I have been wondering when the luxury brands were going to start jumping on the floral gourmand bandwagon. In the mainstream sector this has become one of the more consistent styles meant to appeal to younger perfume aficionados. For the most part the independent and luxury niche market has shrugged in response. It looks like Louis Vuitton Attrape-Reves is going to go first.
The Louis Vuitton fragrance foray has been too safe in my opinion. They have done some nice versions of styles without finding anything new. When the recent set of five was released Nouveau Monde provided me what I expected from the Louis Vuitton brand; a fabulous leather. Everything else in the collection has been transparent. I presume also to woo upscale younger consumers. Attrape-Reves is in this vein. The difference is the floral gourmand style has not been around that long allowing for something different. Which allows for it to stand out.
Jacques Cavallier
I also have to say that I don’t usually expand my vocabulary due to the press release but in this case perfumer Jacques Cavallier described the perfume like this, “It’s a dialogue between precious ingredients that, in theory, have no reason to cohabit. And yet, on the skin, they converse, crepitate, and command attention.” Crepitate? I had no idea what that was. Turns out the definition is “to make a crackling sound”. Turns out that is a good description as M. Cavallier sets up some nicely orthogonal accords which sort of crackle into each other.
That is where Attrape-Reves starts with ginger and lychee forming what reminded me of an Asian restaurant accord. It is like the scent of those ingredients are lifting off a dish containing both. This isn’t as humid as that description might portend. It is delineated as the zestiness of the ginger interacts with the off-beat sweetness of the lychee. This leads to the heart where a peony accord bolstered by Turkish rose crackles against cocoa flower. The freshness of the floral wrestles with the attempt to be coated in the chocolate. There really is a bit of give and take more than a harmony. Patchouli brings it home with a less earthy fraction continuing the opaque style until the end.
Attrape-Reves has 8-10 hour longevity and average sillage.
It is a curious effect of this transparent floral gourmand style that the quality of the ingredients doesn’t make as much of an impact. There are some great ingredients here but because M. Cavallier is keeping them at such a lighter level some of the deeper complexity is lost. I am left wondering if this style will translate to the luxury side so easily because of this.
I do like Attrape-Reves quite a bit for being a floral gourmand with style. If you’re looking for a step up from the mainstream floral gourmands, this is worth trying. You might enjoy having some crepitation happening on your skin.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample provided by Louis Vuitton.
–Mark Behnke
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