From bottle to scent
Spritzzzzzzzz!
Instantly recognizable, thanks to its famous spicy-floral note, l’Air du Temps hits the bull’s eye with an extraordinary talent for occupying an olfactory space without saturating your sense of smell!
Rose, jasmine, gardenia… There’s something magical in the way this tapestry unfolds, scattering luxurious petals like a veil in a breeze… And in this divinely composed bouquet, to which carnation bestows a spicy signature, a character both unexpected and retro, that has been so important to the scent’s success.
But that’s hardly the only spell this perfume casts: by focussing on different synthetic molecules – some of which were unknown in the world of traditional perfumery at that point, Francis Fabron, the designer, rose to the challenge of sassy modernity with a perfectly gauged sheen of subtle classicism. Like an electric Stradivarius, crinolines of fluorescent satin, or digital parchment paper: at a time when other scents are exploring powdery “coquette”, sticky chypre or bracing floral territories, he composed a delicate score that is as solidly anchored as a monument!
I can already hear the lamentations of all those – both male and female – who miss the original formula…
Which was better, obviously, and now they’ve gone and reworked it. Mandatory changes to conform to current standards, and of course, it’ll never be the same again… So L’Air du Temps has changed, has it? Well, so have we! And would it be more precious to us had it been preserved in some fusty museum, inaccessible to the hoi polloi, like so many of its peers? What is it that makes everything from the past shimmer in the dark recesses of our minds? Have you ever heard anyone say that an updated formula was actually an improvement on the original’s trail?
This plea could, of course, apply to all those classics whose evolution is watched bitterly (and with a bit of snobbery) by the “people had better taste then” set: it’s so chic to play the knowledgeable connoisseur, and compare the new version to the original, isn’t it?
And while I do share their recriminations sometimes – when formulas are sacrificed on the altar of production costs, I’m perfectly happy to play Devil’s Advocate for this perfume in particular!
Probably because of the name…
Change is practically inscribed in your DNA when your names is The Air of the Times … so the least you can do, it seems to me, is go along with them!