Maison Violet Nuée Bleue Review (Nathalie Lorson) 2019 + Blue Iris Draw

December 9, 2019December 9, 2019

Maison Violet Nuée Bleue (Photo/Digital Effects/Collage: Despina Veneti)©

Looking back at 2019, one of my fondest fragrant memories is becoming familiar with the rich history of the Perfume House of Violet (once as illustrious as Guerlain, but nearly forgotten for the last 60 years), as well as witnessing its resurrection thanks to three young graduates of the École Supérieure du Parfum: Anthony Toulemonde, Paul Richardot and Victorien Sirot. Their plans for the new Maison Violet went much further than simply utilising the House’s legacy, and name, as backdrops for an essentially new brand: they chose to start off with a collection of scents which would bear the names of some of Violet’s past creations, in reimagined compositions. Composed by Master Perfumer Nathalie Lorson, the first four fragrances of the reborn Maison Violet (Pourpre D’Automne, Un Air D’Apogée, Sketch and Tanagra) formed a remarkably coherent and utterly captivating collection that masterfully balanced between creative boldness, and the House’s own olfactory heritage. Just before moving on to brand new things, Maison Violet just released a fifth creation within its inaugural “Heritage” range, under the name Nuée Bleue (the eponymous 1953 perfume is believed to have been the very last Violet release, just before the House ceased its activities in mid 1950s).

Clockwise: Paul Richardot, Anthony Toulemonde & Victorien Sirot of Maison Violet, Nathalie Lorson of Firmenich, and vintage Violet Nuée Bleue (Courtesy of Maison Violet)©

After obtaining a sealed flacon of vintage Nuée Bleue, the Maison Violet team discovered that the perfume’s vivid name (“Blue Cloud”) was infinitely more inspiring than the scent itself (the latter being an aldehydic white floral, bearing little relation to its moniker). Their decision was radical: that evocative name would be used for a entirely new fragrance, one that would aptly interpret the blue clouds in scent form. As the Violet trio says, Maison Violet Nuée Bleue had for them various meanings: it reflected both a moment of fullness and of great tension, a sensation between light and heavy, dry and soaked. They decided that the scent would be perfectly realized within the “eau fraiche” genre… but with a twist in terms of concentration, and performance. Anthony Toulemonde, one of the brand’s three co-owners/creative directors, shared with me: “The main difficulty we faced regarding Nuée Bleue was to create a fragrance with a beautiful wake that is both light and persistent. It was quite challenging to translate exactly what we envisioned in fragrance form. Some of the trials were too woody, and gave the perfume an overly “masculine” dimension. Another one was a bit too retro…”

Blue Iris (Photo/Digital Effects/Collage: Despina Veneti)©

After almost two years of working on the composition with Mme Lorson, the creative team finally completed what I perceive as an exemplary retro-modern, iris-centered fragrance of neoclassical beauty. Consistently with the eau fraîche concept, Maison Violet Nuée Bleue opens with radiant, invigorating bergamot and lemon; to my nose, however, the main function of this citrus opening is not so much to refresh, as to brightly greet the scent’s true protagonist: the crisp, sophisticated iris, (omni)present right from the start. An unexpected floral heart soon blooms along: comforting orange blossom offers a warming embrace to the cool iris, while piquant carnation breathes in an air of nostalgic (but by no means dated) sensuality. The iris absolute’s own earthiness is enhanced by an aromatic, balsamic/sweet, woody base of benzoin, cedarwood and sandalwood, while fluffy white musks seal the composition’s celestial aura, keeping it ethereal and diffusive. The overall evolution of Maison Violet Nuée Bleue on the skin feels like the caress of a deceptively gentle, electrically charged rush of air, just before a storm is about to break: eerie and familiar at the same time.

Susan Shaw in front of an Azimuthal Map, 1943 (Photo: John Rawlings for Vogue)©

Maison Violet Nuée Bleue inhabits that time/space zone of “between”, which is also the home of eternally soulful, crepuscular fragrances like Guerlain L’Heure Bleue and Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist. Although less complex and lyrical than those two masterpieces of longing, the wistful (yet curiously optimism-infused) beauty of Nuée Bleue is fit to shine in a corner of the same starry sky with them. A stellar scent of transition, Maison Violet Nuée Bleue bids a smiling “au revoir” to the House’s Heritage Collection, clearing the horizons for new, hopefully exciting, things to come.

Notes: Bergamot, Lemon, Orange Blossom; Iris Absolute, Carnation Accord; Sandalwood, Benzoin, White Musk.

Disclaimer: I’d like to thank Maison Violet for my bottle of Maison Violet Nuée Bleue. The opinions are my own.

– Despina Veneti, Senior Editor

Thanks to the generosity of Maison Violet we have a draw for a full 75ml bottle of Maison Violet Nuée Bleue (value: 145€) for one registered reader in EU or USA. You must register here or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what you enjoyed most about Despina’s review, if you have tried any Maison Violet fragrances, and where you live. Draw closes 12/12/2019

Maison Violet is available at Indigo Perfumery in the USA

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