Back to the Future: Marilyn back in the late 80s, when she was Les Bains Douches nightclub feared bouncer, holding Les Bains Guerbois 1986 Éclectique new fragrance dedicated to her (Marilyn picture via Les Bains Guerbois, Les Bains Guerbois 1986 Éclectique bottle ©Les Bains Guerbois, Les Bains facade via Les Bains – photomontage ©Emmanuelle Varron).
If you knew Paris a few decades ago, you could not have missed the legendary Bains-Douches, the trendiest nightclub in the French capital. A place already popular when created as a spa in 1885 by Francois-Auguste Guerbois, and full of artist celebrities (Proust, Zola, Renoir, Monet, etc.). But let’s go back to the end of the 20th century: all Paris was crowding rue du Bourg-l’Abbé, a stone’s throw from the Centre Pompidou and the Marais. Wealthy heirs, models, show business stars, but also anonymous people, so eager to be part of the trendy Parisian night. However, you had to cross the famous entrance gate and be dubbed by a woman who, in 1986, became its guardian: the famous Marilyn. Angelic blond but feared by all, she alone had the power to pronounce these words: “You! Welcome, have a good time!” or “You! Sorry, it’s a no. Goodbye“. Her fame largely exceeded the steps of the Bains-Douches; social networks did not exist then, but the press regularly devoted articles to Marilyn, introducing her as a modern-day Cerberus. That’s what you call a living myth!
Les Bains Guerbois fragrances showroom is a secret bedroom in Paris Les Bains 5* boutique-hotel – All pictures ©Emmanuelle Varron.
Then time passed. In 2015, the long-unoccupied nightclub was transformed into a 5* boutique hotel by owner Jean-Pierre Marois, keen to restore Les Bains to its former glory, making it once again a friendly place, where you could sleep, eat, party, and relax 24/7. In 2016, he launched Eau de Cologne des Bains Guerbois, created by Michel Almairac. Then in 2018, it was time for an authentic collection of perfumes that has since grown from year to year: overall, 9 perfumes evoking a significant date in Les Bains history, sometimes even linked to a personality. I reviewed Les Bains Guerbois 1992 Purple Night a few months ago, an uninhibited tuberose dedicated to “Prince” Rogers Nelson created by Master Perfumer Dominique Ropion.
Les Bains Guerbois 1986 Éclectique institutional campaign – ©Roberto Greco
Les Bains Guerbois 1986 Éclectique, a one-month London Harvey Nichols exclusive will be officially launched worldwide on 27th October, is a tribute to Marilyn. “1986”, date of Marilyn’s arrival at the Bains-Douches and “Éclectique” (Eclectic) symbolic of her way of choosing the lucky ones: ultra-selective bouncer, of course, mixing rich and those with no money but great looks, flouting luxury brands or wearing thrift shop threads. Night-time eclecticism is impossible to reproduce in everyday life, so Marilyn is, no doubt, a full member of Les Bains legend. And to convey this tribute in scent, who better than Bertrand Duchaufour, already author of Les Bains Guerbois 1978 Les Bains Douches?
During Les Bains Guerbois 1986 Éclectique pre-launch at Les Bains, on 6th October, Bertrand Duchaufour confided that he, of course, was contemporary of the Marilyn period, and that he was almost sure she had not let him in more than once. Marilyn, seemed shy, but so happy to be there, confessed to us that it was quite possible, because she had to subdue her true sweet personality and sometimes be unfriendly. They were both looking at each other and it was quite moving to watch the perfumer and his muse meeting for the first time. For me, rediscovering Les Bains Guerbois 1986 Éclectique this way (I had the chance to try it exclusively a few weeks ago in the hotel’s beautiful showroom), was a very beautiful and unique moment to live.
Muse Marilyn and Perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour at Paris Les Bains Guerbois 1986 Éclectique pre-launch event – ©SilvereParfum
When I spritzed Les Bains Guerbois 1986 Éclectique for the first time on my wrist, I was stunned by the intensity of its composition. A fresh and acidulous start, where the apple and yellow tangerine are deliciously juicy, intensified by the sweet and fruity facets of the davana. Then a sparkling and luminous treat is quickly taking on spicy aspects, with cardamom and black pepper to reinforce this openness all in freshness and intensity. I imagine myself in front of Les Bains Douches, in a long line full of noisy and stylish people, hoping to be noticed by Marilyn and thus enter the sacrosanct of the Parisian night.
