Tuesday morning I was preparing myself for the Chanel Haute Couture show and, influenced by the article about the Afghanistan rose oil, I took with me the bottle of Emotion (Helena Rubinstein) to smell it during the amazing fashion collection in delicate shades of pink and cloudy silver. Emotion belongs to this universe of softness and lightness and it evokes the delicacy of a world that doesn't exist anymore. Launched in a time of dramatic aesthetic changes, in the 60's, this is the perfume of the classic French school. Imagined as a youthful fragrance by the very young perfumer Jean Kerléo, in a time when the company was reorganizing after the death of Helena Rubinstein, this creation in pastel shades was quite the opposite of the new generation who was embracing the Courrèges mini skirt, the explosion of colors and very soon Calandre (Paco Rabanne), Rive Gauche (YSL) and later Charlie (Revlon). Emotion was the perfect scent for a
débutante bal at the Crillon hotel in Paris and its aesthetic vision is suspended between Capricci and Farouche, both exceptional fragrances from Nina Ricci. Emotion is a floral aldehydic perfume built around the precious essences of rose and jasmine with a fresh green accent. Its floral delicacy evokes the lightness of Amour Amour (Jean Patou) while the sensual accord of rose concrete and jasmine absolute suggests the opulent drama of Joy. Between these 2 notes, where the rose seems to be the main theme, other floral elements appear in a delicate ballet: lilac with a sweet powdery note, a very refined fresh lily of the valley and orris. The woody-orris-jasmine aspect announces its magnificent interpretation in 1000 where it will be glorified with the new osmanthus absolute and other exquisite elements. The powdery, warm ambery and soft woody mossy drydown of Emotion is very refined and belongs to an aesthetic approach seen in a trio of 3 great perfumes based on the rose-jasmine accord from Patou, Guerlain and Lancôme.
Emotion translates the feelings of the perfumer in front of the most beautiful floral essences capturing not their depth, essence or dramatic presence, but their serene aura. While the main flowers used inside the perfume were already a classic theme at that time, it is through their noble essences that their beauty is expressed, softly warmed by a fourrure note and a cosmetic facet both creamy violet and powdery rose under the aldehydic veil. While not directly related, a facet of the perfume (the jasmine absolute powdery note) will be magnified with a dramatic expression in First (Van Cleef & Arpels), where the new ingredients of the 70's would bring the force difficult to obtain in the previous decade without sacrificing the harmony. For me it suggests the mellow sweetness found in several floral absolutes and in the musky drydown of Chanel No 5 Eau de Cologne and Arpège.
Did you enjoy my article? Sign up for updates about new fragrances, reviews of artistic perfumes and exceptional vintage masterpieces. I would be very happy if you would consider joining 1000 Fragrances, throughRSS feed,GoogleFriend connect, Facebook (more personal), or any other way that appeals to you.
Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art
