Quelques Fleurs L'Original (1912)
by Houbigant

As other reviews have noted, this is a rich, deep, slight spicy (in my opinion) floral that has an old-school, ladies-who-lunch vibe to it. It doesn't waver much from it's opening notes of florals, which are strong but not overly so, and has a sophistication that is appropriate for day or evening. It's womanly rather than girly, so you have to be a real grown-up to wear it well.

29th January, 2012.

I would like to sample L'Original one day. As far as Quelques Fleurs, it's a home run.

22nd January, 2010.

I agree with elfkincatcher- there is a perfume missing from this list- the just plain "Quelques Fleurs". It was made through the early 1970s as was pointed out and it is only found in vintage forms, but not too hard to find still, if you know where to look. Anyway, it is a beautiful scent, not green sharp but very balmy, polleny, exactly like a lush bouquet of assorted flowers, lilac, honeysuckle, narcissus, lily, rose, iris, turerose, carnation, violet and more, heavy at the point of still bursting fullness, and the base is sweet and precious with beeswax and softest resins. It is light enough to be worn anywhere, and if you recall the scent of Faberge Wheat Germ Oil and Honey Shampoo, you have an idea of the smell of this perfume.

7th February, 2009.

Too often this is called simply 'QUELQUES FLEURS' and is retailed as such but it isn't! This perfume 'QUELQUES FLEURS L'ORIGINAL' bears little resemblence to Quelques Fleurs which was created a couple of years after L'Original. Both are by Houbigant but whilst L'original has been resurrected (reformulated?) and is available retail, Quelques Fleurs is only available in the 'vintage' market! L'original is quite a heady floral perfume but there is something not quite right about it - whether this is the reformulation I don't know as I have never smelled the REAL L'Original. It improves greatly after a few minutes so if testing it WAIT and don't rub it!!! BUT believe me it doesn't even come close to Quelques Fleurs! That is just scentsational! It is like falling asleep in a flower garden on a hot summers day - a died and gone to heaven fragrance - youthful but not young - it is a perfume that any woman can wear at any time of the day. L'Original just doesn't have the same qualities. They stopped making Quelques Fleurs back in the 70's I think - or at least they retailed it in UK only in Harrods in an attempt to raise its profile to where it originally was - I think they made it for the USA market for a little longer. My mother introduced me to it in the late 60's - it had been one of her favourites. I have both Quelques Fleurs and Quelques Fleurs L'Original - I have given it the thumbs up as L'Original is lovely ....BUT...........

8th July, 2008.

Dense describes it perfectly -- a dense multi-floral from another era altogether. Don't think for a moment, though, that "dense" here implies sodden or heavy. No, this is dense complexity -- the French perfumer's art at its best.

What starts out as tuberose overdose with lily and jasmine galore soon dries down into a green floral delight and then onward into a warm and inviting muskiness.

Very, VERY old school opulence -- not for the faint of heart, nor for the die-hard fan of Tommy Girl and other relentless, watery clone frags. Appropriate for any age if worn with confidence. A must-try for any frag aficionado, too.

11th April, 2008.

Quelque Fleurs translates literally into "some flowers" but figuratively into "whatever flowers" with the implication that this is a casual assortment, not a formal arrangement. As the story goes, there are supposed to be 313 flowers in this fragrance. Indeed there are many; and this is a perfume for floral lovers. The ones that stand out most to me are lily, orange blossom, carnation, and tuberose, but none of them drown out the others. Each accepts its space graciously, and allows infringment by the others, resulting in a big but surprisingly light and elegant bouquet. I like this, but I don't love it, as I wear mostly woody scents. If you love multi-florals, though, this is a good one.

20th October, 2007.