Last year Atelier Cologne released Sous le toit de Paris in honor of the centennial of the dome at the Galeries Lafayette, one of Paris’s most elegant department store buildings. The dome (la coupole), designed by architect Ferdinand Chanut and glass artist Jacques Gruber, is the unofficial symbol of the Galeries Lafayette as well as a beautifully preserved example of Art Nouveau design. It’s fantastic in every sense of the word. As Atelier’s homage to the dome reads, “A century of elegance and extravagance! La Coupole has covered times and fashions, while inside the emotion has remained the same. The wish to reinvent oneself. The pleasure of looking and discovering. The joy of possessing the object of desire…”

Sous le toit de Paris (“under the roof of Paris”) is a special edition fragrance, available only at Atelier Cologne boutiques and the Galeries Lafayette. Its composition includes top notes of Moroccan neroli, Sicilian bergamot and African bigarade; heart notes of French violet leaves, South African geranium and Haitian vetiver; and base notes of Brazilian tonka bean, musk and white leather. Like most of Atelier’s fragrances, it’s complex yet not overwhelming, and it could be worn by either women or men. Now that I’ve finally tried it, it’s one of my favorites from the brand…

Read the rest of this article »