Roland Mouret Sp/Summer 2017 collection©
“Roland drapes bodies — we drape skin. We use the same words: fusion, structure, magic, eroticism. Etat Libre d’Orange and Roland Mouret. Together, we have merged our philosophies, our attitudes and our identities, and created Une Amourette.”— Etat Libre d’Orange
Etienne de Swardt Creative Director and Founder of Etat Libre d'Orange
Parisian boundary-pushing perfume house Etat Libre d’Orange and French fashion designer Roland Mouret have joined forces and created Une Amourette Roland Mouret, a dazzling tribute to the art of the suggestive glance and the potential hook-up. Neither Etat Libre d’Orange nor designer Mouret are strangers to controversy or doing things their own way; Etat Libre d’Orange broke all the rules with their much-talked about, divisive and “seminal” fragrance Secrétions Magnifique (2006), which love it or hate it, is an acknowledged fragrance game-changer. Etat Libre d’Orange has worked with well-known personalities and celebrities in the past, creating unforgettable scents like Tom Of Finland, Like This with Tilda Swinton, The Afternoon Of A Faun with Mx. Justin Vivian Bond honoring Vaslav Najinski and Rossy de Palma Eau de Protection.
Roland Mouret photo courtesy of Etat Libre d'Orange
Roland Mouret also shattered the status quo; he did so in the rule-restrictive fashion industry; creating the unforgettable “Galaxy" dress in 2006, a scooped-in, cinched, body-hugging dress that was, and still is worn by almost every bold-face A-listers you can think of.
Dita Von Teese wearing the Galaxy dress and Roland Mouret 2006, photo Getty Images
The key to the dress’s success was all in the draping and shaping, structured just as a perfume is structured…seductive and seemingly effortless. Interestingly back in 2009, Etat Libre d’Orange Creative Director Etienne de Swardt and Roland Mouret discussed a fragrance partnership, but the timing wasn’t right.
Daniela Andrier photo courtesy of Etat Libre D'Orange
Both men never forgot that discussion, and now in 2017 with the Givaudan perfumer extraordinaíre Daniela Andrier (best known for her beautiful fragrances for Bvlgari, almost all the Prada perfumes, and Bottega Veneta), we are the fortunate recipients of this three-way creative collaboration and it has most certainly been worth waiting for.
Helmut Newton Le Baiser©
“Is it a passing fancy, a momentary catching-of-the-eye, a brief encounter or something else? Will it endure, will it last forever? Does it really matter? Une Amourette is a love affair-it won’t last forever, but it’s unforgettable. Deliberately provocative, a no-holds-barred fragrance. It is not for everybody. It’s divisive. It will corrupt the fragrance category with its subversive positioning. It’s a scent that makes and leaves its mark. Une Amourette transcends gender. It is neither feminine nor masculine but it connects with the innate desire to take control, to be unique…”-Etat Libre d’Orange, Roland Mouret, and perfumer Daniela Andrier
Noot and Bianca, Paris, 2000, Paolo Roversi for Radar magazine©.
Considering the feminine form-fitting designs of M. Mouret, Une Amourette is a surprisingly sexy scent for men as well. Leaving all the “divisiveness” and “subversiveness” language aside, it is one of the most intriguing and ultimately breathtaking scents from Etat Libre d’Orange to date. Fashion and fragrance go hand in hand, and Une Amourette is a perfect example of what happens when attention is paid to every detail; for a designer- inspired fragrance it stands out from the mainstream fragrances in the department stores.
Ellen von Unwerth. Garçonne, (Nadja Auermann), Paris, 1991
If you have any preconceived notions about their previous perfumes, please try Une Amourette. It’s as good as anything I’ve come across from a large well-known niche House. It is both sexy and prim, butch and femme, saintly and lascivious. Just when I think I’ve got my head wrapped around it, another undiscovered facet comes forward and makes me rethink the whole composition.
photo by Mark Arbeit©
The opening notes are a Grand Marnier liqueur-sweet and floral Neroli mixed with dusty root iris; it’s one of those openings you wish would simply go on and on. It is seductive and enticing, the fragrant equivalent of a “come hither” glance. Like the hot flush of instant passion, it promises that great things await you and then it delivers, because as the fragrance develops scented pleasures await around every corner. The Akigalawood©, a patchouli-derived Givaudan aromachemical molecule adds a wooded and spicy/peppered facet to the Neroli which I suspect is what makes it so alluring.
Photo by Helmut Newton©
For the majority of the drydown, the iris pushes its floral note forward, without any of the “carroty” vibe you might expect, the patchouli amps up in a beautiful creamy and non-screechy way and with a hint of the vanilla, sweetens the dry woods. Towards the end of the drydown, the vanilla starts persistently flitting in and out, and creates a stronger and sublime sweet-woody floral melange that is unforgettable in that “How-fast-can-I-buy-a-bottle” manner.
Notes: Neroli, Iris, Vanilla Absolute, Akigalawood, Resinoide Incense, Patchouli
Disclosure: Thank you to Etat Libre d’Orange USA for supplying my sample. The opinions are my own.
–Robert Herrmann, Senior Editor with contributions from Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief
–Art Direction: Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief
Photography by Roberto Greco©
Thanks to Etat Libre d’Orange and to EuroPerfumes, the US distributor, we have a 100 ml avant premier bottle of Une Amourette for 1 registered reader (so be sure to register if you have not done so) in the USA or Europe. To be eligible please let us know what appeals to you about Robert’s review, if you have a favorite Etat Libre D’Orange perfume and where you live. Draw closes October 9, 2017
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