Finally, Marilyn lets me in! I make my way to the dark basement of the nightclub, sweaty and deafening. Nearby VIP tables let out strong alcohol fumes. On my skin, a note of dried fruits takes on sweet accents. But not only: Bertrand Duchaufour also evokes a “whiskey vapors” accord obtained thanks to the essence of cabreuva (I Googled it: it’s a stimulant and aphrodisiac!). Here I am on the dance floor, in the middle of a colorful crowd with flowery scents; honeysuckle and geranium give off elegant and sophisticated notes, mixed with leathery facets reminiscent of the black perfecto which was an essential of the 80s wardrobe. Little by little, the warm and honeyed scents of cigarettes and cigars invade the atmosphere. In Les Bains Guerbois 1986 Éclectique, they are characterized by an addition of raw materials bringing this intoxicating roundness: broom, clary sage and honey support an addictive tobacco note that sticks to the skin, so it never leaves it. The bodies and the voices scramble on the track, under the jerky spots partially revealing the faces and the outfits that Marilyn approved. The hits follow one another, the glasses of champagne are never empty: it’s party time!
The 1986 songs I loved to dance or sing to: The Communards Don’t Leave me this way, Mylène Farmer Libertine, Janet Jackson What have you done for me lately, Niagara L’amour à la plage, Pet Shop Boys West End girls, Prince Kiss, Run DMC/Aerosmith Walk this way, Paul Simon You can call me Al, Téléphone Le jour s’est levé – Photomontage ©Emmanuelle Varron
Time flies. 6 am: the DJ stops the music, and the white lights are turned on, harsh and blinding, interrupting the magic of that crazy night. The outfits are no longer so beautiful, the mascara has smeared, the lips have lost all traces of color. It’s Cinderella after midnight! I slowly go up the steps that lead to the corridor, then go towards the Bains-Douches entrance gate. The light of dawn is soft and welcoming. By reflex, I put my nose on my wrist: the notes of Les Bains Guerbois 1986 Éclectique are still here, intense, and the tobacco facet has not gone away, at all! I perceive the earthy warmth of opoponax combined with the intensity of patchouli, playing between vanilla and chocolate accents. Even brighter than at the height of the evening but still just as honeyed, the scent has certainly softened thanks to the musk and the roundness of amber, but sticks deliciously to my skin, addictive as possible.
Les Bains Guerbois 1986 Éclectique is par excellence a festive fragrance with a composition of great richness: luminous, joyful and bewitching, it is worn boldly on the skin, without shyness. Ultra-sensual, it is a formidable weapon of seduction with an incredible hold that leaves no one indifferent, and especially not those who wear it. It is delightful to trace Bertrand Duchafour’s creative hand, whose scents can be true love potions. It is also a beautiful tribute from Les Bains Guerbois to the mythical Marilyn, now sanctified in the bottle.
Notes: davana, apple, yellow tangerine, cardamom, black pepper, dried fruits, leather, clove, honeysuckle, broom, geranium, clary sage, honey, tobacco, opoponax, oak moss, mate tea, musk, amber, patchouli.
Disclaimer: A huge “Merci” to Les Bains Guerbois for the 1986 Éclectique sample and bottle provided for this review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Emmanuelle Varron, Senior contributor and Paris Brand Ambassador
Les Bains Guerbois 100 ml bottle ©Emmanuelle Varron
Thanks to Les Bains Guerbois, we have a 100 ml bottle of 1986 Éclectique for one registered reader in the UK or EU. To be eligible, please leave a comment on what you feel about Emmanuelle’s review, where you live, and which is your “let’s party”song. Draw closes 10/18/2021. The bottle will be sent to the winner when Les Bains Guerbois 1986 Éclectique will be launched.
Available exclusively at London Harvey Nichols department store and in “avant-première” and limited pieces at Les Bains Guerbois, until its official launch on 27th October. It will then be available on Jovoy brand new website and all other Les Bains Guerbois distributors.
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