BOUTONNIÈRE NO. 7

Top Notes French lavender Calabrese bergamot Italian mandarin  Heart Notes Gardenia Jasminoides / Gardenia citriodora duo Genet absolute Violet leaf absolute  Base Notes Labdanum Vetiver essence Croatian oakmoss Castoreum  Intro A realistic gardenia scent that can be worn by everyone, recreating the scent of boutonnières and French colognes wafting through the Belle Époque foyer of the Opéra Comique in Paris in 1899. Known as the "Opera Flower" the gardenia was the choice bloom for black tie during the Belle Époque, worn by dandies and beloved by their admirers. Our composition features notes of: Lavender, bergamot, Italian mandarin, gardenia jasminoides/gardenia citriodora duo, genet absolute, vetiver and oakmoss. 100 ml / 3.4 fl oz. Eau de Parfum. History May 1899, Foyer of the Opéra-Comique, Paris During the Opera’s intermission, a group of seven young men gather at the Grand Foyer in search of new flirtations. Women of all sorts are lured in by the crisp, green scent of the men’s gardenia boutonnières, enlivened with the vetiver, bergamot and lavender colognes they wear. As they draw closer, the “Opera Flower” exudes its elegant masculinity, the last breath of a bloom sacrificed on a black-tie lapel. Developed with Rodrigo Flores-Roux Description A naturalist fragrance declaring the elegance of a single flower worn on a gentleman’s lapel. Crisp, elegant & sophisticated. Eau de Parfum. Available in two sizes: 100 ml / 3.4 fl oz and 50ml / 1.7 fl oz. Our bottles are of the highest Italian quality with our signature ‘A’ engraved metal cap, as well as the newest technology for an invisible spray tube.   More - White flower boutonnières are generally preferred for Black-Tie because of their elegant contrast. Gardenias are top choice for men, as they delight women with their scent. During the Belle Époque, they became known as the “Opera flower”. - In 1899, a man would select a fresh boutonnière in much the same way he would wear a freshly laundered shirt or a pair of polished shoes. Its glory lay in its fragility; it was picked, worn in the buttonhole and allowed to die. - In the glory days of the Opéra-Comique, the Grand Foyer was one of the most exciting meeting points of the Parisian elite; champagne would flow with conversation, flirting and gossip. - The existing Opéra-Comique was officially re-opened in December 1898. It saw the premieres of composers such as Massenet, Debussy, Puccini and Ravel. The beaux-art decoration of the Grand Foyer consists of frescoed walls, gilded woodwork and for the first time, electric chandeliers; the slightly smoky base of Boutonniere no.7 evokes the crowd gathered during intermission.   Bio – Angeloni of Brioni, Umberto, The boutonniere: Style in One’s Lapel,Universe, New York, 2000. – Charlton, David, Grétry and the Growth of Opéra-Comique,Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1986. – Gorrell, Lorraine, Reynaldo Hahn: Composer of Song, Mirror of an Era, The Music Review 46/4, 1985, 284-301. – Gourret, Jean, Histoire des Salles de l’Opéra de Paris, Guy Trédaniel, Paris, 1985, 83. – Kahan, Sylvia and Mauriac-Dyer, Nathalie, Quattre Lettres Inédites de Proust au Prince de Polignac Bulletin Marcel Proust 53 (Dec.), 2003, 9-21. – Proust, Marcel, In Search of Time Lost, Penguin Classics, London, 2003. – Wilde, Oscar, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2006. Image