2 posts tagged "Annick Goutal"
Spritzing Paris In The Springtime
Annick Goutal has been churning out remarkable little olfactory wonders since opening the doors of her first boutique on Paris’ Rue de Bellechasse in 1980. With seven free-standing stores in the City of Light alone (we prefer the Rue de Castiglione outpost, which boasts over-the-top elegant interiors and happens to be a stone’s throw away from Vanessa Bruno), the company has a legacy that lives on through the late perfume maven’s daughters, Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen, who have been carrying on their mother’s passion for fine fragrance for the past 12 years. The latest addition to their Soliflore (single flower) series is no exception. Le Mimosa is meant to hearken back to the opulent decade of the brand’s birth, spotlighting the mimosa absolute, a delicate floral essence that is supported by a complementary cast of Florentine iris, anise, peach, and sandalwood for a slightly powdery, creamy, musk-laced aroma. At first whiff, it’s nostalgic-conjuring images of a well-appointed vanity circa 1984 and the sweet, soft breezes of Paris in the springtime. The flacon, with its punchy yellow and black polka-dot pattern, is similarly wistful. But dated, it is not. While Le Mimosa may be reminiscent of decades past, on the skin, its appeal is entirely modern—and capable of turning heads in every arrondissement.
Annick Goutal Sings Noël Four Ways
For nearly two decades before her death in 1999, the famed French perfumer Annick Goutal was known for the intricately layered scents she sold out of her small boutique on Rue de Bellechasse in Paris. Her knack for creating perfumes tied to very personal memories and using only the finest ingredients lives on through her daughter Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen—the house’s current noses. The brand’s forthcoming Le Mimosa, a sweet floral eau punctuated with green Florentine iris and anise, won’t be released until spring; for the time being, fans can get their fix with the limited-edition Noël collection. A celebration of its four most popular scents, the gold-labeled series features a pair of fragrances for the ladies: Eau d’Hadrien, a sun-filled citrus laced with sweet ylang-ylang that was inducted into the FiFi Hall of Fame in 2008, and Musc Nomade, which was created to capture the essence of Qatar princesses who bathe in a blend of musk powder and rose oil. The two men’s colognes are Sable, a memento of a trip Goutal mère took with her husband to the Île of Ré, and Duel, a smoky hit composed of iris root, absinthe, Gaiac wood, leather, and musk. Each bottle is numbered and comes in a black leather case. As for the best way to wear them, the late perfumer recommended that one apply only a few dabs to a handkerchief slipped inside a breast pocket. “Perfume is a secret between you and yourself,” she was known to say.