Les Perles d'Isabey - Extraits d'Exception

Parfums Panouge have wowed and amazed with their highly anticipated launch of Les Perles d'Isabey - new pure parfum editions of three existing scents in their stable: Perle de la route d'Emeraude, Perle de Gardenia and Perle de Lys Noir. Yours truly has waxed lyrical in previous posts about the second coming of the esteemed house of Isabey, and these exquisite "Perles" signify a return to the House's traditions of meticulously crafted perfumes and perfume presentations.

In keeping with early Isabey examples from the Art Deco age, each flacon is realised as a pearly balloon of glass, inspired by a glassmaking method first introduced to the house in 1925 by master glassworker André Jollivet, who perfected the process adopting techniques imported from the Orient. Each flacon is individually packaged in a luxurious double-hinged silk-lined box with leather-like finish. It is accepted that in this day and age, so few perfume houses lavish the capital and resources to produce such exacting presentations, but this is something it appears that Isabey will never compromise. The meticulous packaging merely hints at the perfume residing inside as being one of exceptional quality and beauty. And to this author's nose, they are just that.

Perle de Gardenia
My relationship with Isabey's Gardenia eau de parfum is a long one, so when Mrs Sorcery of Scent and I heard of a parfum extrait edition, we were instantly excited. At the first opportunity to sniff and wear, we were astonished at how lovely it was, even if there is something of a divergence from the EDP. The parfum version feels slightly more resonant - perhaps less sharp or crisp - in the first moments when applied to skin. There is a very different texture too... more evocative of napped suede, which borders on white chocolate. Panouge / Isabey Parfumeur Jean Jacques has shunned the expected and deliberately taken "Gardenia" on a trajectory that does not follow, but rather runs parallel with the eau de parfum edition. Instead of simply turning up the volume in his parfum version, he has added an enchanting accord of white leather. This note adds a resolute sensuality; a softness that shifts away from heady gardenia blooms, into something more... intimate. It somehow feels more round... indeed, much like a pearl. Worn on its own, or even layered with the EDP, La Perle de Gardenia offers another captivating shade of the scent that the pair of us know and love.

Perle de la route d'Emeraude
In his approach to creating La Perle de la Route d'Emeraude, Jean Jacques again, has taken some artistic liberties that steer it away from the EDP. The precious golden orb holds an elixir which perhaps reaches even further into the Orient; more so than the eau de parfum which primarily focused on sun-soaked orange-blossom, jasmine and tuberose. Here, the Perle edition unfurls (to my nose) with a vaguely more resinous/incense slant... in its flight there is a brief undercurrent of smokey plumes (largely absent from the EDP) which later dissipate. There is a warmer, creamier nucleus of orris and ylang-ylang which emits a hazy ambery glow... in this regard, La perle de la Route d'Emeraude could perhaps not be any more appropriately packaged... its olfactory texture is of diffused golden light. Lightly spiced with cinnamon and imbued with silky vanilla it makes for a lip-smacking extrait that oozes sexiness and charm.

Perle de Lys Noir
The enchanting Lys Noir eau de parfum has become an undisputed favourite of mine... I relish its narcissus / lily / heliotrope blooms which when combined, emit an almost coconutty accord in its flight. La Perle de Lys Noir, on the other hand sees a shift in focus where - moments out of the bottle - there is a huff of pepperiness... one which diminishes after several moments. Over the span of its life, the EDP remains slightly more diaphanous, floral and musky, whereas the pure parfum feels somewhat more dense. A delicious yellow-brown ribbon of Ylang-ylang takes up residence between the other existing florals, and darker woodier notes tend to advance from below. Sandalwood and resinous frankincense underpin the composition, and it is awash with a balsamic, slightly animalic quality in the trail (perhaps ambergris). Perle de Lys Noir is sumptuous and mysterious... and indeed, I would expect no less from this revered House.

If one looks to quantify the opulence and lavishness of a perfume house, then one needn't look any further than Isabey. Les Perles d'Isabey are proof-positive that exacting standards, exceptional ingredients and masterful blending can truly create magic. The art of perfume is not dead... it is alive and well in the here and now.

Parfums Isabey are available in select retail outlets (online and offline) internationally, and I sincerely hope for us Australian perfumisti, that they will soon be readily accessible to us here.

For more information on Parfums Panouge and Isabey, visit: www.panouge.com