Le Parfum
Elie Saab Le Parfum Eau de Parfum 90ml was the house's first fragrance, composed by Francis Kurkdjian and launched in 2011, and it is still the one the name is known for.
African orange blossom is the whole opening and much of the identity. It is a bright, clean, slightly bitter white flower with a warm syrupy depth behind it, and used at this strength it fills the first half hour completely. Jasmine then takes the heart, heady and sweet and a little heavier, and the two flowers together are what people recognise across a room. There is no fruit above them and none is needed.
The base is short and very well chosen. White honey adds a thick golden sweetness that pulls the flowers back together, patchouli gives earth and a damp dark depth, rose supplies richness underneath rather than on top, and virginia cedar brings a dry splintery structure that stops the sweetness spreading. Six materials in total, which for a fragrance carrying this much presence is remarkable, and a reminder that a long list is not the same thing as a strong perfume. It is a loud perfume in the best sense: expect strong projection for the first two hours and a long sweet floral finish, so one or two sprays is the correct dose and more is a mistake. It belongs to evenings, to cold and mild weather alike, and it is unambiguously feminine. The 90ml bottle is the full size and the one worth owning.
Elie Saab opened his couture house in Beirut in 1982, aged eighteen, and made his name in evening gowns, red carpet dressing and bridal wear. The perfumes are licensed rather than made in house, and this one set the direction for everything that followed it.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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