A growing craze (and I am definitely on board for it) is the rise of niche perfumes. Niche can mean…read morefrom a single compounder working in her garage to a large and venerated house with a long European pedigree. I would put PdM in the latter category.
Niche fragrances are distinguished nowadays from designers (YSL, Dior, Chanel, etc.) and they tend to emphasize natural oils and a range of categories from gourmand or food-like to smoky and leathery. Not just for women any longer, everyone can wear just about anything as it will mingle with individual chemistry and create something signature and personal to each wearer.
I have been getting up to speed on some really excellent scents for about the past year. One of my discoveries (through Sebastian Jara, The Perfume Guy) was Oajan from Parfums de Marly. Oajan is a velvety Oriental with a complex compound of flavors including Cinnamon, Honey and Osmanthus; Benzoin, Ambergris, Labdanum and Artemisia; and Vanila, Tonka Bean, Patchouli and Musk. Its delicious, sophisticated and exotic.
Imagine my happiness when I noted that Parfums is right across from one of my favorite restaurants (see my Bacari, BH review from last month). Since PdM perfumes are pricey, getting a chance to smell them (or 'get my nose on them' as the fragrance cognoscenti say) before plunking down some Georges is a definite must.
Parfums de Marly, BH is open on Sundays (bonus!). It is a sleek, cool, modern boutique where you might expect to see models emerge in Carolina or Oscar, but no, just it's exquisitely crafted perfumes in classic OG bottles are featured. See my photos (taken discreetly and perhaps not rising to great photographic standards as a result).
Myra was our customer assistant and she was as smooth as glass. I showed her my short list to sample on blotters and she immediately handed me elegant square ragcloth cards on which to smell each one. Then she offered me a sample of each save, unfortunately, the one I truly liked best, Herod. Still, I now have Safanad, Godolphin, Delina, and Althair to try out over the next week or two, since we will be back in BH later this month. Presumably, then I can try Herod or purchase one of the others. Myra explained the scent profile of each one so I could better understand what category it falls into, liking gourmands, spices, smoky, and orientals best, personally.
If you have a chance to stop in this particular (or any) PdM store, it is a delightful way to round out a day dining, people watching, and shopping. Ask for Myra on Sundays, to get the royal treatment yourselves.