Iris Oriental 14

I finally purchased a bottle. I had smelled this on other people before, and it struck me as deeply reminiscent of a Japanese temple, something quietly nostalgic and almost emotional. I fell in love instantly. When I heard it had been discontinued, I was genuinely crushed. I tried for a long time to track it down and kept missing my chances. Just recently, I was lucky enough to find a full bottle online, and bought it without hesitation. The strange part is, it is not giving me that same “Japanese temple” impression on my own skin. I love it at every stage. The opening is rich with honey, and it dries down into soft, powdery ambers. It is a beautiful amber composition. But that distinct temple atmosphere I remember is somehow missing. I suspect it may be because I am now too familiar with the scent on myself. It is almost like waking up during a temple stay in Mount Kōya, where the smell surrounds you so completely that you stop noticing it. When you are always inside it, it no longer registers as “temple”, if that makes sense. I might try spraying it on friends and asking them not to see me for a few hours, just so I can experience the drydown with a fresh nose. That may be the only way I can rediscover that impression. The development feels very seamless, which might also be why that striking “temple” moment never quite appears when I am wearing it. I do understand the reference to jinkoh. It says “kyara” on Fragrantica, which is a bit... ambitious, I would say. It has that sweetness of jinkoh oud, not burning, but gently heated. I also pick up a hint of bokuju (the ink we all had to use in calligraphy class), the smell of borneol, clearer, almost refreshing. It feels like all the elements are there for the complete temple experience, but somehow my brain is not putting them together. It is a very strange sensation. I realised I barely mentioned iris at all. It is not iris-forward in the way, for example, Iris Cendré by Naomi Goodsir is. Here, the iris feels more like a supporting texture. In the opening, it almost gives slightly lactonic, softening the honey, and later it contributes to that powdery, ambery drydown. It is always there, but never the focus. It is a lovely and very complex perfume. I would consider it truly unisex, and I think it would be stunning on anyone. There is something about it that feels like an Argentinian tango, dark, intimate, slow, and a little dramatic. Maybe I just associate iris with tango at this point. Also, it definitely has the kind of sillage that would work beautifully for dancing tandas. For some people, I can imagine the dense honey, almost like heliotrope, opening being a bit overwhelming, possibly even migraine-inducing. Definitely not a safe blind buy. April 28, 2026

For the last two days I have been lost, wandering back and forth in Msr Guillaume's flower patch-more specifically his Iris plot. Cuir d'Iris is perhaps one of the smoothest leather accords I've sniffed. Plush and floral, lasts all evening and is still a skinscent the following morning. This one is a keeper but sadly it's been "cut" and it's bulb pulled from the Earth. Iris Oriental (fka I. Taizo) is a true work of olfactory art and the most savory in this plot. Warm cardamom and smoky incense surround silken Iris and serve it with honeyed fig with a sprinkling of oud (kyara-good smooth radiant; jinkoh-lower quality less refined) that segues into the "Oriental" base of Amber and dark leathery vanilla. Naiviris is a study not in naïvieté but the beauty of simplicity. A red orris Accord is melded with a heady Zebrano wood resulting in perhaps the most genderless perfume ever. Not his not hers just gorgeous. Warm enough for man, silken enough for women...made for everyone who appreciates the Eighth Art. Looking just over the fence, it seems one of Pierre's irises sprouted on the Laboratorio Olfativo side of the fence. Daimiris is a sweet little thing, but she's more than initially meets the nostrils. Saffron, spice, and rum join hands with suede amber and musk as they surround Daimiris for some ring-around-the irisy fun. When they all collapse laughing their scents coalesce into a sweet yummy Iris that's more butch than it's is femme. Even when his work weaves just outside his own garden it's still phenomenal. Of all the "etudes" in all his myriad collections it would seem Iris/orris is one of this perfumer's favorites. PG has taken me out of my comfort zone and showed that these steely silky blossoms have far more mystery and depth than the cool calculating iris we've all come to know. For this I tip my scented chapeau. smell swell & be well, GP xox

After falling for Odori Iris and OJ's Vanille d'Iris, I thought I had my need for smoky irises covered. But, no! This is another gorgeous variation on the theme. It opens very animalic, almost like a leather or some kind of musk. This phase is not my favorite but it's not awful. After about 90 minutes (in cool weather), the heart starts to open and this is a beautiful spicy sweet iris and incense accord that lasts for several hours before the iris starts to fade away leaving traces of sweet incense. PG has a kind of house base, a sweet, dry plush thing that shows up most strongly in the dry down. I really enjoy it and here it's accented with the cardamom and the coolness of the iris. The evolution of this one doesn't take that long to complete. Maybe six hours in cooler weather but traces of it linger on wrists until showering and on clothes for days. This one is a true unisex scent to me. The opening maybe skews a bit masculine and the heart more feminine, it depends more on individual tastes as to who will enjoy it rather than gender norms. Lovely and unique.

Entirely winning: a warm, dry iris with a surprising sweetness that doesn't swerve towards lipstick or powder, but to a much more grown-up woody/spicy space. And intriguingly it drives way, way off the beaten track for iris scents by going nowhere near violets or soapiness either - which makes its direction even more of a winner for me. Oddly reminiscent of YSL's (slightly more masculine and darker) 37 Rue de Bellechasse, and that is one gorgeous neighbourhood. Almost chocolatey-cocoa-rich at first, yet never overwhelmingly so. Like many PG's, can seem weirdly evanescent and quiet on some days - almost disappointing if you're looking for a 'solid performer' - yet swing back to beautiful life at unexpected moments. Maybe not the strongest, most compelling orris accords you may ever find (I love it rooty and earthy and almost-reeking of carrots, so ISM or Iris Nazarena come closer to iris ecstasy) but it's quirky and intelligent as well as being most welcoming. Classy and clever.

Reviewing a bottle from 2024. Iris Oriental 14 was launched in 2006 (previously Iris Taizo). This is an unusually warm rich woody Iris. Iris Oriental 14 opens with a touch of fresh bergamot. The powdery facet of iris is dampened and sweetened with fig "honey". The fig is not detectable. The iris is further warmed with resins ,cardamon, aromatic pathchouli and jinkho wood (a type of oud).This rests on a base of vanilla and guaic wood. Personally I would have liked more Iris in a perfume called Iris Oriental as I find the iris is overwhelmed by the potent spicy/woody notes. This effect however makes iris -typically powdery and more feminine into a true unisex scent maybe into masculine territory. Quality - very good Unisex- leans masculine Performance- excellent Iris oriental is more of a spicy woody fragrance than iris forward. Although I see this fragrance as unisex, the use of iris in this way makes for a very elegant men's fragrance. Way ahead of it's time. 8/10