La Petite Robe Noire Gift Set
Sour cherry is the first thing anyone notices about the Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Gift Set, and it is the reason the fragrance inside became so widely worn.
Inside are the 75ml Eau de Parfum and a 20ml spray. The cherry is handled tart rather than syrupy, more like the fruit with the stone still in it than like a liqueur, and almond sits beside it giving a cool, faintly bitter edge while bergamot keeps the opening sharp. The middle is where it turns dark. Licorice brings a sweet, slightly medicinal black depth, tea adds a dry tannic quality, and rose and taif rose together supply the floral centre, the taif variety deeper and jammier than ordinary rose. The last hours are soft and powdery: vanilla rich but not cloying, anise cool and sweet, tonka bean warm and dusty, patchouli earthy underneath, and iris turning the whole thing cool and slightly austere as it fades.
Twelve materials, and the contrast between tart fruit and dark sweetness is the entire concept. It leans towards evenings and cold weather, although it is worn year round by plenty of people who ignore that sort of advice, and at eau de parfum strength it holds for a long time without shouting.
As a gift it is close to a sure thing. The scent is well known and well liked, it has been worn long enough to have a following, and the set removes the question of which size to choose. Thierry Wasser is credited with the composition.
Founded in Paris in 1828 and owned now by LVMH, Guerlain built its standing on Eau de Cologne Imperiale, made in 1853 for the marriage of Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie and rewarded with an official perfumer's appointment. Shalimar followed from a later generation in 1925.
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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