LilaNur Parfums Davana Cèdre Display at the Bibhu Mohapatra at NYFW F/W 2023
Flashbulbs burn the air like tiny lightning strikes. In the first row are the glitterati, waiting from behind their dark glasses to be impressed. Then, down the runway drifts the smell of something masculine as a notched collar and as the music hits its rhythm, the fragrance shifts feminine and fruity. Models saunter the runway while electronica thumps a slinky beat. Welcome to New York Fashion Week where the Bibhu Mohapatra Show, scented with LilaNur Parfums Davana Cèdre, has just kicked off.
Co-founders Anita Lal and Paul Austin of LilaNur Parfums
LilaNur Parfums is the creation of New Delhi-based Anita Lal and Paul Austin who has worked extensively in the fragrance industry and as a brand expert; whose brand ethos is to fuse the olfactive heritage of India with modern perfumery. For LilaNur Parfums’ initial collection, French perfumers Honorine Blanc, Olivier Cresp, Fabrice Pellegrin, and Clément Gavarry were selected to each compose a scent using a classic Indian ingredients “as their muse and starting point.”
Honorine Blanc and LilaNur Parfums Davana Cèdre
Her second for the brand, Davana Cèdre was created by Firmenich master perfumer Honorine Blanc, who says, “cedarwood has always been elemental and androgynous; I wanted to accent it with the sweet, herbaceous tonality of davana used in the beautiful floral garlands of southern India.” LilaNur Parfums Davana Cèdre scented the runway at the Bibhu Mohapatra Fall 2023 Fashion show in New York City. Mohapatra chose the fragrance because of its harmonious blend of spiritual and urban and because “carries no hint of nostalgia. Like Nancy Cunard, it juxtaposes and blends masculine and feminine forces in a modern way. It is the scent of now.”
Mood Board of Nancy Cunard at the Bibhu Mohapatra F/W 2023 show
With its pared-down, transparent construction and androgynous character, Davana Cèdre is modern and urbane, something Nancy Cunard might indeed have sported. When I spray it on my wrists, the first thing that pops into my head is model Rain Dove, like Nancy Cunard, equal parts feminine swag and masculine chic. Davana Cèdre opens not with its stars but a warm-up act courtesy of some frisky pink peppercorn. With its piquant apple and rose facets, the pepper gives the fragrance a bouncy, fruity entrée accentuated by the berryish smell of cassis. And, as it turns out, the pepper is not about to rush off the catwalk. It sticks around long enough to escort leading lady davana to the front of the stage and then hangs back in the sidelines.
Fashion Designer Bibhu Mohapatra with Paul Austin of LilaNur Parfums
Enter davana. I find this Indian herb something of a chameleon; in some fragrances, I have been struck by a distinct citric bitterness not unlike grapefruit, while in others, I get more of a fougere-like greenery. Here, it is languid, sweetish, herbal and rooty. It partners beautifully with the angelica that comes out to join it, and the combination of the two plants echoes tarragon, white tea, and young carrots. There’s even a tinge of ganja. I find the aroma fascinating, and probably the most distinctive use of davana I’ve come across since Ormonde Jayne’s Osmanthus Elixir.
Model on the Catwalk
While I’ve been thinking about davana, cedar has been inching forwards. I was aware of its sturdy, burnished presence in the background, but now, in the heart, it adds a dry sheen to the davana and fruity notes that balances the fragrance elegantly, in a lucid style that reminds me at times of Jean-Claude Ellena’s work for Hermes. Unlike some genderless perfumes, Davana Cèdre does not so much weave between masculine and feminine in style but walks a thin line between the two, something few unisex fragrances manage without smelling bland. The dry-down brings the cedar further forward and softens the davana with some clean musk. It’s smooth, refined, with a surprising soulfulness.
Notes: Davana, cedar, pink pepper, angelica, cassis, musk.
Disclaimer: Sample of LilaNur Parfums Davana Cèdre kindly sent to me by LilaNur Parfums. My opinions, as always, are my own.
Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor
All images via the brand unless otherwise noted.
LilaNur Parfums Davana Cèdre
Thanks to the largesse of LilaNur Parfums, we have a 100 ml bottle of Davana Cèdre for one registered reader in the U.S. This is an honour for ÇaFleureBon readers – front-row guests at the Bibhu Mohaptra show walked away with a Davana Cedre eau de parfum gift. To be eligible for the draw, please comment on what strikes you about LilaNur Parfums Davana Cèdre based on Lauryn’s review and that you live in the USA. Draw closes 02/24/2023.
Art Direction: MIchelyn
Editor’s Note: LilaNur Parfums and fashion designer Bibhu Mohapatra partnered to create a 360° sensory experience inspired by Nancy Cunard, the muse for his Fall 2023 collection at Spring Studios on February 13th, 2023-Michelyn
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Please read Deputy Editor Ida Meister’s reviews and background on LilaNur Parfums and her reviews of LilaNur Parfums Malli Insolite, Agar Épicé, and Incarnation.
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