Three New Interpretations of L'Heure Bleue by Guerlain to Fête its First 100 Years (2012) {New Perfumes}
The classic floriental of perfumery, L'Heure Bleue, which has inspired so many similar and dissimilar descendants, will fête its 100th birthday this year. On this occasion, the house of Guerlain will release a new trio of interpretations by perfumer Thierry Wasser.
While the in-house nose stresses the fact that L'Heure Bleue has "a mechanism of such delicacy that it suffers no alteration", he has nevertheless ventured to take on the challenge of modifying the original composition in three steps called L'Aurore, Le Zénith and Le Crépuscule. It is one new perfume in three different concentrations and as we know, a concentration is not just more or less of the same, it's a new interpretation each time...
The 1912 L'Heure Bleue remains as much preserved as it can be in spite of evolving industry regulations, but parallel to this, a modernizing project has been undertaken to offer a new version declined in 3 variations that might be felt to be less intimidating to those who admire the perfume at a distance, according to Sylvaine Delacourte, the artistic director of the brand.
L'Heure Bleue can indeed be a perfume of rare heft and presence with a heaviness bordering on the cloying; it also features notes that are on the medicinal side. Created during the Belle Epoque by Jacques Guerlain for his wife Lily Guerlain, influenced by Impressionist aesthetics and a moment of sheer delight on the bank of the Seine bathed in the blue haze preceding sun set, it is not much of a commercial perfume.
In a coffret designed by embroidery specialist, Maison Lesage, blue velvet, the material that best expresses the texture of L'Heure Bleue, is decorated with silvery facetted beads drawing the name of "Guerlain", with each letter being linked by dainty chains. It contains a flacon of the original L'Heure Bleue in extrait together with L'Aurore, Le Zénith, Le Crépuscule marking three different times of the day.
L'Aurore EDT puts the accent on head notes offering a fresh, aerial, extrovert side. In Le Zénith EDP, the heart of the fragrance blooms with a sillage which is more assertive, powdery and intense. Le Crépuscule Extrait takes inspiration from the base notes to exalt its "unsettling and secret soul".
The coffret is a limited-edition. Sylvaine Delacourte has however let out that (Zénith) EDP, which she calls "the contemporary L'Heure Bleue" will be included in Les Parisiennes collection on its own from 2013.
Via press release; Esprit de Parfum blog
