left is that "French aura" of myrrh's bitter bite blending seamlessly with amber, musk, cedar and sandalwood at the base. Even before I get dressed and put on make-up just a few sprays make me feel like a powerful, confident executive perfectly capable of tackling anything the day might bring while still presenting an undeniable aura of Woman. No playful, casual scent here, nor is this merely a fragrance. No, ladies, regardless of the concentration you choose, Madeleine Vionnet is PERFUME!

Madeleine Vionnet is a ladylike gem of a fragrance. I have the EDT version, which is still very long-wearing in comparison to most of my fragrance wardrobe. The initial opening is very strongly floral. This shock of flowers has a sweet tone that I usually smell with ylang-ylang. After awhile, it warms up with the amber and peach. The sandalwood and myrr notes emerge and blend together giving the fragrance an earthy feeling. The tuberose gives the scent a little contrast and aloofness against all the warmth. I have to say that I love peach and roses in a fragrance, so this won me over. The myrr was a nice addition, giving the scent a little mystery and depth. Madeleine Vionnet is quite lovely and strong. It is the type of fragrance that makes me feel energetic and dressed up.

I find NOTHING ladylike about this. I use the word "sexy" sparingly as I find this world way oversexed, but in my book this is a sexy fragrance. I would have bet money that this was a fruit-based fragrance, so unusual, the closest thing I could compare it to is Rochas Femme, but that's too spicy. Imagine my surprise when I read the reviews and found out this is a floral! I couldn't put my finger on that fruit note...the closest I could get was persimmon. Come to find out the ylang-ylang has a banana note and osmanthus has an apricot-peach note...pretty much a persimmon when you put them together! To be fair it does have peach BLOSSOM, which I guess does smell like peach the fruit. I love several inexpensive fragrances, including Oscar de la Renta Volupte, which also reminds me of this, and which also has osmanthus as a note. It is pungent, almost sweaty-smelling...the cat pee (why not dog pee?) note a prior reviewer noted occurred to me, too. While civet is not listed as a note, something funky like sweat and urine can emanate from redolent white florals. Frankly, it smells like...well...sex. And, of course, that was the intention of many of the old perfumes--they were supposed to smell sexy, that is, like sex smells, to attract people...sexually. Maybe that's what some of the reviewers mean by the French quality of this composition, but I don't really know. This fragrance has very good longevity and projection, but use a sparing hand. I would suggest trying it first, as it's not an easy or comfortable fragrance (at least not on me), though could be compelling and erotic on the right wearer. I would not wear this often, but I will definitely keep it. I think it would be stifling in hot weather and a real turn-off if sprayed too heavily. But a little bit here and there...definitely keeps the old fragrance wardrobe interesting. By the way, I get absolutely no myrrh, cedar or rose. This is funky, musky, juiced-up white florals all the way on me. Isn't it funny how people can have such different experiences of the very same fragrance?

The "this smells French" comments intrigued me and a perfume named after one of the greatest couturiers of all time made it even more interesting (she invented the bias cut and abolished corsets and stays from her clothes before WWI). I've been sniffing my wrists for several hours now and find it a charming floral more than a floriental. The tuberose and rose are clear and beautiful and the peach and amber underpin it nicely. I'm not detecting any cedar and very little sandalwood but I'm wearing EDT so they may be less noticeable in this formulation. There's something sweet and nostalgic about this perfume and there's something about the structure that's undeniably French. As I've continued to sniff I've noticed something unusual: if I inhale deeply I have the sensation of a taste in my mouth, like pastilles flavored with either candied violets or rose petals. The scent also blends very nicely with the strong black coffee sitting on my desk as I type. Bring out the berets and an accordion and we will definitely need to find ourselves a sidewalk cafe. The picture doesn't do justice to the bottle, which is adorable. It represents a dressmaker dummy wearing a simple belted and buttoned dress; the top is indeed a thimble. Note that the perfume isn't vintage--it was created when the design house was reopened in 1996. Sillage: decent but close, not overwhelming Has lasted for several hours. 3/5: very likable but not essential to your perfume wardrobe. Worth picking up if you see it on clearance.

Just purchased this on eBay. Very strange perfume. Smelled very much like cat pee on first application and took a while for that to wear off. What is left is quite powdery and elegant, sweet yet musky, reminiscent of parma violets and pot pourri in a mature French ladies wardrobe style. Something quite edible lingers longest, cocoa, white chocolate and vanilla. Very sophisticated and an acquired taste I expect. Medium sillage with a subtle and quite intriguing journey through an array of notes. If you like the sophisticated 1950s French Classic smells then this is one to try. Very sweet little bottle in keeping with the perfume name - great on a vintage style dressing table.