Vintage Closet – L’Interdit by Givenchy
I must say while I have tons of appreciation for all things vintage, I’m not a vintage kind of person. There’s nothing even remotely retro in my closet – quite the opposite, actually, my preference is for a practical, urban style. My perfume wardrobe is a whole other story, however. No, I don’t own a massive collection of vintage scents (not yet, anyway) but I have been acquiring little gems here and there, slowly but surely, although most of them are in sample forms. So today I create a cyber Vintage Closet where I’ll be sharing my impressions of my favorite vintage finds. Not every piece will be worn, alas, for only a limited amount are wearable for me but I can assure you they’ll be deeply admired and cherished.
The first piece I happily put in my Vintage Closet is L’Interdit by Givenchy. Created in 1957 for Audrey Hepburn by Francis Fabron (also the author of L’Air du Temps by Nina Ricci), the story of L’Interdit is indeed a forbidden one. The scent was discontinued and reintroduced in 2002 completely reformulated in a most deplorable way. As a side note, I wish I had the power to strictly forbid any types of reformulations of the old classics – they’re not to be messed with.
L’Interdit “embodies a woman with a natural sophistication, passionate, full of grace and a tad mischievous” (parfumsgivenchy.fr) which fits the image of Audrey Hepburn perfectly. The elegant, sophisticated effect is achieved by sweet, champagne-like aldehydic opening, velvety heart of peach and rose, and softly powdery orris and amber in the drydown. The mischievous part is played by strawberry – honeyed, jam-like, and rather laid-back. I call it a strawberry done right – there’s none of the trite juicy, over-ripe, candied sweet mess here. L’Interdit is sumptuous but in an elegant, refined way – something you’d wear on a first date when your agenda is to impress, slightly mystify, and keep certain things forbidden in a most innocent, playful way.
The vintage L’Interdit features the notes of aldehydes, mandarin, peach, bergamot, strawberry, jasmine, rose, jonquil, narcissus, lily of the valley, orris, ylang-ylang, sandalwood, vetiver, musk, amber, cistus, benzoin, tonka bean. It can be found on eBay. Please note the review is for vintage L’Interdit parfum which I find extremely wearable and timeless.
Image source: parfumdepub.net, corbis.com
26 comments March 28th, 2007
So, this time of the year I turn to my beloved Magnolia Pourpre from Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier, line created by Jean-Françoise Laporte that re-established the idea of “perfume and glove making salons” (yes, they still produce luxurious gloves) where customers lounge around, while the perfumer fills in their orders. Think Boutique de Baldini or, probably better, Salon du Pelissier.
Magnolia Pourpre is described as white floral with notes of magnolia, jasmine, rose, iris, lavender, white orchid and leather. However, in the case of Magnolia Pourpre I would suggest to forget about the labels. To me, it is not really a white floral. It is more of a honeyed floral, ambery in color and resinous in texture, like thick, clear honey poured over candied flower petals. Also, I would not call it a perfect interpretation of a scent of magnolia flower, as it barely reminds me of a smell of actual magnolias, blossoming each spring under my balcony. Magnolia Pourpre is more of a floral fantasy, capturing the feel of magnolia’s petals: lush, rich, strong, complex, powdery, fresh and opulent at the same time. The perfume is still warming, probably due to leather and honey notes, but it has a gorgeous floral accord that carries the promise of impeding riot of blossoms and smells. Magnolia Pourpre is the perfect “transition” perfume as it helps me make peace with this finicky time of the year.