La Petite Robe Noire (2009)
by Guerlain

Passing a cheerful goth girl on my way from the bank on a beautiful spring afternoon, I caught a whiff of this recent Guerlain perfume and was impressed. I was surprised it was Guerlain, actually. Many reviews say this was a Chanel rip off Maybe the marketing was, but I think Guerlain was going for more of a Wednesday Adams effect. My impression was this was a new Lolita Lempicka, because the herbal licorice gourmand trick is well done. La Petite Robe Noire lists lemon in the ingredients. I haven't smelled it sprayed, but that note is probably short-lived. Fresh, musky apples is what made me stop the girl wearing this. It was like some Hungarian peasant dance where the girl keeps an apple in under her arm and gives it to the boy she likes best, or like Snow White. Based on the bottle, this is what I expected the original Lolita Lempicka to smell like. But I guessed many of the notes correctly and should have known this was Guerlain: anise, damascones, heliotrope, musk and vanilla. It's a good fruity floral, but it's a tired genre.

11th April, 2011.

At first sniff, LPRN strikes one as a very girly scent aimed at the under-30 female market--a boutique version of Vera Wang Princess even down to the violet/lavender-coloured juice. The vintage-inspired bottle has a cartoonish image of a puffed-sleeve "little black dress," the staple of female fashion elegance since the time of Coco Chanel. As the scent dries down, make no mistake, this is a Guerlain.

It is complex. The top notes start with berries and rose, but the tea and licorice start to assert themselves.

No simple fruity floral is this. The complexity is wonderful to experience, and this scent can be worn by women of all ages. Go beyond the first sniff to experience the whole.

1st March, 2011.

I've changed my mind over time with LPRN. At first I wasn't very impressed but I'm liking it more and more. Definitely immature, the topnotes of cherry and rose dominate the whole fragrance. It borders on being girly without quite getting there. Unfortunately it just fades away after the tea/citrus heartnotes make an appearance, never developing to any base. LPRN No.2 does a better job in the construction department but the original is still a fun scent.

20th February, 2011.

I concur with both of the excellent reviews before mine, except for the claim that that the Guerlinade base never asserts itself. I disagree. It appears shortly after I spray it on, and it is the reason why I like Guerlain fragrances in general. LPRN is not understated, so the fragrance isn't aptly named. But I enjoy bold statement fragrances from the 80s, and this one has the same appeal for me. I never wear it to work, and wear it sparingly when I do apply it. Weak fragrances like Lola have become the norm today due to the loud protests of the allergy crowd. For the record, I have allergies and migraines too but I don't impose my illnesses on others' choices.

6th May, 2010.

La Petit Robe Noir is a bizarre fragrance in that its name - and associate image - is completely divergent from the fragrance itself. One would expect a classy, sophisticated and sexy fragrance. Instead LPRN is a loud, brash fragrance very much in line with the 'vulgar' fragrances Guerlain has been releasing lately.

Reading the list of notes - and knowing a little Guerlain - one can almost put the fragrance together in your head... a cheery sweet citrus/rose topnote accord that gives way to a darker, mellow tea/anise heart and eventually a Guerlain base, perhaps accented by almond such as the base found in 180 Ans de Creation. If this is what you think LPRN is, which is what I thought, you would be 100% wrong just like I was.

Instead LPRN starts off with the loudest cherry/rose ever used in perfumery. It is exceedingly bright, cheery, and strong. It's not sugar sweet like Insolence, but nor is it tempered by the 'hairspray' note either. A touch of lemon pokes out from under the cherry, giving a little sharpness to the topnotes. There is some similarity to Guerlain's Nuit d'Amour, but those fruity/rose topnotes weren't nearly as brash or loud. Unlike some people, these topnotes have not yet turned me off - especially because I thought I knew what was coming from the composition... now when does that tea and licorice kick in......?

If the composition developed as anticipated the cherry/rose would be a fun and loud opening to an interesting fragrance (much the way a loud peach topnote is used in Guerlain's Chypre Fatale). Unfortunately the rest of the fragrance never comes.... I never smell any of the published notes. In fact, I really never smell any other notes, not even the expected Guerlinade base that may have salvaged this fragrance. LPRN ends up just being a loud fruity floral, and if it weren't for the quality of the materials used in the cherry/rose this may just be counted among typical designer fruity florals of little consequence. It is the last fragrance I would think of as being associated with a little black dress, unless that dress is being worn at a college semi-formal.

If what I've said has been overly harsh it is because I am disappointed at LPRN's lack of structure. However all is not lost with LPRN, because the cherry/rose itself is absolutely a ton of fun (and much better then the cherry/champagne accord found in Etat Libre's Bendelirious). When I'm looking for something sweet and fun - often in the morning before going to the gym - I'll blast myself with a couple big sprays to the neck and enjoy. As a serious fragrance or a full daily wear I avoid LPRN. Turin wrote in his book (of Insolence EdP, I believe) that Guerlain 'does vulgar' very well, and that's just what LPRN is.

5th August, 2009.

The first rush is of juicy red and purple fruits, contrasting with crushed green stems and leaves. The sweet almond essence of macaroons fills the nose and la petite robe noir immediately feels vibrant, friendly and exciting. To me, it strongly conjured an image of meeting girlfriends for afternoon tea - perhaps moving on to a noisy hen-party!

I wanted to breathe this in deeply and slowly, could imagine myself having fun with it throughout the summer, and seriously considered parting with £75 (yes, £75!) for a bottle.

Luckily, I resisted the impulse. Drying down, the ripening fragrance started to assert itself too strongly and far too sweetly for my taste. An hour later, it had developed into a cloying blend of strawberry shortcake and boiled cherry sweets which I felt compelled to wash off.

I had anticipated an assured and sophisticated little black dress - a 'grown-up' number that you can slip into time after time, with some high black courts. To my untrained nose, this was an over-priced and flirty Temperley frock, to go with kitten heels. Too unrestrained and 'cute' for me, but maybe I could loosen up a little and learn to enjoy it?!

31st March, 2009.