GUERLAIN UNVEILS ITS DNA: VOILETTE DE MADAME Thierry Wasser has re-created a generous selection of vintage Guerlain perfumes for Maison Guerlains museum, using the exact same ingredients as when they saw the light for the first time. Voilette de Madame (lady’s little veil) was the female counterpart of Mouchoir de Monsieur (gentlemans handkerchief). Presented in matching bottles, together they formed a perfume set which Jacques Guerlain presented as a wedding gift for one of his friends in 1904. He was inspired by the obvious signs of upper-class elegance at the turn of the century: hats, gloves, veils and handkerchiefs. In perfume, the male of the species is always smaller than the female, Luca Turin said. However, discriminating between masculine and feminine scents is a relatively modern marketing strategy, and when we read Jacques Guerlains handwritten scent diagrams of Voilette de Madame and Mouchoir de Monsieur, were unable to tell which one is for her and which one is for him. Seen with today’s eyes, the description of Mouchoir de Monsieur — jasmine, rose, tuberose, civet, musk, vanilla and tonka bean — would definitely give the impression of a women’s perfume. While Mouchoir de Monsieur in the late 1980s was brought back to the sales catalogue as an EdT (the original formula was, just like any formula by Jacques Guerlain, a Parfum), Voilette de Madame remained an obscurity. In 2005, though, Guerlain reissued the snail bottle duo in a limited edition, for which an EdT version of Voilette de Madame was produced. (Due to the lower concentration, it’s relatively easier to make an EdT conform with ingredient restrictions.) Were not doubting that Voilette de Madame was made with a young woman in mind. By its combination of violet, rose, orris and musk, on top of a classic, creamy floral bouquet of jasmine, orange blossom and ylang-ylang, it recalled the cosmetic scent of lipstick and face powder that we immediately associate with a neat and well-groomed lady. However, there was a certain androgynous, cologne-like freshness to it which we also found in Jacques Guerlains earliest perfumes. The powdery violet note, so popular at the time, was there in Voilette de Madames top accord, but mainly with its green and leafy facet. This greenness was further highlighted by bergamot, verbena, and the fresh rosy scent of geranium. The common ground of Voilette de Madame and Mouchoir de Monsieur was the mix of cologne notes and fresh rose with orange blossom and a powdery tonka bean base. By far the most freshly rose-smelling of the couple, Voilette de Madame might very well have served as a strong inspiration to Jean-Paul Guerlain when he created Habit Rouge for men and gave them the opportunity to be dandies. Upon discovering Maison Guerlain’s new re-created vintage version of Voilette de Madame, made directly from the hand-written recipe but sadly not for sale, we’re taught once again that commercial remakes of vintage perfumes often have to cut corners, not to make them cheaper but to meet todays safety norms on raw materials. Unlike the EdT reissue, Jacques Guerlains formula for Voilette de Madame is a Parfum with rich flower absolutes and the sensuality of animal musk. The latter is completely banned in todays perfumery. Still, the reissue gave a surprisingly valid impression of what the original smelled like, although its relative lightness highlighted the feel of a Habit Rouge type dandy cologne. See more below.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 15:55:00 +0000
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