A 1922 Peau d’Ane illustration by Harry Clarke welcomes Jardins d’Écrivain – illustration ©Wikipedia, bottle ©Jardins d’Écrivains Peau d’Âne and collage ©Emmanuelle Varron.
Our sense of smell is undeniably linked to our most personal memories, a remarkable marker of time and capable of provoking emotions that are sometimes difficult to contain. And perfume is a wonderful way to recreate and even prolong these feelings. Jardins d’Ecrivains, a brand created just over ten years ago by Anaïs Biguine, reinterprets writers (Emile Ajar/Romain Gary, William Burroughs, George Sand, Oscar Wilde…) and cult works (Guillaume Apollinaire Alcools, St. John Perse Exile, Colette Gigi…) of world literature through her olfactive lens. Each perfume is an exercise in style that evokes our memories of reading and makes this collection even more intimate. Visiting the brand’s magnificent boutique in the heart of the Marais, between the Place de la Bastille and the Place des Vosges, gives you the opportunity to discover this elegant and timeless atmosphere created by Anaïs Biguine, who composes her own perfumes.
Anais Biguine, Jardins d’Ecrivains founder and perfumer – ©Jardins d’Écrivains.
Late last year, the brand launched a new fragrance inspired by Peau d’Âne, a famous story by Charles Perrault (written in 1664) and the first of its kind in France. The story of a young princess who runs away from her widowed father who wanted to marry her off, so she hides in a neighboring kingdom dressed in a simple donkey skin and goes on to conquer the heart of a charming prince thanks to a “love cake” she baked especially for him. A very popular fairy tale among children, it became a cult film (especially in France) in 1970 when Jacques Demy made a movie version with a dream cast (Catherine Deneuve, Jean Marais, Delphine Seyrig, Jacques Perrin) and the music composed by Michel Legrand, several of whose songs are among the classics of film scores. A bit dated today, this movie remains a must-see for me, and I rarely miss the reruns on television.
Jacques Demy Peau d’Âne 1970 movie starring Catherine Deneuve – ©Marianne Production.
I discovered Jardins d’Écrivains Peau d’Âne by chance at Jovoy Paris, a few days after its release. I wasn’t sure I would like it because the recipe for the love cake came to mind (flour, eggs, milk, sugar, butter, sourdough, honey and salt) and my goodness, it’s hard to ignore the gourmand spirit… which is not necessarily my preferred scent profile. But on closer inspection, the composition of Jardins d’Écrivains Peau d’Âne was much more inspiring iris, carrot seed, labdanum, patchouli, accompanied by notes of flour and suede… I imagined Catherine Deneuve hiding under her donkey skin in an abandoned hut, preparing the famous cake that would make Prince Charming’s heart flutter. Between sweetness and animalic, enchantment and sensuality. And on the skin? A miracle! I was so enchanted that I returned to Anaïs Biguine’s boutique a few weeks later to rediscover Jardins d’Écrivains Peau d’Âne, this time in the perfumer’s own universe. The feeling was always present, and I enjoyed the generous sample that I was offered.
Jardins d’Écrivains shop in the Paris Marais area (left) ©Jardins d’Écrivains, inside ©Emmanuelle Varron.
The first few seconds of Jardins d’Écrivains Peau d’Âne take me back to a childhood and my memories of my mother’s hairspray, with a very light citrus note (probably the combination of lime and turpentine listed in the composition). It is a very fleeting scent, but it was so ingrained in my mind that I immediately remembered it. Then iris appears in all its nobility, both powdery and rooty, with this delicious carrot facet that I always find addictive and that gives an air of suspended time. A wilder tone that blends perfectly with the suede note, both leathery and velvety, which exudes a controlled and mysterious animalic quality. A skin that touches the skin, intimate, warm and smooth. This triptych of iris, carrot and suede is the backbone of the surprisingly long-lasting Jardins d’Écrivains Peau d’Âne. As the hours pass, labdanum and, above all, patchouli bring a chypre facet that adds to the elegance and sensuality of Anaïs Biguine’s creation, with its delicate yet assertive nuances. What a journey!
Spraying a few drops of Jardins d’Écrivains Peau d’Âne is like stopping time; wearing a skin scent of delicacy, at once soothing and seductive. A fairy-tale perfume that is also an olfactory poem, far from many of today’s flashy, “crowd pleasing” fragrances that are produced at high speed…slow and literate perfumery. As delicious and charming as a Jacques Demy movie…
Notes: lime, iris, turpentine, carrot seed, labdanum, flour, suede, cedarwood, patchouli.
Disclaimer: Merci to Jardins d’Écrivains for the Peau d’Âne sample provided for this review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Emmanuelle Varron, Senior Editor and Paris Brand Ambassador
Jardins d’Ecrivains Peau d’Âne 50 ml bottle – ©Jardins d’Ecrivains.
Thanks to Anaïs Biguine and Jardins d’Ecrivains, we have a 50 ml bottle of Peau d’Âne Parfum Mixte (for men and women) for one registered reader in USA, UK and EU. To be eligible, please tell us how you feel about Emmanuelle’s review, are you familiar with Jardins D’Ecrivains and where you live. Is there a fairytale you would like Anais to base a perfume ? Draw closes 02/4/2023.
Jardins d’Ecrivains Peau d’Âne is available on the brand’s website, its 15 rue des Tournelles Paris shop, and on Jovoy Paris’s website and 4 rue de Castiglione boutique.
Please read our reviews of Marlowe Junky, Wilde, La Dame Aux Camelias, Kakuzo, Orlando, Gigi, Les Cocottes de Paris: La Castiglione, Melle Cleo, La Belle Otero.
Editor’s note: We are thrilled that Jardins D’Écrivains returns once more to our pages.
Many of the brand’s offerings can be found at ZGO in the USA
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