"My Own Private Classic" by Poivre Bleu

One day, a close friend who wears Eternity asked me, “If I were to wear a classic scent, what would it be?”. Without a moment’s hesitation I answered, “L’Heure Bleue”. I could just as easily have said, “Yves Saint Laurent’s Paris,” but I didn’t, for the simple reason that her mother wore it, and generally speaking, women rarely wear the same perfume as their mothers.

Yet Eternity does borrow as much from Paris as it does from L’Heure Bleue, combining elements from each in a way that creates something new. You recognize both Paris’s bouquet of powdery flowers (violet and rose) and the nostalgic softness of L’Heure Bleue (heliotrope and a clove-carnation note). Still, it leaves the romantic atmosphere of its predecessors behind, preferring something more imposing: you sense the gravitas when you discover this composition.

Eternity belongs to that category of perfumes that, in addition to being both moving and well-composed, carries with it a veritable presence, an aura, I’m almost tempted to say a body. You can hear a voice, distinguish a silhouette… It leaves behind a trail that combines the serious with the nostalgic, as well as a kind of serenity. It’s calm, sturdy and thoughtful, like the woman who wears it.
In my opinion, that’s where this perfume’s “classic” signature, the key to its success, lies. Over a clever assemblage of classic perfumery facets (the rose-violet floral bouquet, the powdery heliotrope note, the spicy carnation-clove mix), it managed to create a distinctive, recognizable olfactory imprint.

Right from its release, in 1988, it was presented as a reference, a scent that had been built to last: the name, the inspired composition, and the black-and-white campaign. It is one of the most coherent creations of the last two decades, and I definitely consider it to be both a pillar of 90s perfumery and a reference in its category – spicy florals. It undoubtedly paved the way for both Kenzo Jungle L’elephant and Yves Saint Laurent’s Cinema, both of which found inspiration in Eternity’s unique aura. And like all great perfumes, Eternity never seems trivial or old hat; it speaks to the past, present and future of those who smell it.

My future classic?

If I were to talk about a recent perfume that seems to have what it takes to establish itself with renown in the world of fragrance, I would start by sifting through the multitude of new scents brands drown us in each year to pull out 2 or 3 pearls. One of those pearls, in my opinion, would be a perfume like Estée Lauder’s Sensuous, a scent with an unusual signature, one that is totally unexpected from a “general public” house. A perfume that leaves the beaten path of perfumery and offers anyone with some curiosity a chance to “open their nose.”

About the author

I am Juliette, a.k.a. Nez Bavard (“Talkative Nose”), and since December 6, 2006, I have been running Poivre Bleu. It’s a blog about the emotions, beauty and art of perfumery, open to anyone who wants to discuss the topic and share their thought about it.
See her blog: http://poivrebleu.com