Les Folies du Parfum Vestis (Private Collection) courtesy of the brand

This past Esxence in Milan there were brands too numerous to mention, much less explore: fact. Amidst all the fragrant furor, I became aware of a bustling throng which swarmed ceaselessly around a new fragrance house with which I was not familiar: Les Folies du Parfum, a Milan-based ultra luxe perfume brand founded in 2022. Les Folies recently debuted in the U.S. this past December at ScentXplore in NYC, and again this year at Esxence. The excitement was palpable; Monsieur Bertrand Duchaufour was the brand’s nose, so how could it be otherwise?

The entire milieu spoke of opulence, excess, and exclusivity. In addition to the twelve existing fragrances, Les Folies du Parfum was launching a private collection, a trio of intense perfumes inspired by Marchesa “La Divina” Luisa Casati Stampa, as envisioned by painter Cesare Saccaggi in his portrait of her as Semiramis in Semiramide, A Babilonia (aka In Babylon) . Of the three new compositions, I’ve chosen Les Folies du Parfum Vestis to review: a study in olfactory decadence.

Man Ray portrait of Casati dressed as Elisabeth of Austria via wikiart

“I want to be a living work of art.” ~ Marchesa Luisa Casati Stampa, muse, fashion icon, and adventuress

The Marchesa is an intriguing choice for fragrant muse, and most certainly a controversial one. First, consider the company’s name: Les Folies du Parfum, the madnesses of perfume. If madness and passions are the watchword, then we are not taken aback by the unequivocal forthrightness of this private collection’s overt ardor. Each of the fragrances sizzles with fervor and the innuendo of unslaked lust. So, too, does the brilliant and eventually tragic tale of the Marchesa Casati – whose infamous escapades, affairs, and excesses created a tremendous stir during her lifetime, inspiring poets, photographers, painters, and fashion designers for years to come. We may include amongst these the likes of Gabriele D’Annunzio, Man Ray, Augustus John, Romaine Brooks, Kees Van Dongen, and Jean Cocteau, to name but a handful. The lengths to which she went in pursuit of notoriety and spendthrift were legendary: it has been said that a single jewel-encrusted gown which Léon Bakst designed for her cost approximately the same sum as J.P. Morgan’s custom-fitted Rolls Royce.

Casati in in 1913, courtesy of the Casati Archives

By the time the Depression hit, Luisa found herself 25 million dollars in debt (by today’s reckoning, this amounts to approximately half a billion dollars). She dressed in outrageous garments, but her favorite one was nothing at all: she could be seen in Venice’s St. Mark’s Square of an evening, garbed only in a fur cloak, accompanied by her pet cheetahs on their diamond-studded leashes. Extremely slender and pale, the Parisians dubbed her the Venus of Père Lachaise behind her back.

Casati as painted by Cesare Saccaggi Semiramide (A Babilonia), 1905

What of Semiramis, the supreme muse whom the Marchesa was intended to embody? As is frequently the case, it becomes all too easy to fall down the proverbial rabbit hole where myth and legend are concerned. According to Diodorus, a Greek historian living in the 1st.C BC, she was a Lydian-Babylonian who ascended the throne of Assyria. Her reign was supposed to  last for 42 years, during which she conquered much of Asia and restored ancient Babylon. It is believed that her myth was based upon an historical figure named Shammuramat who ruled the Neo-Assyrian Empire for five years before her son assumed power. Her conquering much of the Middle East and the Levant helped stabilize the empire, and is likely responsible for the legend which ensued. We see this ferocity depicted in Saccaggi’s famous portrait, as she gazes seductively under heavy-lidded eyes accompanied by her snarling leopard – with an iconic golden Babylonian lion in the background.

Les Folies du Parfum Vestis the brand

Vestis translates from the Latin as garment – and Les Folies du Parfum Vestis refers to the golden threaded embroidered gown in which Luisa Casati is louchely draped. It is a precious, diaphanous thing, encrusted with pearls and impossibly divine adornments – and it leaves little to the imagination as it enfolds her willowy form. Vestis seethes, is bold: where there is a profusion of blossoms there is also fire and ancient wood entwined with a potent musk. The initial provocative burst feels playful for the briefest of moments, as our nose is tickled by black pepper (floral as well as spicy), clementine zest and a jolt of ginger in the top notes. There’s a flirtatious tone which accompanies the ebullient bouquet of rose, lilac, ylang-ylang, peony and orchid: a floral orgy is in progress, and one is swept up in the lively tempo of it. It’s joyful and hard to resist – but it is not the end of the tale. Underlining the art of enticement (and shock: the Marchesa was all about the element of shock) is a candidly carnal base of incendiary vanilla, hot and arid. It inflames, is excessive. The shadowy aspects of blatant sensuality find expression via what is referred to as ‘eternal musk’ – an apt description, as it is potent and insistent, amplified by moss, Ambroxan®, cashmeran, and a lasting oud presence. For all the fascination of its preceding elements, Vestis is base-heavy and impassioned, not a perfume to be taken lightly. It does not float upon the skin; it inhabits it for an extraordinary length of time. An entire day passes, and Vestis endures through multiple washings even until the next morning (and then some). It is a tenacious scent with enormous sillage.

Notes: black pepper, clementine zest, fresh ginger, rose, syringa, peony blossom, ylang-ylang, orchid, burnt vanilla, everlasting musk, moss, intense oud, Ambroxan® powder, cashmere wood accord.

The entire Les Folies du Parfum line is impressive, and they offer a wide range of fragrant choices. Great attention is paid to detail, as one would expect from such an exclusive brand – the luxurious packaging, rounded and fluted flacons that feel substantial in the hand and graceful to the eye. As yet, they are not sold in any boutiques in the U.S., although they have plans to become more widely available soon.

Sample received at Esxence, many thanks. My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

 

Les Folies du Parfum Vestis sample via Ida

I am offering my Esxence sample of Les Folies du Parfum Vestis extrait to one registered reader in continental US. You must register to have your entry count. To be eligible, leave a comment saying what sparked your interest about Ida’s review. Draw closes 4/25/2025

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