La Petite Robe Noire
Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Eau de Parfum is the fragrance that reintroduced this house to a generation who had never bought a bottle of perfume before, and it has been copied relentlessly since.
Sour cherry is the reason. It arrives in the first second, bright and tart and unmistakable, more like the fruit in a jar of morello than anything fresh off a tree, and almond sits directly underneath giving it a marzipan edge. Bergamot brightens the first few minutes and then steps aside.
The middle is darker than the opening suggests. Licorice is the clever addition, cool and faintly bitter, and it is what stops the cherry turning into a sweet. Rose and taif rose bring a deep jammy floral quality, the taif rose richer and more honeyed of the two, and tea threads a dry bitterness through the middle.
The base is pure comfort, and vanilla and tonka bean supply warmth and a soft powdered sweetness, anise repeats the cool twist from the heart, patchouli adds a dark undertow, and iris gives the whole thing a grey, elegant powder that lifts it well above the many imitations. Thierry Wasser composed it in 2012. At this concentration it is long lasting and quite assertive, so it needs a lighter hand than you might expect: two sprays, not five. Autumn and winter suit it, evenings most of all, and it is aimed at women and worn by them in enormous numbers. It is sweet, it is unapologetic, and it is extremely good at what it sets out to do.
Guerlain, Parisian since 1828 and part of LVMH, has over 1,100 fragrances behind it. This one is the modern favourite of the lot, and the bottle that put the name back in front of a young audience.
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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