Farouche Nina Ricci 1973 Parfum

The search for a scent takes time. It was quite complicated when I got tired of the drugstore experiments towards the end of school and wanted something "real": I needed to set myself apart, fragrances in the style of my mother were out of the question. Grasse (Fragonard? Molinard?), Guerlain, Chanel were ruled out, "Tosca" & Co. as well. The floral waters that were deemed suitable for my age - I looked younger than I was ;-) - I found silly. At some point, a frustrated saleswoman reached for the "adult" shelf. Ricci's "L’Air du Temps" perhaps? No, too nice, too much white blouse & pleated skirt. But "Farouche" was a fit. And "Cabochard" (the saleswoman was baffled).

Unfortunately, Grès' stubbornness turned my stubbornness into a nose, always evaporating quickly. "Farouche" fared much better; the perfume accompanied me through my studies. Then I was unfaithful to it. And today, you can't find it anymore, unless at "antique" prices. Now a dear Parfumo has enabled me to reunite with it (thank you very much!). A miniature. Carefully pulling the stopper: Yess!, stopper back on, testing will be done in peace.

Two days later, new un-stopping. A drop on the skin, and - - -
BAM - - -
something leaps at me, with a huge leap from nowhere. A furry paw taps on my scented arm, I feel claws, but not extended. A soft hiss. Another leap, and the something is gone. But it has only retreated into cover; it is still there, I hear it crackling and rustling, I feel its presence, its gaze: a wildcat.

"Farouche" means "wild" and "shy" at the same time - no other creature embodies this dual meaning for me better than the wildcat. Quick and strong (how powerful the scent begins, I had forgotten in all those years of not smelling!), supple and graceful, cautious and quiet, warm and soft (after the energetic start, gentler phases quickly follow; Medusa has beautifully described the scent's progression with all its depth and sensuality). Stubborn, mysterious, untameable, wildcats need a lot of space...

On the manufacturer's website, "Farouche" is still mentioned; the perfume (Extrait) seems to still be in production. Just like the beautiful animal that this magnificent scent reminds me of, the olfactory wildcat is not extinct - that is the good news.

However, it seems that "Farouche" is only available in a combo pack with four other older Ricci scents ("Coeur Joie" from 1946, "L’Air du Temps" from 1948, "Fille d’Eve" from 1956, and "Capricci" from 1960). 15ml portions in crystal noble flacons as "Collection Prestige," certainly correspondingly expensive, the wildcat vegetates in the (golden) cage - that is the bad news.

If the wildcat were to return to the wild, that is, back on the market, we would be friends again immediately. Oh, you people at Ricci: Please remember your former courage - and create suitable biotopes for wildcats!

P.S. My rating of the flacon refers to the standard bottle in which the scent was sold earlier (the one on the left in Hasi's photo below).

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Addendum 03.07.12:
Affection can sometimes be persistent ;-). So I sent a question email to Ricci. And received - very kindly - the response that the scents from the "Collection Prestige" can also be purchased individually, specifically at the Paris Ricci boutique. I should inquire about the price there, phone number and email address attached (and yes, they also ship). I left that alone and preferred to stomp directly to Avenue Montaigne on my Paris tour on Saturday.

The noble crystal flacon with 15ml Extrait costs 410 euros. Can it be refilled? No, "pas de recharge, j'suis désolée." Proud price - "mais c'est Lalique!" Certainly, certainly; but I don't collect flacons, I just love scents...

The "Farouche" relationship box is now closed. It was lovely while it lasted - very lovely :-).