Heya Posse. A bottle that has been in the wardrobe for years and I rediscovered while looking for something else is Volupté by Oscar de la Renta. It’s a crazy shaped bottle and the cap never wants to go on right but the juice… AMAZING! Signed by Sophia Grojsman who you know for Tresor, Lalique & Paris and Nicholas Calderone, who did Lauder for Men and Lauren for Ralph Lauren (with Bernard Chant).
Volupté by Oscar de la Renta 1992
Oscar de la Renta gave these featured accords:
Top: Mimosa, Melon, Freesia, Osmanthus, Mandarin Orange, Watermelon, Cyclamen
Heart: Heliotrope, Ylang-Ylang, Narcissus, Carnation, Jasmine, Lotus, Lily-of-the-Valley, Peony
Base: Sandalwood, Amber, Incense, Tuberose, Vanilla, Patchouli
Who doesn’t love a kitchen sink perfume. A note list longer than Charlize Theron’s legs. BTW, I love Rhianna but am very crapped off with DIOR for dropping Charlize as their face of J’Adore. Bastards.
BACK TO Volupté: As you would expect with a note list like this the opening is tart, sweet and full of pollen heavy yellow florals. The melon is very rockmelon, just shy of ripe. If ever there was a spring in a bottle competition then I think we have a contender. Really, the whole concept and fragrance seems to belong to the 1980s. It may have been a couple of years too late stylistically and that’s probably why we don’t know it as one of the great blockbusters. It definitely stands proudly with them.
The heart has a clean narcissus, spicy carnation and some dewy peony. It is already given a smooth undertow of sandalwood and amber. Voluptuous indeed. Way back as we head towards dry down there is also a smoky incense/wood that wafts through. The breathy white florals and ylang finally hit my nose in this section too. This pumps out for hours, slowly diminishing.
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As you’re all hitting spring up in the north and you might like a super cheap little self treat. Volupté seems like a good choice to me.
What do you think?
Portia xx
I think you’re a perfume Circe.
I agree, Tom. Lordt. That PORTIA! Driving me onto the perfumed rocks…
Like you said, Portia, it came to the market after everyone else had already moved on from 80s blockbusters into 90s clean scents. I’ve never heard of it nor do I remember seeing it on the shelves or in magazine ads. That’s too bad, cause it sounds like it might have been a popular one. Would you classify this as a fruity floral?
Whoa whoa whoa this sounds sooo like me; can I resist a cheap deal? Probably not. That bottle makes me giggle, lumpy little thing. I very much liked the original Oscar, too. Thanks for the lemming, honey!
You know I had a MASSIVE crush on de la Renta, don’t you? MAAAASIVE! What an elegant man.
I snagged an Extrait on holiday in Tenerife. Off the beaten track the perfumeries are gems of vintage stock that have been stored super carefully.
Sadly I had to sell it on when our eldest needed his rent paying when he lost his job.
I bought a 90s Samsara & a Grey Flannel shaving set for DH at the same time.
Volupte is so beautiful & in the extrait hit just the right sillage for me. It is one of those “on spray too much & it’s choking” scents.
Carnation, oh how I love thee
I like that bottle. It isn’t classy but looks very tactile. Interesting notes list too. Sounds sort of cool and watery.