La Petite Robe Noire: A Guerlain Fragrance For Every Wardrobe

12/07/09 07:41:15

By: Wim Janssens

La Petite Robe Noire aka LBD, is considered chic and a staple for every fashionable wardrobe. It is the symbol of the New Parisian Chic, of freedom and elegance.
Almost all famous fashion designers incorporate one into their collection and it is timeless and has been reinterpreted for decades. Think of Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior are just a few examples.

Such an enduring and alluring creation could not be left out by Guerlain. Jacques Guerlain created Shalimar a year before the little black dress was invented, and of course Shalimar, Mitsouko, and Jicky are examples of the LBD of fragrances - still fashionable after so many years.

A fragrance with the name La Petite Robe Noire seemed very Chanel to me – because Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel did invent it in 1926, and for that era it was considered very revolutionary and daring. So now there is a connection, Jacques Guerlain and Coco Chanel were both revolutionary artists who created legends that still live on today.

The “Little Black Dress” is a composition of Guerlain created in 2009 by Sylvaine Delacourte and Delphine Jelk for “The Exclusive Collection”. Not really that different than what Karl Lagerfeld has for Chanel done for many years, reinventing and innovating the iconic. Sometimes outrageous.

Together with perfumer Delphine Jelk and Sylvaine Delacourte of Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire created a stylish and “Lolita-like” fragrance of high quality.

Now it is time to test it on my skin, so I have washed my hand with a neutral soap free hand wash and I have cleaned my nose by having coffee beans next to me after I first had some coffee to drink.

I apply some fragrance on my wrist and wait a few seconds before I smell. The first notes are very sweet and gourmand. I really smell the Rose Macaroons from the famous “Ladurée” at “Rue Royale” near “La Madeleine”, “Rue de St.-Honore” and “Rue de Faubourg-St.-Honoré”. I discover lemon notes, almond, vanilla and liquorices. It is very fresh during the first minutes and then the heart is sweet and intense.

Hmmmm, do I smell notes of tea, musk and patchouli? It took me a lot of testing to really discover that the fragrance is very complex and a completely new composition. “La Petite Robe Noire” is not just another gourmand fragrance. It is created as a work of art, composed layer by layer, very carefully and blended using the finest ingredients. If Jacques Guerlain could smell this creation, he would be thrilled! So much imagination and creatitivity.

Ahhh, this fruity chypre perfume makes me dream of Paris, couture, macaroons, tea time, very bright colors and roses. The fragrance has a characteristic gourmand bouquet that is balanced by the chypre drydown, it is so French and so dynamic but still classical.

The sillage is average to good. It really stays close to the skin. “La Petite Robe Noire” is a very precious fragrance to me and shows that in 2009 that there is still respect for the heritage and fine ingredients that are core to the House of Guerlain.

I credit Sylvaine Delacourte, (Guerlain Creative Director for over 30 years) for this when she oversees a perfume there is always integrity and a wink to the timeless creations of Guerlain past. She is unique and quintessentially Guerlain as she brings a contemporary perspective that is in such a harmony with the Guerlain tradition.

The bottle is designed by Serge Mansau and is characteristic of the myths editions of the house like “L’heure Bleue” and “Mitsouko". It’s in shaded tones, classy black and timeless but modern because of the little black dress designed above the handwriting signature.

Author: Wim Janssens (MrGuerlain)
Editor: Michelyn Camen (memechose)
Fragrantica Writer

Wim Janssens is a writer for Fragrantica and an expert in Guerlain Fragrances. Wim is born on the 2nd of November 1977, lives in Bruges - Belgium, and he catalogues and test Guerlain fragrances. He enjoys to travel, to visit museums and to collect various fragrances. He loves British detective sitcoms and movies,Belgian fashion and modern composers like Wim Mertens, Philip Glass and Michael Nyman. His favorite city is Paris, where he would love to move to in the future. His signature fragrance is L’Heure Bleue from Guerlain.