Suede Osmanthe Eau de Parfum

When Pierre Guillaume reworks a fragrance, he does so from the bottom up ? if L'Eau de Circe was his fruity paeon to the peachy osmanthus, Suede Osmanthe is its dark, mysterious cousin whose true identity is in question. Osmanthus is a most bewitching flower, its elegant petals often scenting the rice fields of China with their potently smoky, fruity fragrance. In Suede Osmanthe, the delicate flower's seductive contrasts are deconstructed and magnified to gorgeous effect. The first surprise comes in the fresh, lilting fizz of aldehydes - herbaceously floral and soapy-clean, the bubbles float and tug at the surface of a just-ripened apricot, and the fuzzy skin lets out small whiffs of the sweet fruit within. In a most natural transition, apricot skin melts into soft, cozy suede, and leathery Suederal radiates with the black tea leaves in a smoky embrace. The notes suddenly ring perfectly of a sleek osmanthus, slimmed down to its essentials. The illusion completes itself in a wave of silky musks, androgynous and mysterious. It's a chic illusion, as there's no actual osmanthus here, but as with the most beautiful sleight-of-hand, you'll fall in love anyway.