1929 Cherigan Paris Fleurs de Tabac held by a smoker vs the 2021 version – Women smokers via Cherigan, both Cherigan Paris Fleurs de Tabac bottles ©Cherigan Paris, collage ©Emmanuelle Varron.
How does one follow in the footsteps of Senior Editor Emmanuelle Varron? Nearly one year ago, she penned a beautiful article about the venerable house of Cherigan Paris Parfums. I would strongly encourage you to read it, and her informed impressions about Fleurs de Tabac.
Champs-Élysées circa early 1930s courtesy of Cherigan Paris
To briefly recap, Cherigan Paris opened its doors on 120 Champs-Élysées in 1929. This tail end of the Roaring Twenties was fraught with polarities: while art and culture blossomed, as evidenced by the opening of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the first Academy Awards, and the commencement of Monaco’s Grand Prix race – worldwide troubles were also brewing. Chicago’s St. Valentine’s Day Massacre horrified the American public; the Wall Street Crash ushered in the Great Depression, with fallout effects which were experienced far and wide; and a world influenza epidemic was no laughing matter. It seems that all the arts somehow manage to flourish in times of turmoil – and perfumery was among them.
Luc Gabriel Co-Founder of The Different Company and re-founder of Cherigan Paris
Emmanuelle has previously noted that Luc Gabriel, a co- founder of The Different Company – has taken the house of Cherigan Paris under his wing in order to breathe new vitality into this marvelous brand. Cherigan Paris Fleurs de Tabac hails from 1929, and was initially marketed to men, interestingly enough. It goes without saying that the parfum’s appeal is definitely wider: a sublimely smoky, leathery evocation of tobacco without the actual presence of tobacco itself, suitable for both garçons and garçonnes alike (flappers were frequently referred to as “garçons” during the 20s: bobbed hair, drinking, smoking, and a dearth of corsets took on a less classically feminized aspect).
Vintage Ad courtesy of the brand
Fleurs de Tabac appeared on the market a full ten years after Caron’s groundbreaking Tabac Blond, a completely different sort of fragrance. Most fascinating, to me – is that Molinard’s Habanita and Guerlain’s Shalimar were composed in 1921 and 1925 respectively – yet they possess many similarities to Cherigan Paris’s oeuvre. Specifically, what imparts the vivid impression of tobacco in both Habanita and Fleurs de Tabac is the canny utilization of the vanillic (be it vanillin, benzoin, tonka, Peru balsam, even opoponax) with vetiver. The presence of labdanum in each contributes to the resinous/ambery/leather-suggestive nature we find so alluringly shadowy. It is this trompe-nez which masterfully seduces us with its fluid sensuous ambiguity.
“Les Garçonnes” courtesy of the brand
The hazy, devil-may-care atmosphere of subterranean Parisian boîtes (aka nightclubs, preferably on the seedy side) is beautifully illustrated in Fleurs de Tabac: one spritz of the parfum radiates an inestimable warmth which surprises with a modicum of anisic tarragon, exquisite florals and rich, mellow cedar and sandalwood. Tender musk engages the inky, earthy/powdery drydown inherent in oakmoss and results in a velvety quality. Fleurs de Tabac emanates chic at every turn, at once solar and crepuscular in its charms. I’m especially fond of the fact that it is an extrait de parfum with ~ 90% natural materials, and very grateful for my flacon: as I possess vintage, well-preserved Tabac Blond, Habanita and Shalimar in my collection, it has helped me garner a fuller view of this fragrant genre and epoch for comparison. They each have something specific to say – and I’m thrilled to have Cherigan Paris Fleurs de Tabac join my perfumed pantheon.
Notes: Italian bergamot, Egyptian jasmine, Bulgarian rose, irone, tarragon, Siamese benzoin, Virginian cedar, Indian sandalwood, Venezuelan tonka bean, Spanish labdanum, Haitian vetiver, musk., oakmoss
Flacon provided for review – many thanks! It is such a beauty. My nose is my own…
~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor
Cherigan Paris Fleurs de Tabac courtesy of the brand
Thanks to Cherigan Paris’s generosity, we are offering one 100 bottle Fleurs de Tabac for a registered reader in the EU, UK or USA. To be eligible leave a comment on what you feel about Ida’s review and where you live. Would you like to see the brand carried in the USA? Draw closes 03/8/20223.
Cherigan Paris perfumes are available at Jovoy Paris and on Cherigan Paris’s website. We hope they make it to the USA soon.
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