Si Elsa Schiaparelli 1956

This scent is a true mystery; nothing, absolutely nothing can be found about it on the internet, no fragrance notes, let alone a fragrance pyramid...
When Zora was looking for a few brave testers, I gladly volunteered, only to find once again that it is incredibly difficult to assess a fragrance when one has no clues about what they are supposed to smell.
Since I know nothing about the scent, I tried to "approach it from the back" and sought access through the creator, Elsa Schiaparelli (which didn’t help me much *g*).

Elsa Schiaparelli was a fashion designer from Rome, who counted celebrities like Joan Crawford, Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo, and Mae West among her clients before World War I, and later also Marlene Dietrich.
Before World War II, she fled to New York but returned to Paris in 1945.
Her creations were influenced by Dadaism and Surrealism; she loved bright colors (shocking pink) and emphasized feminine forms. She was considered the peacock among Parisian fashion designers, and her designs were deemed "shocking".

Accordingly, I expected a sweet, playful scent, something kitschy.
But that is not the case. Si is different, very different.
I conducted 6 tests, and my sample is empty....

The 1st run:
Opening: slightly piercing, somewhat vinegar-like; Zora suspects the scent has gone off, but I am not sure.
Heart: powdery, almost dusty, dry, overall a soft powdery impression, very nice. After about 1 hour, Si becomes smoky - buttery with a floral note, possibly rose? I also suspect iris in the scent.
Base: soft, powdery with a hint of vanilla.

Runs 2 - 5:
In the next tests, my impression was nearly the same each time:
Opening: powdery, slightly spicy, minimally sweet; it could contain bergamot, but it doesn't seem off to me.
Heart: the scent weakens significantly after 5 minutes, practically disappears, becoming powdery - green - bergamot-like, totally dry, almost dusty, slightly spicy - sweet. Nothing else happens.
Base: wow, after almost 3 hours, a very soft, spicy note can be detected, very subtle and pleasant, unfortunately much too weak.

The last test:
This time I sprayed a bit more.
Opening: fresh, minimally citrusy; this impression fades immediately, making way for a warm - soft, light spicy note with green undertones; I am quite sure that bergamot is in there.
Heart: powdery light green spicy note, nothing spectacular. After about 30 minutes, Si becomes slightly sweet, floral; that could be rose, but the dominant note is a powdery spice. The overall impression is warm and soft, but also somewhat dusty.
Base: slightly sweet and floral, soft and somewhat creamier. This time the scent lasts remarkably well; even after hours, I perceive it very delicately.

Unfortunately, I can't describe Si any better; I am not experienced enough for that. It is definitely worth a test; I had fun, even though I couldn't solve the mystery. Perhaps someone else from our group can?

How I would have loved to meet this woman. If she was anything like her fragrances, one can rightly say she was sophisticated. This scent was created at the age of 66. Just like Shocking 20 years before, this one has a slightly frivolous quality to it, but with a bit more restraint. There was also a song by Juliette Greco about this fragrance, La Valse des Si. I can definitely say that the scent of this Eau de Cologne is more versatile than the lyrics of the song, which mainly consist of a single word. Si. Sometimes demanding, sometimes whispered, all in waltz time. Si to what?

To the scent? Then I can say: Si, and how.

Aside from the top note that has been decapitated, which is no surprise after over 50 years, the fragrance is just as fascinating as Shocking.

About the scent itself

Top note: chopped off, like vinegar. I can't imagine it was originally like this. But after a short time, you are rewarded for this pain. Something slightly bitter accompanies it. Could have been bergamot or orange.

Heart note: for me, beautiful. As a layperson, I fancy I can smell lily of the valley, rose, possibly leather and honey.

Base note: sandalwood and civet.

In the heart note, it sometimes reminds me a bit of the original Diorissimo but has more warmth and that certain something due to the honey, which one would not have openly expressed at that time.

Yes, at 66, life begins. At least I have the impression that it certainly was for her. Her imagination reached far beyond fashion :).