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Friday, November 28, 2014

Bouquet de la Duchesse Bedford by Guerlain c1840

Bouquet de la Duchesse Bedford by Guerlain: launched in 1840. Created by Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain for Anna Maria Russell, Duchess of Bedford. She was a lifelong friend of Queen Victoria, whom she served as a Lady of the Bedchamber between 1837 and 1841.






Wednesday, November 26, 2014

La Petite Robe Noire Eau Fraiche - Ma Nouvelle Robe Pétales by Guerlain c2015

La Petite Robe Noire Eau Fraiche (Ma Robe Pétales) by Guerlain: launched on March 2015. Created by Thierry Wasser as a flanker scent to the successful La Petite Robe Noire fragrance. This information was first revealed at a press party in Moscow, held at the Bolshoi theatre. Our friend Monsieur Guerlain first reported this information.




Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Fleurs de Serre by Guerlain c1878

Fleurs de Serre by Guerlain, launched around 1878, carries a name that directly translates to "Hothouse Flowers." This evocative title conjures up imagery of lush, exotic blooms thriving in the controlled warmth of glass conservatories. During the 19th century, hothouses—also known as orangeries or greenhouses—were symbols of prestige, luxury, and a deep fascination with nature. They allowed wealthy individuals to cultivate rare and delicate flowers from tropical climates, which would otherwise be impossible to grow in European environments. Guerlain’s choice of the name "Fleurs de Serre" reflects this admiration for these refined, carefully tended blooms, capturing the essence of indulgence and exclusivity.

The name itself, Fleurs de Serre, evokes an aura of opulence and fragility. The phrase stirs thoughts of flowers that are nurtured with utmost care—delicate petals protected from the harshness of the outside world. The scent of hothouse flowers would have been luxurious, heavy, and exotic, a feast for the senses. This fragrance would have been interpreted as a tribute to the lush, vibrant blooms of these artificial paradises, evoking emotions of serenity, beauty, and refined elegance. The image of a hothouse filled with vibrant, fragrant blossoms, their sweet and heady aromas trapped in a warm, humid environment, comes to mind. It is a scent of flowers that are both tender and resilient, thriving in an environment specifically designed for them to flourish.

During the late 19th century, hothouses were not only an aristocratic symbol of wealth and leisure but also a reflection of society's increasing interest in botany, science, and global exploration. People of this era were fascinated by the exotic and the rare, and perfumes were often inspired by nature’s most precious gifts. For men and women of the time, a fragrance called "Fleurs de Serre" would have felt like an invitation to experience the rare and delicate beauty of the world’s most coveted flowers. The scent would have evoked memories of visits to grand estates, where one could walk among towering hothouses filled with blooming orchids, jasmine, roses, and orange blossoms, each flower cultivated to perfection.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Shalimar - Nuit des Indes - Exceptional Limited Edition Collector's Flacon 2014

Shalimar - Exceptional Limited Edition Collector's Flacon for Christmas 2014 is given the name of Guerlain Shalimar Indian Nights by Maison Gripoix.



Sunday, November 9, 2014

Le Bolshoi - Black Swan by Guerlain c2014

Le Bolshoi - Black Swan by Guerlain: launched in 2014. This year's edition is the third that Guerlain has created for the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. The flacon is the familiar quadrilobe shape, topped with the atomizer. However, we are told that the perfume contained therein will be different than the Les Secrets de Sophie perfume that was housed in the two previous editions. Monsieur Guerlain has mentioned that during the press party, it was revealed that the perfume will have a "woody, milky, fresh and sparkling" note and based on a prominent sandalwood note.

So what does it smell like? It is classified as a floral woody musk fragrance for women.

  • Top notes: milky accord, mandarin, lemon and bergamot
  • Middle notes: lily of the valley, violet, rose and jasmine
  • Base notes: white musk, vanilla, sandalwood and cedar


The perfume is only available limited quantities in Moscow and retails for 375 € for 60ml.




Saturday, November 8, 2014

La Malle de Voyage - 160 Year Anniversary of the Bee Bottle c2013

La Malle de Voyage - was one of several special presentations created in 2013 to mark the 160th anniversary of the creation of the bee bottle, known as the Abeille flacon.



Guerlain commissioned nine “Maîtres d’art” of the Institut National des Métiers d’Art of France. Giving them full artistic freedom to create whatever they could envision to centre around a one litre bee bottle. The resulting incarnations are truly the epitome of one of a kind masterpieces.

The unique bottles were on display at the Maison Guerlain, 68, Champs-Élysées, from the 10th of December 2013 to the 14th of February 2014 and were showcased in photo and video exhibitions in Guerlain’s Exclusive Line Doors in 2014. They will be sold to help fund the “Maîtres d’art – Students” project, in which master artists pass down rare and exceptional skills to apprentices, overseen by the Institut National des Métiers d’Art (INMA). You can read more about the INMA online.

Serge Amoruso, Maître d’art – Class of 2010. This skilled leather craftsman and designer is a prominent specialist of rare and precious hides, who gained experience at Hermès in the training of the finest historical leather-making techniques. Using this traditional knowledge, he has since focused his talent on making pieces as whimsical as they are ostentatious, such as an alligator-lined scooter or genuinely exclusive tailor-made creations.

From Guerlain:

“La Malle de Voyage” (“The Travel Trunk”) 
An artistic trunk presented in two identical pieces, like a lightning-shaped split or a single-use broken mould. Its covering features the rarest and noblest materials: red Morocco leather and parchment stamped with the imprint of the bottle on the interior, midnight blue shagreen and, in contrast, carbon fibre on the exterior. An unusual combination that transforms this work into a surprising and contemporary sculpture, whose highlight is a piece of meteorite that opens the doors of time.