Soir de Paris

Evening in Paris

Bourjois 1928 Eau de Toilette

....is not so easy to decipher here. It is as if one were reading a novel by Maupassant or watching one of Francoise Truffaut's mysterious films.
At the beginning, for example, there is a harmlessly cheerful scene of a couple enjoying a romantic time in the city center of the French metropolis. Strolling along the famous shopping streets, admiring the Eiffel Tower, and perhaps visiting a restaurant, sitting outside, contemplating the sea of lights of the city, while exchanging warm words and some tenderness.
The colorful mix of flowers like cyclamen, lilac, linden blossom, carnation, jasmine, and rose reflects this very well in the fragrance. Romantic impressions.
But there are also alleys in this city, not far from the grand boulevards and Rues.
Our couple wants to enjoy the quiet corners of the pulsating city on a whim. In the evening, when most shops are already closed, they seek to be alone for a moment. There are narrow little streets that are so tight that hardly a "bulkier" car could fit through. Paved with cobblestones. The facades of the houses on both sides exude a somewhat morbid charm. Only from afar can one still glimpse a reflection of the bright lights of the grand streets. The scattered street lamps provide just enough light to navigate in a "la-la" manner.
The two have become quiet and attentive. And slightly tense, as their long shadows are cast by the vague light of the lanterns over the cobblestones and the walls of the houses. The silence is only interrupted by snippets of conversation from behind windows, soft footsteps somewhere, and the subtly audible traffic noise in the background... "What if one of the shadows isn't our own," they think from time to time, "what if someone is lurking and wants to take advantage of the solitude to... ambush or rob us???"
Just moments of uncertainty and fear, brief moments... then everything seems to be alright again... A narrow alley, indeed, quiet, where their own steps create an echo and the strollers cast long shadows...
"Mysterious" balsams like styrax, myrrh, and incense give "Soir de Paris" a mystical touch.
And "old-fashioned" and earthy base notes like heliotrope, vetiver, and benzoin transport one into finely morbid and very mysterious zones of tranquility, where one can somehow sense some underlying past.
For me, a fragrance like Soir de Paris is somewhat uncharted territory, as I have hardly smelled scents with such an aura.....
By the way, my two protagonists are doing well... they have soon left the "dark zone" to immerse themselves in the sea of lights of Paris.