Serene and romantic, Paris by Yves St. Laurent offers up a huge dose of rose that reveals itself as a spectacular bouquet. It was created in 1983 as a tribute to the Parisiennes, who are known for being elegant, vivacious, ironic and charming.  It’s very much a perfume of its era, one that become known for producing perfume with larger than normal volume – often way, way too loud. Remember Giorgio and Opium? How could we forget, right?

 

There have been countless variations on the rose theme in fragrance, ranging from classic, nouveau, chypre, gourmand and spicy concoctions to name just some and Paris falls in the very ladylike, classic category. This is the kind of lady who commands attention when she enters a room and all heads are turning to get a look while she effortlessly floats by.

 

Paris was created by the great perfumer Sophia Grojsman who is the nose behind such classics as White Linen and Trésor.  She was given the Living Legends Award by the American Society of Perfumers in 1996 and the Perfumer of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award by The Fragrance Foundation in 2016. I’m sure there have been plenty of other awards in between.

 

There here have been several reformulations of Paris to tone down the va-va-voom factor to make it more current, but it’s still a bold, large and in charge type of scent. It reveals itself at once with a rose and jasmine explosion without apology and it takes at least a half hour for a slight muskiness and violet to set in. After about an hour, a woodsy amber quality emerges almost as a canvas under a painting.

 

I’ve always loved the city of Paris and this manages to capture the very essence of this grand city.  When I think of Paris in the springtime, the rue de Rivoli, the Lourve, the Musee D’Orsay, I feel a nostalgic ache for a return visit It’s on my short list if I get an unexpected windfall anytime soon.

 

Several recent flankers include Mon Paris (2016), Mon Paris Sparkle Clash  (2016), Mon Paris Dazzling Lights Collector (2017) and most recently Mon Paris Couture (2018). I haven’t had a chance to sniff them out yet but hope to  soon.