Niagara Courrèges 1995 Eau de Toilette

Whenever I use this fragrance, I can't help but think of my first, truly unusual experience with it.

At a Parfumo meeting in the Rhine-Main area, we were all drawn to a legendary perfumery run by a lady who was over 80 years old. Jeanette, as her stage name went (for that was all she was), had the reputation of being able to recommend a fragrance that perfectly suited many customers after a brief inquiry and consultation, ideally becoming a second skin.

For those who think this is hocus-pocus, I like to tell the following little story; please forgive the digression: Once, my wife was with me in that very shop and, curious, wanted to test Jeanette's consulting skills. Now, it must be known that my wife insisted years ago, much to my dismay, that she often felt most comfortable without a fragrance, that no scent really suited her. After a brief, seemingly superficial inquiry, Jeanette confidently declared: "You actually don't need a fragrance! You do even better without scents!" But that wasn't all: Jeanette then recommended a rather rare women's fragrance that we would never have thought of ourselves and which suited women well, according to Jeanette, who often consciously went without fragrance. My wife still enjoys wearing it today.

I know Parfumo members who traveled from the North Sea coast and South Tyrol to be convinced of Jeanette's olfactory expertise. And they were convinced.

However, one must admit that there were also some who left the shop disappointed, having not found their miracle scent. I myself enjoyed shopping there too much but could never quite rely on Jeanette's recommendations. "You just know too much," was once her verdict.

Had she recommended Niagara to me years ago, I might have succumbed to it sooner. In fact, the following happened: A Parfumo friend once again sought Jeanette's advice but also inquired about older, rare fragrances that had disappeared from the market. Most already knew by that time that Jeanette had hoarded numerous treasures over the years. In fact, if you were lucky and she deemed the potential buyer worthy, she would open her wardrobes behind the paneling and essentially reveal a secret hideaway where the most astonishing fragrance jewels were stored. When asked what one or another fragrance cost, she usually replied: "Give me 40 euros," even though the scents had already become sought-after rarities and were traded expensively in relevant forums.
Thus it was with Niagara. It was sold at a low (and fair) price to the aforementioned friend, who surely carried it home happily and probably appreciated it from the start. I, however, did not know or appreciate the scent back then; I only knew that it was already fetching high prices. I had forgotten about it for a long time.

Only a few months ago did I begin to take a keen interest in this fragrance. Perhaps it was due to the comments, perhaps the extraordinary bottle, or maybe the old, recurring memories of that day at the perfume meeting in summer. In fact, I managed to buy it at a fair price after several weeks of waiting.
Now it became clear to me why our fragrance colleague had been so enthusiastic about it back then.

Niagara is not an aquatic-fresh scent, as the name suggests, but a citrus-herbaceous oddity that might simply be an original fougère fragrance if it didn't have distinct fruity notes underpinned by powdery accents, giving the heart note of the fragrance a quirky framing.
Clear? Of course not, because this fragrance is in a way a singularity.

If one wanted to say something negative about it, one would have to admit that in its weaker moments, it smells like a shower gel that you bought cheaply at a drugstore. But even cheap goods can smell good and brighten the mood.
If one wanted to say something positive about it, one would have to mention the extraordinarily harmonious balance of the components: top note citrus-fruity, heart note coniferous-green, but with a dark, less resinous, more fougère-like note, base note woody and spicy, without ever being ruined by a cheap mainstream twist.

What became of Jeanette? A few weeks after our visit, the local newspaper reported on her treasures in the secret hideaway behind the paneling in connection with an award (Citizen's Medal of the City). A few days later, there was a burglary in which all the valuable fragrances were stolen.
Jeanette did not give up; she continued to sell, even though she had long since turned 80, and only retired a few weeks ago when the building housing her shop was completely renovated and rebuilt.

*for Jeanette G. Gerhardt: Thank you!*

Good Friday 2016