Fleur d'Iris (1988)
by Maître Parfumeur et Gantier

This one is wrong for me. It is permeated with violet and violet leaves, and the perfume comes across as sour rather than sweet. Adding iris and vetiver only makes it drier. The base never sweetens for me. On the whole, it reminds me of soap. Expensive soap, but soap nonetheless. Knowing personal tastes for what they are, others may find it charming.

I experienced Fleur d'Iris somewhat differently than did Foetidus. Of course he's far more educated in these arts, so take my review for what it's worth.

I initially sense an accord that is mostly iris, with perhaps some green notes to fill it out. Within a few minutes the first traces of vanilla appear, and slowly but surely vanilla becomes a more prominent note. I never thought of, or experienced, a vanilla iris accord. It is fantastic... the coolness and woodiness of the iris balanced against the warmth of vanilla. As the fragrance develops, vanilla becomes more prominent. About 3 hours after application the iris is but a coolly mild hint, and the vanilla becomes more amber-ish and musky.

I received samples of this simultaneously with MPG's Iris Bleu Gris. IBG is the 'masculine' iris by this house, and whereas pepper to balance iris in IBG, Fleur d'Iris uses vanilla. Fleur d'Iris is not particularly feminine and could easily worn by guys.

Top Notes: Rose, leafy green;
Middle Notes: Iris, vanilla, jasmine, violet;
Base Notes: Ambergris, vetiver, musk.

The initial inhalation of the opening green notes is potent. Sorry I can’t attest to the first hour of the fragrance—unfortunately for me, this fragrance features that violet note that overwhelms my nose. After about an hour the violet note has dispersed to the point where I can determine many of the remaining notes: The first additional recognizable note is the iris. It’s a lovely iris—a little bit raw and natural, but not at all aggressive: More like “perky.” It is not powdery to my nose. I find the rose note and the green notes receding but quite complementary to the iris accord; it’s a very good combination. The amber, vetiver, and sandalwood drydown is somewhat warm and comfortable and also a tad perky. It is a feminine fragrance, but not excessively so. I have to pass on this fragrance because of the violet green note, but it is an unusual and interesting presentation of the iris.