Fragments By NVC Nemus, Purpureum and Thyina and Neela Vermeire Credit NVC©
Creative Director Neela Vermeire of Neela Vermeire Créations dedicated herself to the development of a triad of perfumes prior to, and during the ongoing pandemic. She lovingly refers to her Fragments By NVC trio as “figments of our fragrant imagination” – and in keeping with her intensely thoughtful body of work a great deal of time, soul-searching and introspection have gone into their aromatic drawing of breath. A fresh, new bottle graces these three – accompanied by exquisite portrayals by much-loved illustrator Massimo Alfaioli.
Chagall mosaic in Vence photo by Neela Vermeire©
Neela’s love of the arts is all-encompassing and part of the bond which many of us share. Whether it be music, literature, sculpture, painting, mosaic, stained glass, the dance – or virtually any other medium – she is passionate about it; it sustains her like oxygen. This holds true for Neela much as it does for Floria Tosca in the Verdi opera: “Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore, Non feci mai male ad anima viva!” (I lived for my art, I lived for love, I never did harm to a living soul!). Neela’s initial inspiration for Fragments By NVC originated from her longstanding love of mosaic. It was the Vence cathedral Notre-Dame de la Nativité’s 1979 Baptistery installation of a Marc Chagall mosaic depicting Moses’s rescue from the river which moved her deeply (painter Marc Chagall lived in Vence for many years before moving to nearby Saint-Paul de Vence, where he was laid to rest). Thus the creative wheels were set in motion.
It stands to reason that we have experienced considerable fragmentation in our lives over the past three years, and so the Fragments By NVC collection is aptly named. The perfumer’s identity will be disclosed eventually, but Neela wanted these scented bijoux to be appreciated for their own sake – without bias – as we are often predisposed to evaluate a fragrance based upon our preconceptions regarding a perfumer, especially a well-known one. That is why I’ve referred to this detail as ‘perfumer undisclosed’. I appreciate her logic: each perfume glows with its unique individual flame, a wellspring of meditative solace and beauty. Each name is derived from Latin, and was carefully chosen to delineate a key aspect of the fragrance assuming its identity.
Fragments By NVC Nemus illustration by Massimo Alfaioli©
Fragments By NVC Nemus: (from the Latin: a grove, pasture, glade; poetically – a wood or tree.) The inspiration for Nemus is referred to by Neela as fragments of visual greens and regeneration – and this fragrance opens with a sprightly stride. I attribute this quality to zesty citruses laced with ginger and clary sage, followed by the herbal floralcy of geranium. What happens next is unexpected: tea, cedar and salty ambergris notes conjure a woody salinity which gives rise to a subtle oudhy earthiness accentuated with nagarmotha, pierced by a lemony frankincense and deepened by a very soft patchouli. Nemus is a perfume with a good deal of movement, which is my preferred scented journey. What lingers in the drydown is delicately tenacious: a contemplative cloud, sylvan, subtle and soothing. While staying relatively close to the flesh, it murmurs for hours after application, a beneficent wraith. Notes: cedrat, bergamot, lemon, ginger, clary sage, geranium, tea, cedar, oudh, ambergris, nagarmotha, frankincense, patchouli
Fragments By NVC Purpureum© illustration by Massimo Alfaioli
Purpureum: (Latin for purple or dark red) Purpureum is fueled by fragments of visual purple and warmth. It is the boldest of the three, a simmeringly dark gourmand deftly spiced at the outset with piquant pepper, licorice and a luscious dried fig accord. Magnolia is radiant, pursued by the opulent richness of dark rum, coffee, cacao and a maple-y immortelle. This is not a childlike candied perfume by any means, and the contributions of deep tobacco, labdanum, arid myrrh and leather only serve to further this impression. Tonka bean gentles Purpureum, as opposed to sweetening it. As with Nemus (which is a completely different perfume), Fragments By NVC Purpureum develops, and in due course morphs into a regal mysterious cocoon – enveloping the wearer in enigmatic warmth. Notes: pepper, licorice, dried fig, magnolia, dark rum, coffee, cacao, immortelle, brown tobacco, tonka, labdanum, myrrh, leather
Fragments By NVC Thyina© illustration by Massimo Alfaioli
Thyina: (Latin for sandalwood) was envisioned as fragments of visual beige and tender comfort. Thyina is most certainly a chameleon; it commences with a liveliness which belies its later development. The list of notes doesn’t necessarily prepare you for what you are about to experience, either – an aspect I greatly appreciate. For example: the coffee in Purpureum skews gourmand, albeit a shadowy one – but coffee, and hazelnut – in Thyina serve as drier, nuttier modifiers, not sweet accompaniment. Pimento berry, aka allspice – imparts its zingy touch at the get-go (why do you think it’s utilized as a pickling spice?) and ushers in a gorgeous floral/herbal lavender escorting violet. What’s marvelous is how succinctly coffee meshes with sandalwood and amyris (amyris is often referred to as West Indian sandalwood, although they aren’t botanically related). The resinous base melds vanillic Peru balsam, with its lightly clove-like, gently-smoky undertones; tolu balsam’s vanilla/almond/cinnamon/soft leather tones; styrax, with its woody vanilla/ leathery/castoreum profile; and only a pinch of (naturally intense) birch tar. Thyina’s drydown is gratifying, the gentlest prolonged melody of a lightly smoky violet-lavender-sandalwood. Neela was spot on when she told me that Thyina took more time to fully appreciate than Nemus or Purpureum. Notes: pimento berry, lavender, violet, hazelnut, coffee, sandalwood, amyris, tolu balsam, Peru balsam, styrax, birch tar
The Fragments by NVC collection has been well worth the wait. Each fragrance is a pleasure in itself; together they represent a welcome aromatic oasis in fraught times. One would be hard-pressed to find a more reassuring and soothing bevy of perfumes.
Samples provided by Neela Vermeire – brava! Many thanks. My nose is my own…
~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor
50 ml bottles and the discovery set are for sale on the Neela Vermeire Website here
Fragments By NVC Discovery Set photo NVC©
Thanks to the largesse of Neela Vermiere of Neela Vermeire Créations, we have a discovery set of the Neela Vermeire Creations Fragments By NVC collection for one registered reader in the USA, UK and EU. Please be sure to register. To be eligible, please tell us what appeals to you about Fragments By NVC based on Ida’s review and where you live. Which of the trio are you most drawn to? Draw closes 4/11/2022
April 7th , the day of this post is Deputy Editor and Natural Perfumery Editor Ida Meister’s birthday. On behalf of all of us at ÇaFleureBon, may your special day be fantastic, marvelous, and unforgettable… just like you! You have made our lives so much richer with your evocative writing, your elegance and grace.
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