A moment from late summer.
A morning, sunny, dew-sodden.
Petals start to fall a second time
Preserved, but not pickled in aspic,
Fossilised in honey instead.
The ripeness of the flower as full as fruit
Its odour, jam-rich, fills the air
Makes it viscous
Sets lovers swimming in
A sea of gelatinous, velvet, joy.
Fronds like fine fabrics fragrance
This farewell symphony.
Soon all that will remain:
A few scattered natural confetti
Collected by her hands and crystalised
In jars, placed on high shelves,
For February comfort.
Rose Velours from the Collection Extraordinaire by Van Cleef and Arpels belongs to a distinguished sub category of floral perfumes: the rose preserves.
If other sweet rose scents are budget label jams, this is finest Fortnum & Mason floral confiture.
Here cheap refined sugar is replaced with violet infused honey, iris introduces a sweet caramelised vegetal note, all is amplified and extended by benzoin and the much-maligned, but in this instance well-used, ambroxan.
Eventually, the rose powders and a woodiness intrudes to lend a sweet dusty antique shop quality to the late dry down.
For the most part though this linear fragrance is exquisite conserve served with silver spoons and eaten straight.
A rare sweet treat, probably best kept for infrequent indulgences.
Like bad weather, February and Tuesdays…
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy.
The Perfumed Dandy. 