12/29/2013
Bassavina
25 Reviews
Bassavina
2
Before there was Bandit...
My Weil quest continues. The Noir for which I was the sole bidder on ebay has arrived. Like my previous Weil acquisition, Cassandra, it is the work of Jacqueline Fraysse, daughter of Claude Fraysse, he of Zibeline, father and grandfather to notable noses.
The small bottle, about 5/6 full, weight unmarked(seller guessed 3/4 oz which seems about right) had a firmly attached rubber plug under the cap, suggesting it was never opened; this was removed with some effort, intact with no rubber escaping into the juice. Rubber, nonetheless, figures in. My first impression of Noir is VapoRub, old sneakers, smoke, and resin—we are in jolie-laide territory here. That mentholated then rubbery aspect points to tuberose, in the Serge Lutens vein. I poked around for more info and found only this:
http://thevintageperfumevault.blogspot.com/2010/12/back-to-black-noir-part-ii.html
The blogger, Amelia puts it thus: "Noir is a perfectly executed tender-yet-seductive floral leather." That's about right.
Noir(1936) is Cassandra's predecessor by a year; it's contrasting floral/industrial notes are in couterpoint, each in her own corner, whereas Cassandra, using similar notes is more blended and rounded. Both seem to foreshadow the work of Germaine Cellier (Bandit, Miss Balmain and other of Piguet and Balmain) in staking out leather for the feminine repertoire.
The small bottle, about 5/6 full, weight unmarked(seller guessed 3/4 oz which seems about right) had a firmly attached rubber plug under the cap, suggesting it was never opened; this was removed with some effort, intact with no rubber escaping into the juice. Rubber, nonetheless, figures in. My first impression of Noir is VapoRub, old sneakers, smoke, and resin—we are in jolie-laide territory here. That mentholated then rubbery aspect points to tuberose, in the Serge Lutens vein. I poked around for more info and found only this:
http://thevintageperfumevault.blogspot.com/2010/12/back-to-black-noir-part-ii.html
The blogger, Amelia puts it thus: "Noir is a perfectly executed tender-yet-seductive floral leather." That's about right.
Noir(1936) is Cassandra's predecessor by a year; it's contrasting floral/industrial notes are in couterpoint, each in her own corner, whereas Cassandra, using similar notes is more blended and rounded. Both seem to foreshadow the work of Germaine Cellier (Bandit, Miss Balmain and other of Piguet and Balmain) in staking out leather for the feminine repertoire.
