Guerlain Shalimar Parfum Initial: What Becomes A Legend Most? + “Initial” Draw

 

 

There is a certain belief among many that any attempt to create a flanker of a legendary perfume like Shalimar is a crime against perfumery. Guerlain has certainly taken its fair share of criticism over the number of attempts to re-interpret the 1925 masterpiece. To be sure Dior and Chanel have also had the same slings and arrows tossed their way for attempting the same with their renowned classics. The crux of the matter for me is does the perfumer ham handedly just shove what they think are complimentary notes into the existing framework or do they instead truly work to create something new inspired by the original. Most flankers fall in the former category. In the case of the latest Shalimar flanker, Shalimar Parfum Initial, it makes a better than average attempt at the latter.

 

  

 

 

In the press release Thierry Wasser, the current in-house perfumer, is quoted as saying he was approached by his young niece to create a Shalimar for her. It seems there has been a conscious effort, by M Wasser and Guerlain, to entice a younger generation into fine fragrance. The Elixir Charnel line and both Le Petite Robe Noire editions are examples of this. It can be a controversial business decision because it will be seen as just that. Many have accused Guerlain of being more interested in commerce than artistry. I would respectfully disagree. I think the great houses do have to make an attempt to try and curry favor with the generation of young women who choose to shun fine fragrance for the latest celebuscent; which are often much more cynical creations that anything Guerlain has ever done with a flanker of Shalimar.

 

 

 

M Wasser chose to focus on a small roster of notes to compose Shalimar Parfum Initial. The notes that share common ground with the original Shalimar are bergamot, orris, rose, tonka, and vanilla. The very bright citrus opening of the original is not to be found in Shalimar Parfum Initial nor are the animalic elements that add complexity to the base of Shalimar. Based on that description I think it is apparent that M Wasser was going for a simpler construction for this gateway version of Shalimar.

 

  

Shalimar Parfum Initial has a nice opening of bergamot and orris. It is the orris which is used much more prominently in Shalimar Parfum Initial which significantly defines the difference of this new fragrance from the old. I like orris and in conjunction with the bergamot I liked it even more. The rose is present here but it really is overwhelmed by the orris and I think I would have preferred that the rose stood up more on my skin because it feels a bit like the orris is bullying the other notes a bit. The standard Guerlinade begins to appear as vanilla and tonka join the florals to create the signature accord. As the drydown continues it is the vanilla and tonka which linger most persistently.

 

Is Shalimar Parfum Initial going to succeed in attracting M Wasser’s niece and her contemporaries to give Guerlain a try the next time they visit their local fine fragrance counter? My guess is Shalimar Parfum Initial has achieved its aim of trying to be a more easily accessible fragrance for those who are just discovering there is something beyond the masstige options. I believe Shalimar Parfum Initial has a chance to be that fragrance.

Disclosure: This review was based on a sample provided by Guerlain.

Thanks to Guerlain USA  we have a 5mL deluxe sample of Shalimar Parfum Initial  for a draw.  To be eligible to  win just leave a comment telling us what  was the ' initial'  Guerlain you wore or remember. The draw will close on July 4, 2011.

–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

Editor's note: The flacon was crafted by Jade Jagger, the 'face' of Shalimar Intial is Natalia Vodianova , a Russian model and founder of Naked Heart Foundation  and the music by Serge Gainesbourg

Art Director:  Michelyn Camen EIC  

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39 comments

  • Marlene says:

    Another Shalimar. Now this gets my attention! I have loved Shalimar for years (it was the first Guerlain that I wore) and just bought another bottle of the eau d’parfum tonight. Shalimar Parfum Initial is one I will be eager to try. Mark, your article has definitely roused my interest….

  • Tuberosa says:

    Two drops from a decant of a vintage 1953 Shalimar extrait. I traveled back in time that night.

  • Michelyn Camen says:

    The first Guerlain for me was Nahema pure perfume. It was half a month’s rent. M. Wasser is hitting his stride much in the way it took Bertrand Duchaufour to fit right in with L’artisan and Penhaligon’s.

  • Holly F. says:

    I believe Shalimar was the first one I wore, but it was not love at first sniff. On the contrary, that “burnt rubber” accord really turned me off. On me it seemed to be all rubber and baby powder, no redeemable qualities- so I thought. It was another flanker, Eau de Shalimar, that opened me to the beauty of this legendary perfume. I haven’t been able to get enough of it since, vintage or current, in any formulation. Stunning and utterly unforgettable.

  • ggs says:

    Shalimar edp was my first Guerlain. I also own Shalimar Light and the recent Shalimar Ode à la Vanille, and I think they both were respectiful and interesting variations. I have read mixed reviews of Initial, but would like a chance to try it and draw my own conclusions.

  • taffynfontana says:

    My first Guerlain was vintage Mitsouko a complex beauty that I find intoxicating.

