Place Vendôme is the latest fragrance from luxury jewelry house Boucheron, and it’s their first under new licensing arrangements with InterParfums (they used to be with L’Oreal). It’s a woody floriental named for the location of the brand’s flagship store in Paris.

Place Vendôme Eau de Parfum* opens bright and citrusy, with a slight trail of orange blossom, and the usual pink pepper very much in evidence almost from the start. The heart is soft and velvety, and floral in the modern style. The press materials promise that “jasmine deploys its full floral power”, but of course that is nonsense. If you are scared of indoles — or white flowers, or traditional oriental fragrances, or even any vague hint of skank — do rest assured that flowers are kept on the same tight leash here that they are in nearly every mainstream perfume these days. Still, there is orange blossom, and there is jasmine…

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