Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady

Frederic Malle is a true perfume connoisseur and creator of the Editions de Parfums niche” fragrances without compromise" collection. His line consists of 19 amazing perfumes so far, all developed by, according to Malle, the top ten noses of the world. Those masters are: Jean-Claude Ellena, Dominique Ropion, Maurice Roucel, Olivia Giacobetti, Pierre Bourdon, Edmond Roudnitska, Ralf Schwieger, Edouard Flechier, Michel Roudnitska and Sophia Grojsman. Their names are visible on each bottle of the collection, which is very unusual in the world of perfumes where the names of the true creators are rarely emphasized.

In an interview with National Post Magazine Frederic Malle answers the question about who he thinks is the best working perfumer of today:

" Without a doubt Dominique Ropion. He’s very very knowledgeable — the most that I’ve ever worked with. His knowledge of each raw material, the jaw drops! The other thing, which is incredible, is that he also knows how nature is made, knows everything by heart. Most people would be overwhelmed by that, but he’s one of the freest perfumers in the industry and is the most daring of the bunch. A guy like Jean Claude [Ellena] is very wise, has one style, sticks to it, is very good. He works generally with 250 ingredients that he masters completely. A guy like Dominique works with a huge palate and he’s very diverse.”

The collection expands in November with a new edition named Portrait of a Lady, signed by the famous perfumer Dominique Ropion. Dominique Ropion created the following fragrances of the collection: Vetiver Extraordinaire, Carnal Flower, Geranium Pour Monsieur and Une Fleur de Cassie.

Portrait of a Lady is named after the novel by Henry James from the 1881. The perfume deals with rose note and spices in a new, modern way that varies between the oriental and chypre theme with patchouli, natural and intense, dominating the heart of the composition.

Portrait of a Lady is a modern, elegant and unusual expression of the Victorian novel, its heroine, Isabel Archer, her fate and the quest for freedom. She smells of dark roses, mystical and intense.

The notes of this sensual modern classic include Turkish rose, raspberry, black currant, cinnamon, clove, patchouli, sandalwood, incense, ambroxan, benzoin and white musk.


Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady is available in a high concentration of perfume (over 50%) in bottles of 50 and 100 ml.

Sources: paperblog.fr, nationalpost.com,
Images of Portrait of a Lady - book covers