Perfume Review: Dior La Collection Couturier Parfumeur Patchouli Impérial (2011) + Soul Wood Draw

DiorGruaumontage

Illustrator Rene Gruau for DIOR Perfumes

Maison Dior is perhaps my favourite of the glossy counter Houses. It is still making interesting and carefully orchestrated olfaction pleasing to both niche and mainstream lovers alike. Hermès has its master minimalist Jean-Claude Ellena and at Cartier resides Mathilde Laurent, the White Witch of Perfumery. The Wasser tenure at Guérlain is lacklustre, resulting in fragrances that swing wildly between pouting exclusivity and yawning pedestrianism.   Arguably, François Demachy at Dior has been quiet and consistently solid, producing and maintaining an elegant and tricky swathe of perfumes. Yes there have changes in formulations and style. IFRA restrictions have impacted on the personalities of the house classics and critics and bloggers alike are happy to bemoan the death of true style chez Dior. I disagree. Demachy’s stewardship of the perfume collections has perhaps erred on the safe side, yet as a guardian of taste, heritage and grace, he has perhaps fared better than the relentless Guerlain flankering,  and YSL’s decent into Middle Eastern sell out.

collection dior privee

Both Dior and Chanel have exceptional couture collections. Chanel’s Les Exclusifs was launched originally by Dom de Vetta with the Chanel in-house perfume team. He is now the Creative Director of London-based house Shay & Blue, one of my go-to fragrances for innovative olfaction. Dior has La Collection Privée, and La Collection Couturier Parfumeur a refined gathering of scents, inspired by locations, memoires and people connected to Monsieur Dior. I got into La Collection Privée quite early on, buying bottles of Eau Noire (2004) and Bois d’Argent (2004) on a trip to Paris in 2005 and adding Cologne Blanche (2004) a year later. Francis Kurkdjian’s Eau Noire is a vertiginous descent into corrupted lavender, liquorice and seared thyme and one of my fetish scents.

PatchouliImperial

Patchouli Impérial, launched in 2011, is part of La Collection Couturier Parfumeur and pays homage to one of perfumery’s most enigmatic and alluring notes, pogostemon cablins or patchouli, a versatile and verdant shrub, related to mint. Patchouli is a compulsory note in traditional chypré fragrances and its warm, woodsy presence in many key Dior formulations makes it an emblematic material for the house. Diorling, Miss Dior, Dioressence, Dune, Midnight Poison and the almighty Eau Sauvage all utilise the diverse aromatic facets of this extraordinary raw material. It embeds, warmth, mystery and solicitation; marrying beautifully with rose, woods, tonka and vanilla.

patchouli

In the 18 and 19th centuries, silk traders were terrified their precious cargoes would be consumed by moths during long voyages so dried patchouli leaves were layered throughout the bundles of fine silk to repel the voracious insects. When the silks reached their destinations, the delicate fibres were impregnated with the rich, balsamic tones breath of patchouli, kickstarting a passion for the shrub which has never really faded.

Patchoulioil

Patchouli is unusual in that aging deepens and shifts the olfactory flavour. Like a fine liqueur, the oil can develop rounded fruit tones, black-cherry tobacco tints, whiffs of chocolate and crushed tree sap. Patchouli Impérial has the most delicious sensual opening; I had forgotten just how incredibly well assembled the components are in this glowering Dior. The thing I noticed most of all was how much it reminded me of the original Angel and therefore how amazing the patchouli really is in Olivier Cresp and Yves de Chirin’s ground-breaking gourmand masterpiece.

patchouli perfume

The gunshot of patchouli, straight out of the bottle is incredible, chocolately, rooty, green, lacquered, shellacked and glowing. Amid the shrubby rush are carefully accented notes of mandarin, bergamot and coriander seed essence. This citric hit is vital to the success of the earthy patchouli, it sweetens the air and sets the scene for the descent into the woodier base arena of sandalwood that at first seems too clean and linear, but then breaks apart on the skin into a creamy addictive veneer. Demachy has rendered the patchouli mellow and languid, but so rounded and intensely moreish, I cannot stop worrying my own wrists, nuzzling the skin, it is such a comforting and yet alluring odour. Reviews have been mixed it's true. I love it so much more than I expected to, it is a regal and correct interpretation of a beloved note that eschews the easy hippy/earthy associations and aimed higher, resulting in a complex perfume that somehow seems made of one element whilst coalescing glow, prestige and style around you.

 Disclosure – From my own collection

The Silver Fox, Senior Editor

We have a 5 ml decant for a reader in the USA or EU. To be eleigible please leave a comment with your favorite Dior perfume, where you live and why you would like to win Patchouli Impérial. Draw closes January 26, 2015

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume

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28 comments

  • My favorite Dior scent is Pure Poison. I’d love to try the Patchouli Impérial because of the woodiness with vanilla and rose, a couple of my favorite scents. I’m in the US – thanks for the draw!

  • My favorite Dior scent is Hypnotic Poison. It is the Dior I wear the most!
    I would like to win this because my husband loves patchouli, and I love wearing it for him. I am in the US.

  • Rosemarie Ash says:

    My favorite Dior scent is Diorissimo. I would love to win the Patchouli Imperial because patchouli is such a sexy, mysterious scent. I would love to try it with a little black dress and heels.

  • Wow – I’m not sure if I love patchouli but you make this sound awesome. I’d love to try it – creamy and chocolatey patchouli? Perhaps thats the patchouli for me! I don’t have a favorite Dior perfume because I actually haven’t tried one yet! Thanks for the draw, I’m in the US.

  • I’ve never smelled a patchoili that didn’t make me want to cringe, but this sounds beautiful and compelling, rather than cloying. I love the combination of scents in Dior’s “Hypnotic Poison”. US resident.

