La Petite Robe Noire Guerlain 2012 Extrait de Parfum

The L'Extrait concentration is the closest one to the original formulation of La Petite Robe Noire, the one that Guerlain put into exclusive distribution before making the wise decision to transform it into a mainstream creation. The emphasis is put back into the cherry,almond and licorice instead of musk and patchouli (which made the current edp closest to other modern chypre fragrances). This way, La Petite Robe Noire returned to have that cherry tartelette aroma that made it so mouthwatering. Altough you can make the connection with Lolita Lempicka, i think that they stand appart from each other because on Lolita the licorice and violet aromas are much more noticeable than here. For an extrait, it has a good longevity on skin, while sillage seems moderate (but it was since the first LPRN too). Great cherry fragrance, one of my favorites. Too bad that it's only made in 7,5ml, i wanted a 30ml bottle!

When I got to know La Petite Robe Noire (the EdP) about a year ago, my passion for perfume had cooled considerably. I had been searching and searching and eventually felt that the perfume industry had nothing new to offer me anymore. I had actually given up. While I enjoyed my "old" treasures every day, I had stopped ordering samples and sniffing in perfumeries. Until one day, in a package from the turquoise giant that contained a face cream, I found a sample of “La Petite Robe Noire EdP” as a "surprise sample for you." Familiar, cozy, and yet new, La Petite Robe Noire completely captivated me from the first sniff. The pipe tobacco note simply blew me away. When I wanted to buy an OF, I saw at Parfumdreams that an Extrait was listed, which was soon to be released. I wanted to wait for that, as the idea of owning a concentrated version of the juice was just too tempting. And the wait was worth it, as I find the Extrait even better than the other versions.

The scent of pipe tobacco is one of the most wonderful scents for me, and hardly any other scent (except perhaps that of linden blossoms) brings me as much comfort, because when I was a little girl, my father, whom I loved dearly, was a pipe smoker. His tobacco brand was called "Bond Street," and he bought it in large blue-yellow cans. What a pleasure it was when I was allowed to sniff from the open can. The lush, intoxicatingly intense, sweet, and somehow moist aromas that wafted up to me are simply unforgettable.

The Extrait has - in contrast to the EdP and the EdT (which I also appreciate very much) - a rather linear progression. It seems to have trimmed the top notes of the other two and starts directly with wonderful, intense pipe tobacco and cherry notes, which remain throughout the entire duration (which easily exceeds 24 hours, unless you step into the shower in between). Over time, the cherry note on my skin becomes somewhat subdued while patchouli and smoky-dry notes come more to the forefront, but overall, the Extrait remains a lush fruity-cherry pipe tobacco scent.

Thank you, Guerlain, for gifting us this fragrance and for giving me back my hobby.

P.S.: La Petite Robe Noire is often compared to one of my all-time favorites: Lolita Lempicka’s “Le Premier.” This cannot be entirely dismissed, as “Le Premier” is also a cherry pipe tobacco scent. I think this fact significantly contributed to my immediate fondness for La Petite Robe Noire from the very first moment.