In the short time since Thierry Wasser was named in-house perfumer at Guerlain there has been a widespread debate about whether he really can uphold a family tradition like Guerlain. In many ways it was a bold move to install an outsider like M. Wasser into the position and it has had to be a bit trying for Guerlain to suffer the uneven reception the fragrances he has brought forth have received since taking over the helm.
My personal opinion is he is batting about .500 so far and when M. Wasser gets it, as he did in Tonka Imperiale and Idylle, it works. When it feels as if he is working too hard to engineer the fragrance to fit some ideal about what a Guerlain fragrance should smell like is when things seem to go awry. It was with interest when I read in the press materials accompanying his latest La Cologne du Parfumeur this quote, “Originally, I created this cologne for myself. I composed it while I was working on Idylle – it was my way of taking time out. I wanted a cologne that would perpetuate the classic heritage, but with a modern twist." This was what I wanted to see from M. Wasser a creation where he wasn’t trying to do anything more than follow his own creative muse. The result of that, La Cologne du Parfumeur, shows all of his talent and explains why he was chosen to lead one of the most prestigious perfume Houses in the world.
Eau de Colognes have been a proud heritage of Guerlain throughout their history and with the release of La Cologne du Parfumeur, Guerlain has reminded us of that history by repackaging the previous four eau de colognes:
Pierre-Francois Pascal Guerlain’s Eau de Cologne Imperiale and the first perfume to inhabit the iconic bee bottle in 1853
Aime Guerlain’s Eau de Coq in 1894
Jacques Guerlain’s Eau de Fleur de Cedrat in 1920
Jean-Paul Guerlain’s Eau de Guerlain in 1974
Of the four previous Eau de Colognes the first two were among the first compositions of Pierre-Francois-Pascal Guerlain and Aime Guerlain and in La Cologne du Pafumeur M. Wasser also composes an eau de cologne as part of his early oeuvre for Guerlain.
When you look at that list of the previous eau de colognes, I stopped to consider that each of them are distinctly emblematic creations of the perfumer behind them. For La Cologne du Parfumeur to stack up it would also have to be a very personal creation of M. Wasser’s.
Thierry Wasser
The fact that La Cologne du Parfumeur came out of M. Wasser allowing his creativity an outlet while trying to create Idylle, I think, shows that it is too easy to overthink a fragrance. La Cologne du Parfumeur succeeds because it is simple in its construction, as all eau de colognes should be, but complex in the way the simple notes blend together. La Cologne du Parfumeur is refreshing and exhilarating and an altogether assured piece of perfumery.
The beginning of La Cologne du Parfumeur is a citrus opening of lemon, bergamot and a Calabrian orange blossom. It is this last ingredient which changes the opening of this eau de cologne as it adds a green quality to the early development and instead of a light orange blossom, which is typical, this feels like an orange blossom with heft and power and it is the dominant player in the early going. This greenness serves the fragrance well because next to arrive is a fresh-cut grass accord and this feels like when you run through a freshly mown lawn kicking up the grass cuttings and as it mingles with the citrus notes in the opening it feels like a spring day. Something as full of light as this requires a strong base to ground it and M. Wasser chooses a simple resinous galbanum to impart the foundation for La Cologne du Parfumeur to come to rest on and leave me wanting more.
La Cologne du Parfumeur has average longevity and average sillage.
As mentioned above Guerlain has released the previous four Eau de Colognes from their history and in the new re-packaging of them in the bee bottles they have put the name of the perfumer responsible on the label, a la Frederic Malle Editions de Parfum. Prior to La Cologne du Parfumeur you would have looked at M. Wasser’s name next to the four Guerlains and played the children’s game “Which Doesn’t Belong and Why?”. With La Cologne du Parfumeur M. Wasser proves he does indeed belong with these other four Guerlains and he did it by relaxing and allowing his own artistic impulses free reign. It is my wish that he continue in this and truly revitalize Guerlain as a 21st century perfume House.
Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by the Guerlain Boutiques in Sak’s Boston and Bergdorf-Goodman New York.
– Mark Behnke, Managing Editor