Le Parfum
Francis Kurkdjian composed Elie Saab Le Parfum Eau de Parfum in 2011, and it became the fragrance that made a couture house into a perfume name.
The composition is remarkably short. Jasmine is the heart and the whole of the middle, used in its full, heady, night flowering register rather than as a polite floral, and it is the material everything else exists to support. Patchouli sits beneath it, deep and earthen, giving the flower a shadow to stand against. Rose adds roundness and a touch of jam. Cedarwood keeps the base dry and papery so the jasmine does not turn syrupy. Four materials, and the restraint is the skill: there is nothing here to distract from the flower. In wear it is a long one. The jasmine projects properly for the first hour, after which the patchouli and cedarwood hold it against the skin for six or seven more. It is not a shy perfume, and one spray goes a long way, particularly in a warm room.
It suits evenings, dinners and occasions, and it works in winter as well as summer because the dry base keeps the flowers from becoming heavy. It is aimed at women and reads as classic rather than trend led, which is why it has stayed in the range while lighter versions have come and gone around it. If you have only smelled the paler flankers, the original is considerably bolder than any of them, and worth testing on skin before you decide.
Elie Saab opened his couture house in Beirut in 1982, when he was eighteen, and built it on evening gowns and on dressing women for red carpets and weddings. Le Parfum was its first fragrance, released in 2011, and the line that grew from it now includes Absolu, Essentiel and the rest.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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