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Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Friday, August 31, 2007 1:18 PM (Eastern)
When I first put this on, I immediately recognized it as something I'd smelled before, long ago. I can't recall who wore it, or when, only that it was a very long time ago, another era really. Think no telephone answering machines, no VCR's, no central air conditioning; that sort of thing.This perfume creates a strong impression. No one close to me wore it, I'm sure of that. I could have smelled it only a few times in my life, definitely more than thirty years ago, and I don't remember perfumes easily.
This is surely the scent of genteel ladies, Southern or otherwise. It's virtually all flowers. The violet isn't quite as prominent as I'd hoped....and the tuberose doesn't stand out until the drydown, it's well blended in with the rose. In fact, to my nose, the rose is the foremost note until the drydown, when the tuberose comes forward a bit.
I'm not getting a lot of iris here, just the rose and tuberose together, with the smoothing touch of violet adding body to the composition. It's sweet, but more elegant than sweet.
Fleurissimo was famously commissioned for the wedding of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier. Smelling it now, it's not hard to believe...it is a romantic scent, ideal for a wedding.
I see this as the fragrance of a woman still young, but not a kid. Somewhere from mid-twenties to thirties...hmmm...I suppose I'm trying to think if it's too young for me. It's pleasant on me, but I feel it would be more striking on someone younger than forty-something.I do feel your perfume should match your age, although of course there is no hard and fast rule, no magic cut-off number. It's just that some scents grow more attractive to you, the older you get, and others begin to seem too young. Or, to mangle a quote from Dazed and Confused: "That's what I love about these perfumes, man. I get older, they stay the same age."
For an eau de parfum, I expected a bit more staying power (or perhaps I'm spoiled now that I've tried Montale's Aoud Roses Petals...hmmm?). You would have to reapply this, but probably just the once. Sillage is good.
I would not recommend "buying this unsniffed"; I would recommend getting a sample first. Fleurissimo is an old-fashioned perfume, quite different from today's sweet, fruity, and, all too often, interchangeable scents. As I say, the instant I smelled it, I remembered it...it's singular.
Available at Parfums Raffy. (If you're into Creed, they have a nice complimentary set of Creed samples with Creed purchase.)
Boone Hall Plantation image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Labels: creed, parfums raffy, perfume, perfume reviews
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