A “ garden party” on a Persian wooden lacquered mirror from Gail’s Collection. Photo by Gail Gross ©
“Remember now Mazandaran, our homeland, may its fields and villages prosper,
its gardens ever flowing, its mountain slopes set with hyacinth and wild tulip…
their perfumes rejoice the soul.” – Ferdausi (11thcentury)
When I was young woman I lived for several years in Iran. Some of the most magical and happy times of my life were spent raising my family in this ancient and beautiful land. Many years have past, but I still recall the scents of the bazaars, the gardens and the countryside. I can still remember summer mornings in Tehran and the perfumes of the deserts and high mountains that surround the city. When I first encountered the new Atelier Des Ors Rouge Sarây I immediately experienced a wave of nostalgia and homesickness for the land and the people that I love so much.
Details from a fresco in the Chehel Sotün Palace (Sarây), Isfahan
The dawn breaks as doves fly, swirling from their dovecots. I hear the call to prayer and sense the city’s walled gardens and courtyards heating up in the early morning sunshine, extending a gentle hospitality, a dewy, olfactory welcome to what promises to be a hot and spicy day. My first breath of Atelier Des Ors Rouge Sarây, like a warm sweet orient breeze, a zephyr of tangy fruit and dewy petals of jasmine, heliotrope and spice, beckons me to the garden. The hours pass quickly among the flowers.
An Assassins Castle under the stars in the Alborz Mountains of Iran. Photo by Babak Tafreshi for National Geographic ©
At midday I am drawn indoors by the scent of a steaming confection of dried dates and fresh plums seasoned with cinnamon and vanilla. This sweet heart of Atelier Des Ors Rouge Sarây lingers in the summer air well into the early evening, when sandalwood and gaiac waft softly from my skin. As night falls over the Alborz Mountains and dusky shadows creep across the landscape, Rouge Sarây proffers scented memories and peaceful dreams of a bustling city, sleeping fitfully in the heat, beneath a protective canopy of twinkling stars.
Petra (L) and Jean-Phillipe Clermont in the deserts of Jordan. Photo via Atelier Des Ors ©
With Rouge Sarây, Atelier Des Ors creative director Jean-Phillipe Clermont and perfumer Marie Salamagne bring us a fragrance reminiscent of the deserts of Jordan and the spice routes of the Middle East. Persia is a long way from Petra, but has been and still is the heart of the Silk Road. The romance of the desert and the history, poetry, myths and legends of the Middle East are reflected and distilled in the wonderfully evocative Atelier Des Ors Rouge Sarây.
Notes: Jasmine petals, cinnamon essence, plum accord, heliotrope, date accord, patchouli, Peru balsam, sandalwood, vanilla and gaiac wood.
Disclaimer: I would like to thank Atelier Des Ors for the beautiful memory-filled bottle of Rouge Sarây. My opinions are my own.
Gail Gross – Senior Editor
Atelier Des Ors Rouge Sarây. Photo by Gail Gross ©
Thanks to the generosity of Atelier Des Ors we have a 100 ml tester bottle Rouge Sarây for one registered reader in the US or EU (be sure to register or your comment will not count). Please be sure to register. To be eligible please leave a comment with what you enjoyed about Gail’s review of Atelier Des Ors Rouge Sarây, where you live and if you have a favorite Atelier Des Ors fragrance. Draw closes 6/8/2020
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At the time of this post, Atelier Des Ors Rouge Sarây is available In store at JOVOY PARFUMS RARE, Harvey Nichols in the UK, Fragrance and Art in Sweden and Missala in Poland, although there will be many more worldwide stockists soon. It will also be available on the newly redesigned Atelier des Ors website.
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