Frederic Malle Le Parfum de Therese

It’s dark and damp and it was dark and freezing — alternating. Six and one half dozen of the other? My mother used to say that when she had no precise answer to a question and just wanted you to let her get on with things (cooking dinner, doing lesson plans, paying attention to the dog rather than you).

I can’t quite believe it’s the end of November. We’re awaiting the annual budget announcement here (mid-week) which will tell me how I am going to organise my financial life for the next few years.

I really do feel like six and one half dozen of the other.

I wonder what Estee Lauder is doing to Frederic Malle’s fragrances. Did he have precise requirements of what could be done to the perfumes when he agreed to sell the company?

Le Parfum de Therese doesn’t strike me as one of the ‘shouty, we all love it’ Malles. I hope Lauder doesn’t discontinue it by stealth or otherwise.

It’s not something I wear a lot but I do wear it and would miss it if it were gone. The travel size sits among the easily grab-able bottles rather than in the box in the closet.

Therese is by Edmond Roudnitska (of Eau Sauvage, Diorissimo) and the lore goes that he originally made it for his wife, Therese, in the 1950s. He died in 1996 and the rights to LPdT were acquired by Malle from Therese. It was released in 2000.

It’s not big, but it’s not quiet. It’s not ‘I am the sexiest thing alive’ (Carnal Flower). It’s not ‘I am refined but full of secrets’ (Portrait of a Lady). It’s rather unique in the Malle oeuvre, imho.

Per Fragrantica, it’s a fruity chypre and many commenters note that it was ahead of its time. The notes list gives a sense of that: melon, tangerine, plum, rose, leather, vetiver and cedar. Other lists add jasmine.

That’s certainly a more unusual makeup vs a lot of perfumes released over the past 30 years.

On me, it opens melon and tangerine. A big blast of citrus and what to my mind is ripe honeydew. Roudnitska managed to maintain the muskiness of both fruit, which is unusual in that most fruity florals/fruity whatevers are simply sharp and juicy.

Then, we’re on to rose and a huge dose of jasmine. At least on me. Pongy, dirty jasmine.

I have mixed feelings about melon in perfume. It can be … sort of adolescent? Obvious. But, as noted, this is that perfectly ripe, intensely musky thing you’re lucky to get mid-summer. Drip down your chin melon.

Longevity is good and the drydown is musky jasmine, but with a big dose of that melon.

If someone I loved made me something like this, I’d love them even more.

The Malle site has this only in 100ml for £265. I don’t know how long I’ve had my travel spray but I imagine I spent £50 or £60 on the 10ml.

Have you tried this? Love or meh? Are you planning any Malle purchases before things maybe change a bit too much?

Pics: wiki parfums, pexels