  • Madelyn E says:

    Shalimar Eau de Cologne or EDt was the first Guerlain I wore. I was so attracted to the classic bottle in my girlfriend’s bathroom ( about 1966 I think . I could not resist sneaking a spray of it. It wasn’t until15 years later that I bought a Shalimar set complete with soap, lotion and parfum. I loved it , but not for all the time .
    My other close friend later in life (in college ) only wore Shalimar extrait. I loved that she applied it every day from the iconic 1 or 1/2 ounce bottle with a stopper.
    Thank you for this opportunity I would love to win this !

  • Larimar says:

    My very first encounter with Guerlain was L’Heure Bleue EdT on a test strip and I was totally smitten by its beauty.

  • TaffyJ says:

    The very first Guerlain that I tried was Shalimar at Marshall Field’s perfume counter. I wasn’t sure that I liked it. It seemed too grown-up for me. (I was probably wearing something like Charlie Girl at the time.) A decade later, found me back at the Guerlain counter, trying Shalimar and loving it.

  • alberto says:

    The first Guerlain I tried was Vetiver and, at first, I didn’t like it very much. After some years I can say I really love it, with others fragrances of this Maison, like l’Instant pour homme and Habit Rouge.

  • Ela says:

    It was Mitsouko- now reformulated, but still close to its old glory. Beauty and class of almost gone era.

  • Tourbillion says:

    My initial Guerlain was a bottle of Shalimar Extrait that my aunt gave me when I was about 13 years old. I think it was actually my first bottle of perfume ever. Well, maybe I had a bottle of Love’s Baby Soft first. It was the rosebud bottle with frosted glass. I absolutely loved the scent, and my mother oh la la’d it. I felt so grown up!

    It vanished mysteriously about a year later. My kid sister was the prime suspect. It has not been seen since. Sad, since it was an early 80’s bottle.

  • jen says:

    (don’t enter me in the draw)

    My first Guerlain was stolen sniffs of my mother’s Shalimar. My first true love from the line, though, was Mitsouko, decades later!

  • linda beth ross says:

    My first Guerlain was Shalimar! My mom had 3 perfumes on her dresser/vanity; Shalimar in the Montre bottle , Arpege and Sortilege. I used sneak in and try them at 7 years old.I liked all of them but Shalimar for this 7 year old was much more fun because of that weird bottle :).

  • Daisy says:

    No need to enter me into the draw–I already have a bottle of Initial 🙂

    My first Guerlain was Chamade…wasn’t sure I liked it at first…took a few experiences to recognize it’s beauty. By then I was also flirting with Vol de Nuit and Mitsouko….then came Parure and Nahema…..what’s this? Spiritueuse Double Vanilla? what ? L’Arte et la who? ….yeah, I was well and truly hooked, a Guerlie girl in the making! Unfortunately, I can’t stand the original Shalimar!, never could.

    Now I have quite a lovely lineup of Guerlains….but there was something of a sad gap…which has now been finally filled with a Shalimar (Initial) bottle.
    🙂

  • Alica says:

    It was Mahora, since I am a tuberose fan. Very nice, very creamy and buttery. I still sniff the empty bottle on my drawer from time to time. Thx.

  • Tarleisio says:

    The very first perfume I ever bought for myself was ‘Jicky’ in parfum, which I can scarcely believe these many years later. It was rather heady stuff for a 14-year-old, but I loved it then and I love it now and I will likely love it until the day I die. To me, it was the epitome of sophistication in a way that distanced me from my mother, who wore Shalimar and Mitsouko. Since then, I’ve loved not a few Guerlains, including a few that were not such big hits, such as Champs Elysees. Recently, I’ve also swooned over Spiritueuse Double Vanille and Iris Ganache, both Wasser creations, so I’m very eager to try PI. Thank you for the draw!

  • Patty says:

    My first test of a Guerlain was Shalimar! It wasn’t love at first spray though; my nose had to become more refined and mature to appreciate it. It was worth the wait, Shalimar is a favorite now. I’ve heard good things about this flanker and would love to try it.

  • Felicia G says:

    I think his niece is briliant! It is very important to create for the next generation of perfumista’s. See, here is the disconnect for me I have smelled Shalimar, a thousand times and a thousand times I have said no to it. THe Guerlains that I have come across have been to musky on me. They never seem to fade into different notes they are flat. I suppose this new formula, has been created to bring out the essence of itself in layers rather than a strong open that flattens.
    I would now, be anxious to give the Guerlains a whirl again especially this remastered edition for the younger set. You have my attention.
    * I must also disclose that another reader mentioned a scent that I know nothing about, Mahora, Id love to sniff that it sounds lovely so I disclude it from my afformentioned comments.*

  • Michelyn Camen says:

    Mahora is the twin to Mayotte the island home of Jean Paul Guerlain I did a review if you search either one
    Its not a typical Guerlain fragrance doesn’t sell well I love it gardenia is more the note I get

  • chrisskins says:

    Shalimar original in college. A girl who lived in my hall used it as her HG – a highly evocative choice for a college girl in 1979. She also came back from break with a rip-roaringly red face from a recent dermabrasion. I began to realize that there were worlds out there I had no concept of.

