Frederick Malle: Portrait of a Lady

It's the Saturday morning after the blonde IPA and a campfire with the dogs, and in a few hours I'll be at a beerfest.  So a good time, perhaps, to explore my other passion and indulgence, which is perfume.

I've been on a tuberose kick lately, which is a very round-about way of getting to my topic.   White florals are not my favorite (nor are they a love of my husband's), but in the dog days of summer, I feel compelled to try to wear them. Tuberose is perfect for these kind of days, for me, at least.  It projects a creamy, sweet, heavy vibe which seems made for lounging by a large body of blue water.  And the natural coconut undercurrent makes it even more perfect.

The three tuberose fragrances that have been in my recent rotation include Histoires de Parfume's Tuberose Animale, Beyond Love, prohibited by By Kilian, and Cambienne: Vernal Orgy by Possets.   Perfumistas will notice several omissions from this short list, including Fracas by Bandit and also Carnal Flower by Frederick Malle.

I have not tried Carnal Flower yet, although I have had it on my wishlist for a while.  Before I invest in even a decant of this scent (it's pricey!), however, I thought I should re-evaluate another perfume that I already have from the same house and same perfumer (Dominique Ropion, who also created a true favorite of mine, Lab on Fire's What We Do in Paris is Secret).

Portrait of a Lady is from Frederick Malle's Editions de Parfums collection.  Although it is a newer perfume, launched in 2010, it's name (based on the Henry James novel, which I realize I need to read) and its composition (rose and patchouli) harken back to older classics.  I had a decant of this rolling around in my collection, and had tested it about a year ago.  At that time, I was a bit "meh" on this perfume.  However, I know how important it is to give perfumes multiple chances, as some of my absolute favorites did not light me up initially.  

Portrait of a Lady is still a spicy, complex rose fragrance on me at first.  It's not my grandmother's sweet and basic rose, and it's not a goth rose despite the patchouli.  It's classy, beautiful, rich, graceful, and dark.  In time, the benzoin and musk come out, giving it a lovely and still elegant sweetness.  It's long lasting and has decent sillage.  I'm afraid I'm falling a bit in love with this perfume.   It's sophisticated and mature and complicated yet principled.  

It's not at all a scent to wear to a summer beerfest, though (not that any perfume is appropriate for a beer fest).  :)