Taking a (Bel) Respiro… in 1932

My darling Posse – before I tell you this story let me first say a heartfelt thank you to each and every one who reached out to me, both on my post and in other ways, re Monsieur’s passing.  It’s still a bit jarring, so I didn’t have it in me to respond to comments – but please know how much your caring words mean to me.  Thank you, again.

And, oddly enough, managing my unhappiness is the gateway to this post about Bel Respiro.  As I mentioned on his post, I wore Amouage Beloved, which was the perfect scent to help me get through that tough night.  But once worn, I didn’t want to continue to wear its melancholy beauty.

(and… as you probably also know, I’m not supposed to be wearing any perfume at all – but I know my body and I know that perfume is NOT the issue (whew!) – but let’s not shout that from the rooftops, okay?

So.  Bel Respiro.  The name is taken from Mme Chanel’s country house (I want a country house – oh, wait.  I have a country house.  Probably not like Mme’s, though.  Le sigh).  This elegantly green scent is, in my opinion, the epitome of Springtime – especially for a Woman (or Killer) of a Certain Age.  That is not faint praise, by the way – I don’t know of any other House that lauds the Adult Woman quite like Chanel – and I am here for it.  Though I cannot wear the clothes (I’m not drawn that way) I can – and do – wear the living daylights out of almost every fragrance.

Bel Respiro is my favorite for garden work, as it replicates so much of what I do at this time of year – the lush vegetation I’m ripping out by the handfuls, the burgeoning hyacinths, the cool greenness of Spring roses (way different from the smell of Summer flowers)…. if I weren’t doing all the backbreaking labor myself (chainsaw inluded) I could imagine myself wandering through the lush garden, clad in pearls, deadheading flowers.  Alas, since I’m hauling dead tree limbs to the woodpile I’ve left the pearls in the box.

1932, on the other hand, is Pearls All the Way.  I love this scent precisely because it has the slightly synthetic vibe of urban life (again, not faint praise – I loves me some concrete and commerce).   It has a classic Chanel ‘feel’ to it but it isn’t as challenging as many of the others from the House – and sometimes (especially at this changeable time of the year) that’s exactly what I want in a perfume – and if I wasn’t on my way to the allergist today I’d be awash in it – instead I’ll spritz it on a hankie and stash it in my handbag.  But I’ll be dressed as if I was in 1932, right down to the pearls.

not pearls… but close

Both have that ‘chilly’ quality that I love in perfumes from this vaunted House – after years of trying to be a Warmer Human I’ve finally embraced my vaguely imperious nature – and I’m finding I quite like it.  Unlike what the BVMs tried to beat into me in grammar and high school, being imperious/chilly doesn’t make me a bad person.  As a friend said “you are not a very NICE person – but you are a very GOOD person”.  That, to  me, is Chanel.

Your thoughts?  Do you wear either of these perfumes?

Btw – here’s an excellent review of 1932 from Bois de Jasmin.  Not the same experience as mine but I love what she has to say about it.

And one of my favorites from NST on Bel Respiro.