Yvresse

Champagne

Yves Saint Laurent 1993 Eau de Toilette

A tribute to my mom... Yvresse by YSL and Opium by YSL were my mom's signature scents in the 90s. Today she exclusively wears Eau des Merveilles by Hermés, which suits her like a second skin. She doesn't like it so loud anymore. That's probably how it is when you get older.

When my husband and I bought Grandma's house last year and my mother-in-law was clearing out the basement, a rare find was discovered in one of the basement rooms. There was a separate room in the basement just for Grandpa and his worn riding clothes, riding pants, etc. Grandma wanted it that way... My mother-in-law actually found a small bottle of Yvresse among all the clothes. Since the bottle was still well-filled, she probably thought it was too good to throw away. And that was a good thing. So where to put the found bottle? Of course, it went to the daughter-in-law, who has such a penchant for fragrances. Well, my mother-in-law knows me well ;-)

So I took the bottle, opened it, smelled it carefully, and there it was! The memory! I was instantly transported back to my childhood. It was Christmas Eve, December 24th sometime in the 1990s on the way to church. I was about nine years old. My mom was sitting in the car in front of me, looking as elegant as ever, wearing her dark red lipstick, high heels, a black velvet dress, and Yvresse by YSL. So naturally, as if there had never been anything else for her. Just Mom. It suited her, even though she was never the type to enjoy being the center of attention. Always discreetly reserved.

I asked my mother-in-law where she found the bottle. "It was in the riding cellar, the room where Grandpa always stored his riding pants, and you know, my mother (Grandma) was always very difficult when it came to unpleasant smells, so she always sprayed Grandpa's riding clothes with perfume." What??? She didn't just say that, and Grandma didn't really do that, did she?! In fact, our Grandma Elli always used Yvresse to spray Grandpa's horse things, so she wouldn't have to smell the horse odor. What a shame! So many memories are tied to that. Oh Mom, I'm sorry for you. If I told her this. There are also other things that were sprayed with perfume in Grandma and Grandpa's house, for instance, the trash can was sprayed with Chanel No. 5, just in case the garbage men would faint from the stench. I wonder which of the two evils was worse for the garbage men, smelling the actual trash or the trash sprayed with Chanel No. 5 (please forgive me, Chanel No. 5 lovers) No hard feelings.

Well, that's how it happened that I became the owner of a long-lost love of my mom by a strange coincidence. The rare find is safely stored in my box in the wardrobe, so it can't be misused for any rituals. "I want to smell that again," Mom said. So far, I have always forgotten to take it with me on our visits. But I will, so that Mom has the same memories as I do...