Her own olfactory signature admits to certain genetic tendencies. "I am influenced by my family!" she admitted with rueful laugh. "Growing up Guerlain was always only nice perfumes, something you could recognize from afar, the sillage, and you would know it was Guerlain. I wanted to have the same approach."
— Perfumer Patricia de Nicolaï of Parfums de Nicolaï, quoted in Scent of a woman at the National Post.
I have not yet tried any of Nicolai’s perfumes (there aren’t any around here), but I adore Guerlain fragrances. Her comment makes me want to order FB’s online–blind! Maybe after I pay the Christmas bills.
Please resist the temptation to order blind and try to get samples first. I personally did not care for Sacrebleu or Maharanih, but I bought New York for my husband after getting a sample for him to try. Of the fragrances in his current rotation (New York, Timbuktu, Habit Rouge, Eau Savage, Cuir de Russie) New York is my favorite to smell on him.
I adore the PdN line, but I wouldn’t buy them unsniffed either.
I own and love Sacrebleu, Maharanih, New York, Le Temps d’une Fete, Eau Exotique, & Eau d’Ete. Do sample first; her scents have a definite focus.
I definitely would not suggest buying unsniffed. Sample the line first. Some of the perfumes I have tried in the line I did not like and some of them I like a lot. Sample away!
Breathtaking. I was prepared to view the comment made recently about the creation of Samsara (the “working hard” comment) as an unfortunate one-off but clearly the man is a dinosaur to put it nicely. No wonder Mathilde Laurent left. On the bright side – the perfume world has Patricia de Nicolai’s perfumes and scented candles to enjoy – thank goodness for that! And her no doubt invaluable contribution/leadership re the Osmotheque.
If women can’t make good perfumers, then what about Germaine Cellier? Fracas , Bandit , and Vent Vert are considered classics!
PdN is a wonderful line…she’s better off on her own, IMHO.
I agree! Her scents do have an underlying (base) similarity, the way she describes the distinction of Guerlain. Some of them take LONG time to appreciate (at first I disliked Sacrebleu! and Maharanih even more, but now I love both), so I agree that they should be sampled and lived with for a while before purchase. They are so wonderful and I have come to appreciate her ‘signature’.
Makes me happy that I vastly prefer the PdN line to Guerlain.
Oooh… a branch of Osmothèque in NY!!! Can’t wait for it to get here.
That might actually get me on the train to NY, who knows.
You know, that SEPTA to NJTransit connection into PennSta is very leisurly. Can read lots of books on the trip…
I used to do it several times a year, just for the perfume. Then I decided it wasn’t worth the bother since most things come to me eventually anyway. What I miss, really, is the food, not the shopping.
She’s carrying some quality DNA, no doubt. It comes through in her scents.
I wish there were more Guerlain offspring developing their own lines, inundating us with masterfully crafted, imaginative fragrances.
So true! Woulda, coulda, shoulda…. *sigh*
I have not tried any of her perfumes, but I do applaud her finesse and would have probably done the same thing. Such a shame that she was not allowed to become part of the family business due to her gender. I guess self made success is the best revenge.
While I don’t think you can compare PdN to Guerlain quite yet (Guerlain is a line so steeped in tradition and it has such wonderful classic fragrances), I do think the PdN line is great and Patricia seems talented. I don’t personally like Sacrebleu, I do like Le Temps d’Une Fete, Violette In Love, Week-end a Deauville and Fig Tea.
It is good to see a woman going out on her own and finding success no matter what area of life we are talking about.
Great link! What a missed opportunity for Guerlain, but she must have more creative freedom with her own line, and – on the positive side of the ledger for French manhood – it appears that she has a supportive husband who is also involved in the company.
Very fond of Violette in Love, Vie de Chateau and Nicolai pour Homme, and still exploring this lovely line.
Christian Laudamiel spoke about the possibility of a New York branch of the Osmotheque at the October seminar in DC. I deeply hope that comes to fruition – it was fabulous to sniff the those recreated scent treasures! Imagine all of us meeting up someday for a Sniffa at a NYC Osmotheque! 🙂
I don’t think her style would have worked for Guerlain. (Mathilde Laurent, on the other hand…) I’m a little surprised by how negative she is about Guerlain. Were they really that prejudiced against women? I loved Odalisque when I tried it in Paris. I finally decided to buy it, but had so much trouble with her messy website, the desire quickly faded, and even the scent I remembered suffered. Contrast her with Linda Pilkington, who both makes beautiful perfumes and promotes her house’s image and does her business like a perfectionist. I know she’s a great perfumer, but Nicolai also needs to hire someone to fix up her website. We judge companies by the quality of their websites, it’s their virtual storefront.