So yes, I’m jaded, but I don’t think I have a closed mind: if these are wonderful, I’ll be thrilled.

That’s me, commenting on the post that announced the then-upcoming Collection Extraordinaire from Van Cleef & Arpels. That article elicited a number of skeptical comments, including my own, about the glut of multi-scent luxury perfume launches — many of which turn out to be less interesting than the prices and the fancy packaging would suggest — and then a discussion about whether some of us were perhaps a bit too jaded.

I might be too jaded, who knows? It doesn’t seem to me to be an important issue: I say what I like in the comments, but I go right on smelling and looking for beauty regardless. And whatever my original suspicions, I did keep an open mind when I smelled the Collection Extraordinaire, and yes, I’m thrilled. This is a lovely collection. All six are worth smelling, and one, Bois d’Iris, captured my heart thoroughly enough that I laid out the $185 (!!) for it on the spot, thereby blowing my third quarter damage tally, which up until then had been a very gratifying zero.

Bois d’Iris is one of two unisex fragrances in the collection, the other being Cologne Noire.¹ It’s a must try for iris fiends…

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