Grès
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Rose, peony, and lily of the valley collide in an unexpectedly tart, slightly sharp explosion—these aren't honeyed florals but rather their skeletal structures, intensified by frankincense's bitter-resinous undertow that immediately transforms the composition into something more austere than the ingredients suggest.
The iris emerges with violet in close attendance, introducing a powdery dryness that makes the fragrance feel papery and textural; the florals remain present but substantially reconfigured, stripped of their sweetness and rendered almost cosmetic in their flatness against the continuing frankincense undercurrent.
The base materialises with remarkable restraint—sandalwood and musk create a pale, understated second skin rather than a warm embrace, whilst patchouli adds a whisper of earthiness; the entire composition becomes increasingly intimate and diffuse, fading to an almost ephemeral warmth within a few hours.
Cabaret arrives as a fragranced contradiction—a floral that refuses sentimentality, constructed with the architectural precision of a stage set rather than a garden stroll. Michel Almairac orchestrates a peculiar alliance between three competing florals: rose and peony pushing outward with romantic insistence, whilst lily of the valley operates like a piccolo countermelody, all green-tinged austerity. What distinguishes this composition is how quickly the florals surrender to frankincense's resinous authority. Rather than softening the opening's brightness, the frankincense sharpens it, creating an almost medicinal tension—you're not smelling flowers in a vase, but flowers distilled into their essential, slightly acrid essence.
The iris and violet that materialise in the heart perform a peculiar olfactory sleight of hand: they're powdery without being soft, adding a tactile dryness that makes the composition feel less decorative and more sculptural. There's violet's characteristic pencil-shaving quality mingling with iris's buttery earthiness, both rendered cooler and more austere by the frankincense's lingering presence.
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3.9/5 (97)