Iris Bleu Gris Maître Parfumeur et Gantier 1988

Maître Parfumeur et Gantier is a natural-smelling, grounded iris perfume, which I consider to be fully unisex, despite its masculine classification. I was drawn to this creation by a variety of factors which conspired to impel me eventually to buy a bottle blind, going against my current policy.

First, I love iris, and having some familiarity with the house, I knew that I'd encounter the real deal in any perfume bearing that name. Second, the name itself is quite evocative to me. I love the connotations and associations of blue gray, and an iris thus tinged sounded irresistible. The final factor was jtd's review, basically confirming what I had suspected, that this composition would indeed feature iris in all its glory.

No buyer's remorse here, to say the least. This stuff is gorgeous. Is it masculine? No, not to me. It is not at all sweet, but it also lacks all of the usual suspect notes which mark masculine colognes. To me, IRIS BLEU GRIS toes the line between masculine and unisex, but it never crosses it. There are days when a scent like this is perfect for me. It has a green, almost vegetal quality, as though the iris has been cut and the stems are freshly wafting of the wet inside of an iris plant. There is also a lovely woody aspect to this fragrance, which reminds a lot of the Miller Harris woody perfumes. I'd say that the quality of the perfumes of Maître Parfumeur et Gantier and those of Miller Harris is very similar, especially as regards the dominant use of natural materials.

IRIS BLEU GRIS is only for iris lovers, but any true iris lover should not pass this contemplative beauty by. Vetiver shines through clearly in the drydown, but the iris is there, too.