Maybe Thierry Wasser was not the right choice as the new in-house perfumer of Guerlain, following a tradition of visionary artists and men of great taste. In the past 20 years I've seen all the amazing and worst choices of young designers working for prestigious fashion houses in Paris. A young designer might be chosen because of his great talent, his affordable price or by the mysterious accidents of faith. In the case of Thierry Wasser I'd rather not ask myself those questions but I secretly hope that his reign at Guerlain will be very short. After the diluted Idylle here comes the recycled Cologne du Parfumeur. Eau de Cologne is one of the pillars of the house and the link to the glorious XIXth century tradition. In some cases, it is also the top note of several important creations of the house. As a new "designer" you can reinterpret the tradition giving new meanings to the heritage or you can bring a totally new direction. Your creative view represents the new rule! But the new "oeuvre" of the in-house perfumer is none of those. It is something worse an unexpected. If the classic Guerlain colognes and their use of aromatic notes represent the personal memories of the Guerlain family, their houses and the curious mixture between Englishness and Mediterranean tastes, I asked myself what personal experience translates the new creation. The love of nature and the aristocratic passion for landscape (Guerlain perfumes are huge!) was replaced by the clinical whiteness of Firmenich, the former house that employed Thierry Wasser for several years. Because Cologne du Parfumeur is 0% Guerlain, 20% Thierry Wasser and 80% Firmenich! Before going inside the new Cologne du Parfumeur from Guerlain, you should try other 2 important fragrances - Cologne Mugler (2001) and Omnia (Bvlgari 2003) both creations of the genius perfumer Alberto Morillas from Firmenich. Almost a decade after the 2 mainstream perfumes, each very original in their days and with a broad appeal to the public, the new perfumer from Guerlain does a remix - one idea from here (the green vegetal top note) plus one idea from there (the woody creamy musky dry down) giving us a recycled perfume that has nothing more, in terms of novelty, originality or quality than its sources. It has been done before (discontinued Iunx) but with great taste and artistry. Cologne du parfumeur sits between the green and the musky of what Alberto Morillas brilliantly designed in the past. But the rain (a theme in Idylle apparently) washed out everything that was special in terms of secondary notes and did not bring other. Unless you consider the Prada orange flower soap note an original twist in 2010. Compared to the creation imagined by the Firmenich master, Cologne du Parfumeur is a pale version for a discount market - much simpler (or minimalist after your artistic tastes in words). Maybe Thierry Wasser should forget everything he learnt at Firmenich and start with some basic questions about perfumery, art, personal style and vision. One year ago I was surprised that Jean Paul Guerlain continued to sign some creations of the house. Now, I wish that he puts his signature even more and teach the young Thierry Wasser the basics of this marvelous art.
PS: You should visit the Guerlain boutique in Marais (10 rue des Francs Bourgeois). It is a fabulous place to test the perfume in a quiet and inspiring room, if you are not fortunate enough to receive a sample. We should not forget the snobbery factor - buying a mainstream perfume from a prestigious house with a beautiful name.
An old Guerlain perfume to inspire Thierry Wasser
An old Guerlain perfume to inspire Thierry Wasser
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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art