  • I am not entirely sure about how I feel about patchouli yet, but the idea of chocolate and patchouli sounds intriguing. I am in the US, thank you!

  • What an interesting article, and informative. I did not know about the dried patchouli leaves being layered in the bundles of silk. That is awesome. I would have loved to smelled that silk even though I am not a big patchouli fan. Silk has a scent of its own so I wonder how that played out.
    But, even though I am not the biggest patchouli lover, this article makes this perfume sound so beautiful, I want to love patchouli! Maybe Patchouli Imperiale would accomplish that.
    I do not have a favorite Dior perfume though my hubby’s cologne is quite nice.
    I am in the USA

  • I have never tried any of Dior perfumes. And actually I have never smelled any perfume with patchouli. So, I would very like to try Patchouli Impérial.
    I live in Europe.

  • My favourite from the recent releases has to be Dior Homme Intense, altough I much prefer vintage Fahrenheit, but this one is hard to get nowadays.

    I would love to test Patchouli Imperiale as I have never tried anything from La Collection Couturier and patchouli seems to be a good start.

    I am from Europe. Thanks for the draw!

  • Great review. I’d love to try Patchouli Imperial. My favorite Dior is Fagrenheit.

    I am in the US. Thank you for the draw

  • Wonderful review and spot on in every detail! My favorite Dior is (gasp) Patchouli Imperial! Once I got a sample of it, all other patchouli’s were forgotten. Creamy, mellow, and gorgeous and like you, when I wear it I cannot stop huffing my wrist! Addictive stuff, that! I’m in the USA.

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    I am shocked pathcouli makes appearances in so many classical diors and fortunately i have all in vintage formulas with the exception of midnight poison..i would like to try this because it is apparent from the review Dior and Chanel’s private collections continue to give us solid creations..My favorite dior was undoubtedly vintage eau sauvage but now it’s a struggle between vintage eau sauvage and original formulas of Dior Homme…i am in the US

  • My favorite perfumes from the house of Dior is Dune, Miss Dior and Midnight Poison. I would love to experience Patchouli Imperial for its enigmatic and alluring notes. I live in EU and I thank you both for this lovely review and draw.

  • Patchouli is certainly a very polarizing note in a perfume and hence provides a remarkably strong backbone in any perfumes structure when added to it. I love many scents with patchouli in them but I haven’t had the chance to smell it on its own. I wanted to get a sample of this Dior patchouli but neglected to do so. But as the silver fox said it aid a regal and correct interpretation of this note, so I rreally want to get my hands on it.
    My fav. Dior fragrance is Eau Savage Parfum. And from couturier collection I adore Ambre Nuit.
    Thanks. USA.

  • My favourit Dior parfumes comes from The Exclusifs Collection: Mitzah, Cuir Cannage and Patchouli Imperial. So, I would like to win some ml of this one!
    I,m in EU.

  • My favorite Dior perfume is Hypnotic Poison”. I loved reading these wonderful descriptions of Patchouli. Such a versitile oil with many clocks. So many dimensions. I would love to discover all these aspects of it and it seems this perfume displays them all. I am in the US

  • I have always wanted to try the couture dior perfumes. I love Dior Addict and Eau Sauvage is what my husband wears. I agree that Guerlain is boring lately. I wish I could smell the fabrics impregnated with patchouli leaves
    I am in the US

  • My favorite Dior is vintage Diorella. 🙂 I’d love to win this draw because from what I’ve sampled from the Dior La Collection line they are quality. USA

  • I must admit that I too liked this one more than I expected to. Great review on this one, Foxy. Patchouli is indeed a shape shifter, it also brings out certain qualities in other notes is blended with. I am in the US

  • My favorite Dior is Addict. I like the description of patchouli that descents to the base of sandalwood and sandalwood that turns creamy and addictive…and I would like to win Patchouli Imperial to come see how it comes out as “comforting and alluring.” I am in the EU, thanks for the draw.

  • Cynthia Richardson says:

    My favorite Dior perfume is J’Adore. I live in the US and I would like to win Patchouli Impérial because it sounds like a a much more elegant, classy patchouli, coriander and sandalwood than what I loved when I was younger.

  • My favorite Dior perfume is vintage Poison the very first version.
    I would love to experience Patchouli Imperial because it is from what I have smelled from Dior La Collection line are perfumes of the best quality. I live in EU.

  • Miss Dior vintage is my definite fav of all Diors. I love well-done patch, so this would be a nice testing for sure. I am in Europe, thanks for the drawing!

  • I have a love affair with all things patchouli and am very impressed with Dior’s La Collection Privee. My favorite Dior perfume is Mitzah. I am in the U.S. Thank you for the draw!

  • La Collection Privee is full of beauty! I thought Eau Noire is my favorite, until I tested Mitzah, Vetiver, Grand Bal, Patchouli Imperial and Gris Montaigne. And while all the others are pretty explainable for favorites, Gris Montaigne doesn’t receive much love around the net. But it develops very interestingly on my skin. It is subtle, refined chic.
    Patchouli Imperial is also great – one of the best takes in patchouli I tried. I perceive it medicinally bitter turning makeup powdery, lipstick balmy, and dark chocolatey! Sexy, indeed, but I don’t have a drop! Would love even a tiny quantity of this precious potion!
    I am in Bulgaria (EU). Thank you for the chance!

  • My favorite Dior is New Look 1947. I would love to win this decant of Patchouli Imperial because I have drained my sample and crave this scent! It is patchouli done very right to me, and I would like more of a chance to wear it. I’m in the US, thanks!

  • My favorite Dior is New Look 1947. I would love to win this decant of Patchouli Imperial because I have drained my sample and crave this scent! It is patchouli done very well to me, and I would like more of a chance to wear it. I’m in the US, thanks!