Trayee by Neela Vermeire Creations

Hi Posse. Trayee has been heralded as a modern day masterpiece by many. Most famously Christopher Chong the ex-Creative Director at Amouage. In fact he wished it was part of the Amouage oeuvre. High praise indeed.

You know when a perfume house brings out three or more fragrances at a time? You’ll smell all three and decide your favourite, yeah? Obviously my favourite from the initial offering of NVC was Mohur. Moving forward that is your favourite scent, from that set of the houses offerings. Rarely will you go back and smell the rest, what need? With all the new things coming out every week who has the time or skin real estate to waste on things already poo pooed? Trayee proves that sometimes it pays great dividends…….

Neela Vermeire was a hardcore perfumista before she ever became a creative director. She was heavily involved in the MUA years and then went on to host fragrant tours of Paris. Whenever we go to Serge Lutens together she is greeted like a long lost friend and treated like royalty. We have been firm friends since we caught up in 2013 while Jin and I were on our first international holiday together. We chat regularly on the phone and love to meet wherever we can in the world. Neela is well known as the most exacting customer of Bertrand Duchaufour and her fragrances reflect the amount of time and money spent to get it exactly right.

Trayee by Neela Vermeire Creations 2012

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Basil, Cannabis, Elemi resin, Ginger, Blackcurrant, Cinnamon
Heart: Clove, Jasmine sambac, Cardamom, Saffron, Sandalwood, Egyptian jasmine
Base: Amber, Oakmoss, Haitian vetiver, Java vetiver, Myrrh, Mysore sandalwood, Oud, Patchouli, Vanilla, Frankincense, Cedar

Obviously I’m a bit biased but Neela’s NVC perfume collection speaks for itself, and Trayee is a perfect example of how deep, intricate, flamboyant and elegant her fragrances are.

How does Trayee smell? The opening is a sweet and spicy mix of greenery, herbs and resins. I’ve never been able to pinpoint the sweetener but it may be the blackcurrant. There is none of the screechiness I associate with the note, this is a smooth and luxurious open. Through the heart the creamy sandalwood and resins shine next to a heavily spiced but clean jasmine bouquet, no breath or sweaty references at all. The heart lasts on me for hours before I really start to notice a darkening of cool, smoky incense that reminds me a bit of Lapsang Souchong tea and I also get wafts of citrus at this point. It’s a magnificent tapestry that cannot be seen all at once. Slowly Trayee fades and after about 6 hours I’m left with a very soft focus woodsy incense. On clothes it lasts till the next wash.

Do you know Trayee?
Portia xx