Phul - Nana Grossmith for women

Three times now I've worn Phul-nana, and just as my fingers were raised to the keyboard it whispered to me that it hadn't yet finished its restless transformation.

At first it meandered through loam flavored vinyards, making me pine for a smooth glass of red. I came back for more on day two, but alas- its affections had soured. I was left by myself in a room full of cobwebs, where I wrote it off altogeher as a fussy old lady who had seen her last eulogy. Never before had I smelled such a shrine to 'who's wearing perfume?'.

But I couldn't resist and gave it one more visit. Ah, the good times are back. But let me be clear: this gal will not humor you. Her presense is bold no matter the day, and her suggestions have been around the block a few times. Narcissus rises to the forefront in this, and rightly so.

I'll come back for more, I"m sure of it.

Today I made a trip to London especially to visit Fortnum & Mason where they have a Grossmith counter. Last week the BBC showed a great documentary about perfumes, in which film the Grossmith's house revival story was featured. I love the whole ambience, the idea and heritage behind it, but have to say Phul Nana is a very "victorian" smell indeed ;-) Quite extraordinary olfactory experience, but to actually wear that perfume- thanks but no thanks.

Phul-Nana is the fragrance I have been waiting to find. Breathtaking and unflawed, like the stately Baccarat crystal flacon, cast and relaunched straight from the original mould created in 1919 as part of the "Serie de Luxe" range released in 1920.

The house of Grossmith (one of England's oldest perfume houses) has recently fallen back into the hands of the family of the original founder after being out of its ownership for 30 years. And with the reacquisiton, the original perfumes have been relaunched and 'remastered' (wonderfully romantic word for 'reformulated') based on the handwritten formulae in books rescued from the original Grossmith premises in London in 1940.

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Apparently Phul-Nana was released when Jacques Guerlain was barely out of grade school, so you get the idea of the originality of this archetypal Oriental formula. Phul-Nana most definitely bears classic substance and would not be out of place amongst the likes of Shalimar, Coco and Joy.

However, I find Phul-Nana completely unpretentious. That's not to say that loyalist of the aforementioned perfumes are not, but Phul-Nana has a little more of a chaste and pure botanic feel without the animal undertone.

There is a beautiful arrangement of piquant flowers courtesy of geranium and neroli with the welcome. Patchouli and sandalwood give this such a lovely palpable quality, which in combination creates the most sensuous accord.

Ylang-ylang and tuberose are seemingly animated and never languish heavily in the heart. A powdered touch of something rosey is also apparent (rose geranium perhaps).

Opoponax (sweet myrrh) is quickly becoming one of my favorite base ingredients and in combination with tonka and benzoin, give Phul-Nana an exotic, incandescent depth without ever feeling heavy. A breath of cedar for clarity; vanilla and bergamot are well balanced and give a perfect, gently sweet luminosity; while a drop of orange furnishes a feeling of familiarity, comfort and joy.

A very Indian feel indeed with a peacefully cultivated incensed accord, woven with immaculate flowers and high class opulence. I imagine Phul-Nana to be worn by a tender-hearted and dignified, high caste Indian woman, who has embraced British influence without being disloyal to her roots. Wearing this treasured and historically significant fragrance is a truly a joy for me.

The sweetness, freshness and then the aroma of flowers displayed together with the wood and geranium, opoponax, ylang-ylang, and the rest joined in rare harmony, produces a warm feeling, feminine, and truly special. I imagine that I am in a thick forest, while above, the tall trees flashing in the sun wait for me while I make my way. The serenity of a mountain, the sight of all that the picture gives me: rivers, waterfalls, trees, birds, flowers in the distance, flowers under my feet. And a stranger who comes, sits next to me, and then I understand it is a dream, or should it be, or maybe not. His hand takes mine and, together, we see the true essence of nature. In peace and serenity.

According to the fragrantica database, there is currently only 5 scent catalogues as Oriental Fougere for women on this website- I suppose that means it is quite a rare thing.

And the scent is quite rare itself, I am trying to think whether I have even tested anything like this, and I really cannot come up with anything.

Phul nana is a class in itself. Majestic, strong, but at the same time not overpowering. I dont know if the current composition is exactly the same one as the XIX century formula. But it is excellent. Evokes the excitement of traveling and discovering new lands, but it also is very, very elegant. Not quit the same period as Paul Scott's novels about the end of the British rule in India, but it matches up to what I imagines it might have been, with posh officer clubs, travelling by train with posh suitcases in the blazing heat, dealing with unpredictable weather, and above all, inhaling all those amazing scents of the continent.

Phul Nana offers an exquisite take on ylang-ylang tuberose and geranium, patchouli is not overpowering, the whole thing is lined with a very delicate sweetness coming from vanilla and tonka bean, with a citrusy accord of orange. They are very subtle, the fragrance is neither sweet nor acidic, but slightly powdery, oriental, deep, woody. A real time vehicle, I can use my sample as a means of moving in time.

I am interested in perfume bottles and have a few also powder boxes. I found a street in Saigon with many for sak=le and bougt an early guerlin one.