Robert Piguet - Bois Bleu

Picture: Bois Bleu in its stylish, classical
Robert Piguet bottle 

Bois Bleu is created by the (almost) in house perfumer Aurlien Guichard for Robert Piguet and is the latest addition (spring 2013) to the Nouvelle Collection from 2012. Bois Bleu is classified as an unisex woody aromatic fragrance.

Bois Bleu starts with a intriguing blend of citrus and bergamot. The accord is somehow muted, it's note the sparkling, sunny a bit bitter uplifting accord which has evaporated when the topnotes are gone, but a sort of massive, much deeper accord which in texture and apperance, even if not so close in the citric smell, reminds me of the start of Mona di Orios Lux (swe) but more masculine. My first impression is that, just as with the aromatic NoteS of the Nouvelle Collection, Bois Bleu leans to the masculine side on the unisexscale.
But as always with Piguet fragrances, many things are going on and suddenly Bois Bleu becomes less aromatic and more spicy as a delicious note of nutmeg appears and take the centerstage still with the muted citric notes accompanying. The nutmeg is balancing a dry, non-sweet violet which is almost woody in character, Threre is nothing of the sweet, candy like violet or the more green violet with violetleaves which are the most common interpretations. The citric,violet,nutmeg trio is underscored with a wellbalanced woody base of vetiver, sandalwood and cedar where I think the warm and slight sweet character of sandalwood comes very well to its right. Bois Noir is subtle and engage the wearer during the whole dry down. The overall impression remains, despite the warmer, spicier part in the middle, that Bois Bleu is a more masculine in character but women searching for an aromatic fragrance should not hesitate to try it.

Trying Bois Bleu on Mr Parfumista the fragrance appears in a different way. The separate notes are much more distinct and the whole fragrance is brighter and somehow fresher. There is something in the mix and in the general impression of Bois Bleu there that on Mr Parfumista smells like a 2010s styled, refined and dimmed version of the wonderful Zino Davidoff from the 80s but without the distinct patchouli of the latter.
   
Just as its companions in the Nouvelle Collection, Bois Bleu is a fragrance of its own even if there is something familiar in the overall aura and some traces in common with two other Nouvelles: The nutmeg from Casbah and the sandalwood from Bois Noir. Bois Bleu is more discrete than the powerful Bois Noir, the sillage is medium but the longevity is very good, traces are still there after 24 h.

Rating: 5 (on Mr Parfumista) 4 (on me)

Notes: Bergamot, citruses, nutmeg, violet, sandalwood, cedarwood, vetiver

Robert Piguet – The house and perfumes

Picture: Nouvelle Collection by Robert Piguet
Photo: Perfumes Robert Piguet (c), all rights reserved

As a long time admier and wearer of Fracas, which is as close to a signature flower scent as I can come, I’m very fond of the house of Robert Piguet with it’s classy fragrances featured in equally sleek, elegant black bottles. To make a long story short, the perfumes was a part of the fashionhouse Robert Piguet with the legendary Bandit and Fracas created by the legandary, one of the first famous female perfumers, Germaine Cellier in the 1940s as also Visa (together with Jean Carles) and Baghari 1950. As the fashion house had to close down in 1951 the perfume brand continued but with changed ownership over the years. In the late 1950s and during the 1960s Calypso, Cravache and Futur were launched. In the late 1990s the perfumes Robert Piguet was acquired by the current owner, Fashion Fragrances & Cosmetics, and the ardous work to restore the Robert Piguet perfumes to it’s former glory began. Judging from the impressions of my nose the strategy of Robert Piguet CEO Joe Garces is utterly successful: First the skillful reinterpretations/recreations of Baghari,Visa, Cravache, Futur and Calypso, where the fragrances are reinterpreted by the house perfumer Aurelian Guichard with respect to the intentions of the originals. I have tested all of them expect the masculine Cravache and I like them all very much, especially Calypso (loveJ) and Baghari. Last year, Perfumes Robert Piguet introduced its first fragrance which is not based on the classics, Douglas Hannant. This contemporary, gardenia, pear, Fracas light inspiered fragrance, was made in collaboration with American haute couture designer Douglas Hannant to create a signature fragrance for the fashionhouse. This year the house of Piguet has continiued to release new fragrances in the expressive, multifacetted, elegant, classical style of the house. The Nouvelle Collection which I have the pleasure to test and review with start on Friday (continued with coming entries during the autumn/winter) have some fragrances inspired of the perfumes of the Middle East. There is also a collection geared to the Asian market, The Pacific Collection being launched in these days. Also an easier to wear Fracas Petit Fracas will be launched  2012.

The perfumehouse Robert Piguet finally seeems to have reached the safe harbor that these beautiful perfumes, the style and the creative spirit of this classical house really deserves.