VÊPRES SICILIENNES

With Vêpres Siciliennes, a verdant fruity chypre, Perfumer Jeanne-Marie Faugier embarks upon a different olfactory journey— a journey to bella Italia. As the heat of the afternoon gives way to the early evening, it is a magical hour: Night is falling soon. The intoxicating smell of the orange orchards, still warm from the sun, rise up to meet the mysteries at hand for the evening, as lovers wait for the languor of evening shadows, and assassins heed the gathering darkness. Inspired by Verdi's opera of the same name, this fragrance honors the duality of man's nature— the peaceful time of prayer and the uncertain dangers that await.

The fragrance begins as a haunting, rich, lovely ode to an Italian tapestry of scent as we stroll through the orchard, with its smell of peppery citrus and crushed green leaves. Unexpectedly we encounter scents drifting from a distant garden on the quiet breeze... the warm, sensual flowers of jasmine, magnolia, ylang ylang and heliotrope mingling with the earthy woods of cedar and oakmoss. The fragrance, like the day, then takes an unexpected twist-- instead of a drydown of woods, only then is the secret, surprising heart of the fragrance revealed: Fruits and flowers when we least expect it. An early evening banquet is set out: Osmanthus, raspberry, clove, plum and peach entice us to linger, even as the shadows grow long beside us and the day grows still. It is the time for Vespers, and all is not what it seems. An unexpectedly rich scent that evolves continually and delightfully for hours.