Drôle de Rose (1996)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

The combination of honey, rose, and purple flowers in AP DROLE DE ROSE makes it impossible for me to wear this perfume without thinking of Jean-Charles Brosseau OMBRE ROSE. True, the AP composition does not open with a somewhat off-putting blast of powder and aldehydes, but the drydown has a similar sort of charm.

Imagine a trunk filled with taffetta and tulle. Dig around a bit, and you may even find a tutu and some pink satin toe shoes with long silken ribbons for lacing up over leotards. The trunk's lining has been dusted with talcum powder to preserve everything inside. DROLE DE ROSE gestures in the direction of this nouveau-vintage image, but stops short. OMBRE ROSE, in contrast, goes all the way.

22nd October, 2011.

What a lovely little pixish violet/rose fragrance this is! It makes me feel like dancing.

27th May, 2011.

The overall effect is baby powder plus Nivea cream—i.e., almost identical to the fragrance of L’Occitane’s famous shea butter hand cream. [2 out of 5 stars]

14th May, 2011. (Last Edited: 18th May, 2011.)

The violet note is first off the blocks, followed seconds later by some very shortlived orange blossoms. The rose accord joins in with its mildly fruit jam-like presence but is well complimented by the powdery violets, a light dusting of irises and a green stemlike note that reminds me of Diptyque's excellent L'Eau dans L'Ombre. As with many L'Artisans, the scent lingers close to the skin, playfully switching between a soft rose-violet accord and one that smells a lot like 'body lotion'. Delightfully drôle indeed!

5th December, 2010.

L'Artisan Drole de Rose

Notes: rose, aniseed, orange blossom, white iris, violet, almond, honey, leather (from luckyscent.com)

What a beautiful composition Drole de Rose is! It starts with a soft, dry green accord, along with a dusty and tart rose that seems mild and daring at the same time. The violet note, a somewhat odd character which is both leafy and aromatic, helps create a classic rose sensibility, and paired with some iris, is powdery enough to evoke the smell of makeup bag or lipstick without being musty. Later in the development, the rose in DdR gives an almost candied impression, as if it were preserved in confectioner's sugar and ground rose hips. The tendency is somewhat toward rose jam, but more in the direction of a dried rose-scented fruit. The fruitiness stays in check with a vaguely medicinal leather note which keeps the fragrance balanced. In the late drydown, a slightly sugary amber accord persists. Drole de Rose reminds me of the novel ways in which vintage clothing is worn by people of a younger age group--when such things are given a new context, we can regard them in ways we never imagined before. That is how I feel when I smell Drole de Rose--like I am experiencing "new vintage".

28th April, 2010.

Vibert has described Drôle de Rose perfectly… no need for me to add to the description. I will just say that this is one very rare rose scent for me – a more or less straightforward rose fragrance that I find totally agreeable – that doesn’t happen often: Drôle de Rose’s presentation of the rose is done in such a way that none of my usual objections or dislikes about rose accords are valid. Lovely, lovely rose fragrance.

5th April, 2010.