Ma Griffe

Quoting from FABULOUS FRAGRANCES: In French, ma griffe refers to a signature or personal stamp. Thus, couture designer Carven selected the name for her personal fragrance. Ma Griffe is a blend of earthy essences presented in brilliant green packaging. It is a timeless, easy-to-wear classic, steeped in mosses, flowers, and woody balsamics. Chypre Floral
gardenia, greens, galbanum, aldehydes, clary sage . . . jasmine, rose, sandalwood, vetiver, orris, ylang-ylang . . . styrax, oakmoss, cinnamon, musk, benzoin, labdanum.

The final, selling point: Barbara Walters is listed as a 'famous patron.' Personally, I find this fragrance to be slightly effusive. But it's very dry . . . some people say it smells like vintage, Rive Gauche.

I discovered Ma Griffe in the spring of 2003, having never even heard of it before seeing it mentioned on a perfume board, so when I spotted it at Marshall's for $9.99, I didn't even hesitate to buy it, unsniffed. When I got home and lightly sprayed it, I was NOT impressed. In fact, I was somewhat shocked -- shocked by how artificial, sharp and just downright odd it smelled. I regretted wasting $10 on it. :'( Fast forward to a scorcher of a summer day, a day so hot that even though I was inside in the air-conditioning, I feared my house was going to catch fire from the sun's heat. I had to run an errand, and didn't feel like putting on makeup or fresh clothes, but I never leave home without perfume. For a reason I will never know, I decided to spray, full-on and with complete abandon, this odd-smelling perfume called Ma Griffe. I think I just felt so sticky and tacky and irritable that I thought, "What the heck. I'll just spray on this tacky perfume." Well, this fragrance was so fresh, so refreshing, so crisp and clean, so sophisticated, so lovely.... I was rejuvenated -- no, I was reborn! I not only put on makeup and styled my hair, I also changed into crisp, fresh white linen capris and crisp, fresh chambray shirt, kicky little sandal heels, jewlery.... wow! I felt cool, clean, energized, vibrant, stylish, casually elegant. I spent most of that summer wearing Ma Griffe and Irma Shorell Rose.

I guess you figured out by now that I love Ma Griffe. I wore it the other day, in fact. For me it's a very fresh and invigorating fragrance, clean and soapy, green and cinnamon-y. I feel classy wearing it. According to Nigel Groom (Perfume: The Ultimate Guide to the World's Finest Fragrances), "It was the first perfume created especially for the younger woman, teenagers, and debutantes, and used the slogan 'Ma Griffe--le parfum jeune' (a 'griffe' is a silk label and the name signified 'It's mine')." And this masterpiece, according to Luca Turin, was created by a man who was anosmic -- Jean Carles, who had lost his sense of smell and yet continued to create perfumes from memory and imagination. Also, in the book "White Oleander", the character of Olivia wears Ma Griffe. No matter that Olivia is a prostitute -- Janet Fitch wanted to assign the character "a really chic French perfume."

Triple WOW, Lady L! Now that was a great post! 8)

Haven't got much to add but here goes:
I tried Ma Griffe last year because it is a Classic and I want to try as many Classics as possible because you learn so much from them.

I liked Ma Griffe right away, it's so unique! I haven't run into any other scent with that quite odd pairing of green notes and cinnamon.

Like Lady L said it's at its best on a very hot weather and outdoors. I wore it to a picnic when it was +30 C and it bloomed! ;D

Oh, I agee. I am continually amazed at how many great fragrances I never even knew existed through the years. How did they live without me? ;D

By the way, I forgot to post this link for Ma Griffe. Hope it works. And Tigs, where are those sexy advertisements?!

http://www.carven.fr/parfum_ma_griffe.htm

Right here! 8)

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/imagesdeparf...N_Magriffe.JPG

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/imagesdeparf...riffe_1996.JPG

There they are! I love those! But... when you read that Ma Griffe was originally created for younger women, teenagers, and debutantes, and then you look at those advertisements...

;D ;D ;D

MG was created in the late Forties but the ads are from the Eighties or Nineties, I guess. The world has changed... :

ElizabethD, I like Tig's description that it's unique with an odd pairing of green notes and cinnamon, don't you? Yet every time I wear Ma Griffe, I cannot help but smile and think, "What an odd perfume." ;D The bottles that I have are parfum de toilette, too. I keep meaning to check on other strengths as well layering products such as lotion and powder, but I get distracted...

Sorry, I don't know about Judy Garland, but if I come across anything, I'll let you know.