A weekend in Deauville!
That’s probably what the G8 participants and their entourage thought when they set off for the elegant seaside resort on the Normandy coast. Heiligendamm a few years ago, now Deauville - seaside resorts are 'in' when statesmen and stateswomen want to turn the great wheel of history together.
Did they also have the scent of Patricia de Nicolaï in their noses this time? Probably not (although, one could imagine Mrs. Bruni). Rather, it was likely coffee, alcohol, cigarette smoke, the occasional perfume, and clouds of exhaust mixed with salty sea air. Whatever.
It should not matter to us as long as we can enjoy this fragrance by Mrs. Nicolaï, because during the G8 meeting, it probably didn’t smell this good in any corner.
'Week-end à Deauville' is another testament to Patricia de Nicolaï's affinity for classic perfumery. She has never been, and will probably not in the future be, one of those who want to be at the forefront of discovering, influencing, or even creating the latest trends to set their own standards in the hype of the latest fashion.
No, her works always have a strong connection to the fixed stars of perfume history, being reinterpretations of classic themes.
So too with 'Week-end à Deauville'. The godmothers of this fragrance are unmistakably 'Cristalle', Chanel's classic from the 70s, and 'Diorella', perhaps Edmond Roudnitska's best fragrance. But Patricia de Nicolaï, if she were not who she is, would not have given her fragrance a high degree of independence. For while 'Week-end à Deauville' is closely related to both masterpieces of the perfumery craft, it is by no means a mere epigone.
Nonetheless, my first thought when I sprayed the fragrance was: Diorella! (My relationship with 'Diorella' is much more intense and emotionally charged than with 'Cristalle', which I like very much but leaves me rather unmoved). 'Diorella' as it once was, in all its freshness, its refinement, with its intelligent humor and infectious cheerfulness. (By the way: I - as a man - could not wear the old 'Diorella', it was too much the epitome of buoyant-stylish femininity for me. The new one, significantly reduced in chest size, I wear with pleasure!)
When I apply Patricia de Nicolaï's greeting to Roudnitska and Robert, I see the old cheerful 'Diorella' before me again, with all her feminine curves, her dresses fluttering in the coastal wind, her hair shining and flowing in the sunlight. But while she was then a fashion-conscious young woman, perhaps from Paris, spending her vacation on the coast of Brittany or Normandy, today she is a woman who runs a small fruit shop in a little coastal town. She still wears the old fragrance - the sparkling, fresh notes, the fine floral bouquet with slightly metallic and mineral undertones, the subtle fruity accents that make the bitter-sweet chypre base so delicate - everything is still there! But the many years by the coast have made the fragrance saltier, and the many fruits she sold have made it fruitier.
From the scent of a small, almost still unripe melon, it has become the smell of a fully grown, juicy one, and the salt content of the air has increased over the years due to the many salt gardens created for the production of the now highly popular 'Fleur de Sel'.
These are exactly my associations after spraying 'Week-end à Deauville'. I enjoy them, I delight in them, but I am also a great lover of fresh, green chypres. One must like them if one wants to give this fragrance a chance. But those who do will experience a wonderful variation of this genre here, which amazes with its presence and robustness. For 'Week-end à Deauville' is not a light, and certainly not an ethereal fragrance veil like the one Hermès would have served us. No, the fragrance - almost a (green) leather chypre - has a solid substance and possesses remarkable muscles. This means that for an Eau de Toilette, it has quite a decent potential and also enormous longevity.
From the young and delicate 'Diorella', a middle-aged woman has now emerged, with a stronger but still slender stature and sun-kissed, dark complexion, attractive as ever. She has fortunately retained her humor, her friendly and open nature, but she has moved from the city to the countryside, or rather: to the coast, and stands there with both feet and her little fruit shop right in the local life.
There she has met Patricia de Nicolaï again and has erected a magnificent, fragrant monument to her. She has followed her once before and met a relative in the process, albeit one who runs a somewhat disreputable establishment - 'Odalisque'. Also a green, salty chypre, but with a more opulent and seductive floral bouquet. Yet while 'Week-end à Deauville' delights with natural charm, 'Odalisque' lures with a lascivious attitude and garish makeup - more Ava Gardner than Ingrid Bergman.
Both are great fragrances, but 'Week-end à Deauville' is closer to me.
As a man, I cannot wear either - unfortunately - their unisex potential is rather low. But I don’t always have to wear everything I like. Nevertheless, a small bottle of 'Week-end à Deauville' will surely soon join my little bottle of 'Odalisque' - the fragrance is simply too beautiful and puts me in too good a mood to reserve it solely for the fortunate women who can wear it.
I can also enjoy it at home, privately.
In the meantime, a big thank you to Maharanih for providing such a generous sample!
Top Notes 
Tarragon
Basil
Galbanum
Bergamot
Lemon
Mint
Heart Notes 
Lily of the valley
Cardamom
Jasmine absolute
Base Notes 
Cedar
Leather
Musk
Oakmoss
Mefunx
Rivegauche
Heikeso
Stanze
Yatagan
Mörderbiene
44muc
Flynn92
Serafina
Svenjaa