  • Terry says:

    My first ever Guerlain was Champs Elysees in the 1990s. I know it doesn’t seem possible but no one I know, family or friends, ever wore Guerlain. It was only after finding online perfume communities that I discovered Shalimar and the other classic Guerlains. Thank goodness!

  • Wordbird says:

    L’Heure Bleu was my gateway into the world of fine perfumery, along with Chandler Burr’s book about Luca Turin, The Emperor of Scent. Suddenly I understood that perfume could be about more than cynical marketing or an attempt to find one signature scent that sums you up. It could simply be fascinating.

    Nowadays my collection includes a large number of Guerlains and in fact Jicky, Apres L’Ondee and Vol de Nuit get more wearings than L’Heure Bleu. But every spring and autumn I wear it and enjoy its sweet melancholy.

  • your vintage avon lady says:

    I’ve always been drawn to Shalimar, it smells very nostalgic to me, although try as I may, Ive not been able to make it my own. My first Guerlain though was Champs Élysées. I was introduced to it by a local perfume shop owner years ago, based on my preferences at the time. I still love it to this day.

  • rosiegreen62 says:

    My first Guerlain was Jicky. My older sister had a bottle when I was young and I loved it. I got my own bottle just a few years ago when I fell into the perfume life. I still love it.

  • Lyubov says:

    Ny first Guerlain was the spring head-liner Champs-Elysees though my strongest memories are about the tender vanilla powder of Shalimar edp. I cannot wait to try the new Initial despite that I like the old ladies – Vol de Nuit, L’Heure Bleue, Mitsouko…

  • Gia says:

    My very first Guerlain was Samsara and it was also the fragrance that started my passion for perfumes. An absolutely legendary Guerlain fragrance, Samsara has always been in my collection, still love it to pieces!

  • Eva S says:

    My first Guerlain was actually the first time I myself consciously went out to by some perfume for myself, I think I was 19 or 20. I knew nothing about Guerlain, but saw a bottle of L’Heure Bleue and vaguely recognised the name, tried it-no wasn’t me.
    Then I saw a bottle next to it named Mitsouko-and it was instant love! I wore Mitsouko exclusively for several years and still love it.

  • Isa says:

    The first Guerlain I remember is L’Heure Bleue, because my grandma used to wear it. However, the first Guerlain I owned was Aqua Allegoria Mandarine Basilic. I know it’s not a classic but I love its freshness. It always makes me smile.
    I love L’Instant too.

  • karin says:

    I think the first Guerlain I’d ever sniffed was Shalimar, and I did not like it at all! I stayed away from everything Guerlain until I became more educated – now Guerlain is one of my very favorite houses. Attrape Coeur is my HG of HGs.

  • london says:

    The first Guerlain I remember is L’Heure Bleue which my mother wore but the first one I bought for myself was Chamade.

  • Undina says:

    The first (and the only so far) Guerlain that I was able to wear was Champs Elysées. I keep trying classical and new offerings from this House but so far the closest one I came to like is Chamade (though I haven’t yet tried it on my skin). But I keep trying.

  • Warum says:

    My very first Guerlain was L’Heure Bleu which I did not appreciate and gave away (sigh). The first one I loved was Chamade. I will not ever forget this perfume… I also find L’Instant pretty unforgettable.

    Thanks for the draw!

  • Hernando says:

    Shalimar can do no wrong! Love it.

    Great piece Mark and excellent art direction Ms. M!

    As a side note Mrak, I had the pleasure of “meeting” Jade when she was just a baby (summer of ’72). Bianca opened the door holding her when I came around to get Mick’s autograph at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. I think I was more interested in Bianca after leaving (hormones were going full tilt)! lol

  • Hernando says:

    Shalimar can do no wrong! Love it.

    Great piece Mark and excellent art direction Ms. M!

    As a side note Mark, I had the pleasure of “meeting” Jade when she was just a baby (summer of ’72). Bianca opened the door holding her when I came around to get Mick’s autograph at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. I think I was more interested in Bianca after leaving (hormones were going full tilt)! lol

  • Michellle Hunt says:

    My first experience with Guerlain was the unforgettable smell of Mitsouko worn by the mother of a friend. We could even smell it in the foyer of her apartment building…while normally I do not appreciate too much “scent marking” of the environment, it was lovely and comforting. I purchased a bottle for myself but the signature of this fragrance will never belong to me.