Jardins d’Armide by Oriza Legrand

Hi there Posse, Jardins d’Armide is one of my happy memory scents. Way back in 2014 my perfume buddy Michael and I were in Paris. It was the last stop on our European vacation. We met up with perfumers, shops and buddies in a few countries on our way to the jewel in the crown of Europe, the city of light. Once in Paris we had a long list of perfume stops scheduled. It was so much fun showing Michael one of my favourite cities. We hit Serge Lutens and Parfums Rosine Palais Royale stores, Galleries Lafayette, Printemps, L’Artisan, MFK, CHANEL, DIOR beauty, Jovoy, IUNX and many more that have slipped my memory. It was amazing fun for both of us.

The one house that I had been in touch with, written about and got super excited to meet the owners was Oriza Legrand. A brand new, in 2013 perfume house, resurrected from an historic brand that had gone dark for decades. Hugo and Franck were so welcoming when we visited their unbelievably charming shop. We tried EVERYTHING. We bought soaps and perfumes (yes, I got Jardins d’Armide), sample sets as gifts (all packed up and sent to Australia for FREE) and had a brilliant time. I’ve written about this fragrance elsewhere. Lately I’ve worn it a few times and I wanted to remind you all how gorgeous it is. Scott and I revisited Oriza Legrand in 2018.

Jardins d’Armide by Oriza Legrand 1909 and 2013

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Rose, Orange blossom, Iris
Heart: Iris, Violet, Wisteria, Tagetes
Base: Honey, Almond, Tonka bean, Musk

Just so you know, this is my second Jardins d’Armide bottle. Somewhere along the line the original bottle disappeared so I bought this one from a friends Sale Doc on FB. The original bottle had a much larger label. Juice is the same as far as I can tell.

So how does Jardins d’Armide smell? Violets and iris are my first impression, rich and thick with a sprinkling of sugar. If you remember the way PEZ used to smell? Kind of like that. They are soon joined by marigolds, or a marigold fantasy, and oodles of light, fluffy powder. Reminiscent of the powder we used to get doused in after our bath as kids. I loved it, suddenly I was soft and fragrant and beautiful. It is the heart where I start to notice a dark red rose too, very Mr Lincoln (a rose my Mum had in the garden).

You know, I never noticed the almonds or the honey but now that I’ve read them in the notes list I can see that they are included. They don’t play a prominent part in my experience though. The sweet, resinous nuttiness I smell is how tonka smells for me and add in clean musks and still more powdery goodness and dry down is complete.

Extremely long lasting but the projection is low after a couple of hours. Skewing traditional feminine but wears great on me and I think it could suit anyone really. A bit too interesting and unusual for a thoughtless spritz and go, I often am overwhelmed by how beautiful Jardins d’Armide is. It can happily derail my line of thought anytime.

Have you tried any of the Oriza Legrand fragrances?
Portia xx