Photo: Twisted Lily in Bourem Hill, Brooklyn

I think one of the more pleasant trends in perfumery has been the resurrection of the original houses which produced perfumes around a hundred years ago. When given the proper care and attention this endeavor allows for a bridge to be built from the beginnings of perfume to the present day. My latest discovery along these lines occurred at the recent Sniffapalooza Fall Ball on our visit to Twisted Lily. Usually when I walk into a store selling fragrance I can identify everything I see by the bottle. As I surveyed Twisted Lily there was a grouping of fourteen bottles I didn’t recognize. From my first glance they looked a little like Erlenmeyer Flasks but upon moving closer I found they were little Eiffel Towers. I asked what these were and was informed the line was called Maison Dorin.

"Le Musee Dorin" (Maison Dorin Museum) is located in the town of Chatou, near Versailles (Photo: Maison Dorin)

Maison Dorin came into being during the latter half of the Eighteenth Century as they produced fragrances for the stylish women who were influenced by Marie Antoinettte’s new obsession. They would eventually be named the official purveyor to The Royal Court of Versailles in 1780. Maison Dorin would continue on until the early Twentieth Century when it disappeared. In 1998 Bashar and Imane Nasri resurrected the line and slowly but surely have built a prodigious collection over the last fifteen years. There are four sub-collections within the entire brand and it is a brand worth exploring . There were four which grabbed my attention at Fall Ball and these are the ones I’m going to mention below.

Jean Leon Gerome – Pelt Merchant

Un Air de Paris was the first collection released in 2007 and there are four fragrances: Classique, Floral, Fruity, and Spicy. For those who know me, that Spicy was the one which captured my attention will be no surprise. Spicy is a fantastic mix of animalic and spices which just strums all of my internal heartstrings. Spicy opens with thyme and bergamot. The thyme adds a fresh herbal quality which is taken to new depths by the addition of bay leaf, nutmeg, and cumin. The cumin here is matched with a raw castoreum and while this might sound like too much of a good thing it actually works in an almost reverse way as both intense notes actually take the edge off of each other resulting in a tamed tiger of a fragrance. Vetiver, sandalwood, and cedar provide the wooden cage for this wild kitty. Don’t be afraid to come near it won’t bite.

Within the Un Air de Paris collection I also have to mention Classique where perfumer Jeanne-Marie Faugier reformulated one of the classic recipes, from 1886, and it is a fantastic floral full of iris, osmanthus, jasmine surrounding a Turkish rose. This really does feel like something you would’ve smelled in Louis XVI’s court.

Bouquet of Fullah

The second collection was focused on Orientals and was called Un Air de Damas and the four members of this group are Fullah, Rose, Jasmin, and Tubereuse. Each of these are in essence soliflores with the named note front and center sandwiched by bergamot and musk. All of them are interesting but I had never heard of Fullah before. Fullah is a delicate white flower which grows in Damascus, Syria and it only blooms for one day per year. If Fullah the fragrance is an accurate representation then Fullah smells like a hybrid of jasmine and neroli. It is mesmerizing because I keep trying to separate the inseparable. The sweetness of the blooms are enhanced by the bergamot in the early going and then the skanky indoles come forward with the presence of the musk in the base. Fullah feels like a personal discovery while walking in the hills of Damascus on the right day of the year, thankfully the fragrance is around for more than that.

Fernand-Anne Piestre Cormon

The third collection was also tilted towards the Oriental but as a more sensual composition and the four fragrances in this one called Un Air D'Arabie are: Oud, Ambre, Musk, and  Taif Rose. Ambre is my favorite of all of the Maison Dorin fragrances because it is in essence a resinous soliflore. It opens with the smell of crushed pine needles very green and slightly camphoraceous. The heart adds to this with frankincense which is followed by amber. Then right there the pine, incense, and amber spend the next few hours intertwining themselves within my senses. At its core Ambre is a simple fragrance but on my skin it is a symphony full of nuance and discovered pleasures. This is a perfect fragrance for the cooler months.

Giacomo Casanova by Anton Raphael Mengs

The final collection is called Un Air D’Amour and there is one Pour Madame and one Pour Monsieur. Perfumer Jeanne-Marie Faugier was responsible for both of these and for Pour Madame she created a heady tuberose dusted with cinnamon and clove at its heart. If Pour Madame is a bit of an extrovert Pour Monsieur is a bit of a Casanova focused on the chase before the culmination. Pour Monsieur starts with a fascinating trio of lavender, nutmeg, and incense. When I saw this on the description prior to sniffing I thought this would be strange. It is a little odd but it is mostly interesting as every time I wore Pour Monsieur this opening immediately captured my attention and held it as I would often take a focused sniff on the days I wore it. The heart and base are a little more traditional masculine tropes of woods and musk. Pour Monsieur is all about its opening line and it has a real winner of one.

I was impressed with the whole line of Maison Dorin fragrances as it is clear they definitely have a shared heritage. If you’re looking for something new to try these fourteen fragrances very likely have something within which will make you happy.

Disclosure: This review was based on samples from Twisted Lily I received at Sniffapalooza.

-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

Thanks to Twisted Lily we have a draw for a sample set of the six fragrances; Spicy, Fullah, Ambre, Classique, Pour Madame  and Pour Monsieur, I reviewed. This is a US only draw. To be eligible leave a comment on which Maison Dorin fragrance you are most interested in trying and whether you live in the US. The draw ends on November 23, 2013.

Editor's Note: Un Air de Paris, Un Air de Damas and Un Air d'Arabie can be bought in travel sets of four x 8 ml  perfumed pens which is a great way to try the Maison Dorin Line.

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.