J Wearescentient’s D’Orsay Fantastique bottle and closeup of the label
Marguerite Duras’ writing & films have taught me about love, silence, desire and despair and also lead me to discover the house of D’Orsay, with their 2021 release Nous Sommes Amants. M.D. by Bertrand Duchaufour. The House never directly states that M.D. is Marguerite Duras, but ‘Nous Sommes Amants’ (We Are Lovers) definitely refers to one of her most famous books ‘The Lover’ from 1984.
Collage by J: D’Orsay ‘Nous Sommes Amants. M.D Marguerite Duras courtesy of the brands site
I have yet to smell D’Orsay ‘Nous Sommes Amants. M.D.’, so have only imagined how this incense scent might smell. It did however place D’Orsay on my radar and as a house inspired by literature, especially one of my favourite writers, I was excited and so off I went to discover more of its history.
Alfred d’Orsay by James Fraser Vintage D’Orsay advertisement – Collage by J
Established in 1908, D’Orsay took their name from French artist, fashionista and all-round dandy extraordinaire Alfred d’Orsay, the Count of Orsay. Alfred is credited as the composer of some of their classic perfumes for his lady friends, though he was long dead before the perfume house was established, I however love to lean into the myth as it makes this story more fun. The perfume house has a tumultuous history running for nearly 80 years, closing in 1983, then reopening in the mid 1990’s for a short while, then revived again in 2007 by Marie Huet and since 2015 is run by Amélie Huynh, who fell in love with D’Orsay and their rich story. Her love of these perfumes gives a new lease of life and contemporary design, by working with perfumers such Olivia Giacobetti, Fanny Bal, Mark Buxton and Bertrand Duchaufour to name a few, all while holding onto the heritage and values of D’Orsay’s history. You see some of the classic names reoccur, up dated and I’m wondering if Amélie Bourgeois’ ‘Les ombres fantastiques. A.R.’ (2020) is a contemporary take on the vintage bottle of Fantastique sitting in my hand. Some of the notes listed definitely give me pause for thought as there definitely a crossover.
Vintage D’Orsay advertisement for Fantastique Collage by J
I do however have my vintage bottle of D’Orsay Fantastique, parfum de toilette, which I bought still sealed from eBay late last year from France. Now the quandary, I have found various notes listings and I’m not sure which are right? The D’Orsay perfumes blog has some of the opening and florals similar to what I detect, with the mossy base and soft animalic purr, while other sites pick up on the gardenia as it dries down with musk and wood in the base, but mentions stone fruits, (which I don’t really get at all). So here’s my take on D’Orsay Fantastique.
J Wearescentient’s D’Orsay Fantastique bottle
D’Orsay Fantastique opens with aldehydic bitter greens and bergamot with soft spices give you a classic chypre feel, a little vintage Miss Dior and Grés’ Cabochard, but a more round greenness, with the galbanum having it’s subtle vegative side revealed. It’s almost like a gardenia blooms from this galbanum stem, it’s soft floral almost mushroomy musky undertones joins the greens and a cardamom like spice. Imagine a green carnation, but like it’s just out of focus, with either lily of the valley or cyclamen aldehydes giving a soft soapy clean feel; it’s hard to tell. Rose and jasmine make an appearance too with their smooth classic elegance; a softly sensual rough silk sensation, the kind that civet gives with that slight wink of carnality and whisper of warm intimacy, all draped in a powdery oakmoss and iris velvety haze. As the gardenia’s time in the sun fades, it leaves its musky sensuality to seep into the animalic furry base that’s slowly taking over.
Fantastique’s movement from the fresh green opening to lounging draped in soft furs while exuding a carnal spice occurs over 30 minutes or so on my skin and its this dry down I fell for instantly. For me D’Orsay Fantastique is all about Animalis, a perfume base created by Synarome in the 1920’s, one that mimics civet and Tonkin musk along with other materials to give you this softly sweet furry sensation that sings of seduction. Its gently waxy, almost like a light costus with civet’s floral side more on show, you get just a whisper of that spice warm bodies emit from more intimate areas. The oakmoss and powdery iris or maybe it’s vetiver, make this feel like your snuggling close to a satisfied lover, as sandalwood lingers in the base, giving you this creamy skin like feel. Marguerite Duras would approve.
Fantastique is full of textures adding to this sensual scent’s experience from bitter unrequited love to fully embracing sensuality, definitely one that should be saved from le ploubelle of time, as D’Orsay Fantastique is fantastic!
Top notes: aldehydes, bergamot, galbanum, spice. Middle notes: gardenia, rose, jasmine, civet, iris, cardamom. Base notes: animalic, Tonkin musk, civet, orris, sandalwood, oakmoss, vetiver.
Disclaimer: Review is based on a bottle from my personal collection. Opinions and notes are my own. Please remember that perfumes vary from bottle to bottle when it comes to vintage.
-Guest Contributor, J Wearescentient who is an artist and olfactive writer.
Please read Senior Editor Emmanuelle’s review of D’Orsay Sur Tes Levres E.Q. and learn more about the revival of the house.
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