Fleurs de Rocaille (1934)
by Caron

I have been wanting to smell FLEURS DE ROCAIILE since I watched Scent of A Woman in the 1992. Nearly 2 decades later, I have finally acquired a little of it in parfum extrait.

Quite simply, this is an aldehydic floral done right. There is a slight animalic tone to the opening but nothing I would describe as 'poop'. Perhaps the vintage version is much more animalic? Anyway kudos to Ernest Daltroff for achieving such a fine balance. On some days, the rose or the carnation gets a little more airtime but often it graces the air like a refined floral bouquet. I find it timeless and quite elegant, just perfect for a lady.

7th September, 2011.

The classic icon of a stylized bouquet of rock garden flowers says it all from the electric blue tulips to the lip stick pink daisies, a multi faceted floral/amber parfum of immense beauty & complex construction. My recently opened flacon of 'extrait' from the early fifties has kept remarkably well, like a genie locked in his lamp this golden hued amber juice yearns to be liberated from it's crystal prison with the sole purpose of bestowing fragrant wishes upon those who would seek to sample one of Caron's most treasured jewels.This Ernest Daltroff creation is a sumptuous affair receiving similar recognition & acclaim also afforded to many of his earlier works including 'Bellodgia, 'Narcisse Noir' & 'Tabac Blonde', a symphonic opus masterly constructed with high quality absolutes, essences & raw materials all cleverly fixed & bolstered by powerful synthetics considered novel and innovative even 10 years after the launch of Chanel's No.5 & Arpege by Lanvin. I appreciate the floralcy in Fleurs de Rocaille, violette, lilac, lily of the valley and a gorgeous spiced carnation/rose effect similar to the theme in 'Bellodgia', no animalic undertones detected apart from a slight hint of civet, drying down with a warm lactonic ambery base counter balanced by cool cedar & sandalwood. Fleurs de Rocaille could be perceived as being dated, slightly stuffy and reserved by some, I have found this Grand Dame from Caron thoroughly charming and deserving of it's place in classic perfumery.

27th August, 2011.

(Pure Parfum Review)

Rose Perfeccion!

Hints of jasmine, carnation, rose, violet and lily of the valley are evident, but everything is so well blended, it's like being in a victorian garden.

This scent is a delicate, powdery floral, a great example of high quality French Fragrances.

On my skin this is more ylang-ylang and violet than carnation or jasmine.

My only regret is that this fragrance wears VERY close to the skin, but at least the scent doesn't disappear.


Fleurs de Rocaille is an absolute masterpiece.

26th January, 2011.

(Pure Parfum review)

Because I liked this in EDT, I wanted to try the parfum version. The parfum, on me, came out of the gate with... a fall on its face. Seriously, i couldn't smell anything. But i was heading out the door to see a movie (Inception) and couldn't apply another layer.

Two hours later, while siting in the theater, I was hit with a pure, dewy, oily-sweet note. At this point i thought it smelled exactly like N'aimez que moi, a similar rose/sandalwood composition. But after a while it became dryer, and very, very nice.

Have you ever flicked a styrofoam cup and gotten a 'thump'? This is how most commercial offerings wear to my nose. A flick to a glass mug adds a short vibrato to that thump and makes it crisper, and this is how alot of the better perfumes wear on me.

Caron (parfums) wear like Swarovski crystal. This is what's missing from the EDT version. Worth the extra $$, as always

6th June, 2010. (Last Edited: 17th July, 2010.)

Today, I was fortunate enough to test a very old bottle of perfectly-preserved 'Fleurs de Rocaille' in the parfum concentration.

And although I deplore these types of assertions/ associations from others:

It smells to me as if some intrepid, errant tomcat sprayed in my grandmother's bathroom, and at a loss for cleaning products, I attempt to wash it off the wall with a damp washcloth I have soaped-up... with some of 'Grammy's' "good" soaps -- the ones in her "guest bath", the ones she says are for "company"(that are shaped like sea shells and ostensibly "french-milled")... the ones that have been gathering dust for thirty years...

And as the dampness of the soapy cloth releases the cat-spray's deeper nuances into the air, I turn sharply to my right, towards the to the toilet I am kneeling next to, and thus catch an additional whiff of the blue sanitizing cartridge therein, futilely employed to obfuscate any evidence of my elderly grandmother's waning sanitary practice.

Such is 'Fleurs de Rocaille' in its original glory.

(At least I didn't mention "Pampers".)

2nd November, 2009.

Fleurs de rocaille is one of my all-time favourite fragrances. Of course it is a bit outdated but it is most certainly part of its charm as far as I am concerned. My mother who was a very refined and elegant woman used to wear it when I was a kid in the early 60's and I loved it. I am sorry Fleurs de rocaille is not very popular nowadays. Classic perfumes may not attract the younger generations but they still deserve to be kept on the market for those of us who still appreciate them.

27th September, 2009. (Last Edited: 4th September, 2011.)