Une Fleur de Cassie (2000)
by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle

To the uninitiated UNE FLEUR DE CASSIE may come across as crass, vulgar even, and all those earlier references to bodily orifices seem to have more than an iota of truth in them. Who on Earth would ever want to smell like this? But others may find the funky mix of florals, spices and musk oddly erotic, a scent reminiscent of sex (?). Or for nature lovers it could just be the scent of wild flowers and fallen petals in various phases of decay. In any case I find myself going through love, hate, reconciliation but eventually, resignation and separation. This is just not for me. While its artistry is undeniable and Ropion's execution flawless, IMO it's far too controversial when it doesn't need to be.

I do not know what cassie smells like, but I'm thinking it must be related to mimosa, as the fragrance this most strongly reminded me of was Caron's Farnesiana. It shares a curiously thick, doughy texture with that fragrance, but without the other gourmand elements found there. Instead, the flower-dough core is surrounded by car exhaust; smelling this is like smelling flowers by a highway, on a day with bad air pollution. It's not smoky, dark, dirty, animalic or even oddly petrochemical the way some fragrances are, but it is most assuredly smoggy, and this smog note is the first thing I notice about this fragrance and is - hopefully - its unique feature.

All in all, I find it very linear. It's a little "fresher" in the first few minutes, but there is no big difference between when it's put on and when it disappears ( twelve or so hours later, on me ). The sillage is moderate, and all in all this is in no way a big, luxuriant floral; in fact it's rather reserved. But then, I love big white florals, so I may have different standards than most!

One of my all time favourites. Bestial & rich, textured, voluptuous provocation. Big EFM fan, especially the edgy florals. After application, the tense rubbery industrial white floral trail opens its arms and releases the haunting emotive spice and hot skin note i seem to be constantly drawn to in scents. I keep returning to my own skin as the scent shifts and travels to its hovering vanillic echo of a end. As with nearly all the published Malle scents, the power is sometimes debatable. Some days it shocks me beautifully with it 30s music hall vulgarity, other days it just shimmers and fades. Extraordinary nontheless.

Talk about love-it-or-hate-it! Of course, every time a scent splits opinions as thoroughly as Un Fleur de Cassie, I'll be next in line to try it. The cassie blossom has a musty, foetid quality about it that's frankly more animal than floral. It's a note of decay, like the abandoned lair of a large mammal. I'll wager that it's this animalic edge that makes Un Fleur de Cassie such a controversial fragrnace.

The top notes are deceptive: jasmine and rose are first out of the gate. The notes are well rendered and blended, but in and of themselves they're nothing special. Then the cassie comes roaring past from behind though, and its earthy, even dirty influence runs the floral accord off the track and into uncharted territory.

A well judged touch of mimosa contributes some sparkle to the dark cassie, while the rose and jasmine meld with an exceptionally creamy sandalwood below. We've come a long way from the seemingly innocent opening, and anyone expecting a "pretty" floral will be sorely disappointed, if not utterly repulsed.

There is a beauty to Un Fleur de Cassie, but it's of the dangerous kind found in scents like Yatagan and Muscs Koublai Khan. The drydown is another surprise, with a very light powder and vanilla hovering above the soft sandalwood, all anchored by the murky shadow of the cassie note.

The sandalwood in Un Fleur de Cassie is much like the one Ropion employs in Carnal Flower. In fact, Un Fleur de Cassie could be the dark doppelganger to Carnal Flower, earthy and slightly threatening where its counterpart is sublime and ethereal. Un Fleur de Cassie will always be the ugly stepsiter of the two, but then I'm not often in a fairy princess kind of mood.

If this description hasn't turned your stomach, give Un Fleur de Cassie a try. Just give it enough time to drop its floral mask and reveal its true nature.

This is a stunning modern classic. Not only is this fragrance extremely faceted and complex, but it is beautifully powerful and coherent, true vintage that is a marked contemporary fragrance. Beautiful aldehydes and bergamote provide the opening counterpoint for a beautiful, woody violet note. All of this sits on a grand set of absolutes: mimosa, rose, jasmine, and cassie, an almost uncontrollable note.

What is everyone going on about?
Sweaty buttcheeks in a bottle.