Futurcast: Futur by Robert Piguet

I have a long relationship with Robert Piguet (the house anyway) that dates back to my mother wearing Bandit, his groundbreaking and rather gender bending 1944 leather chypre. Bandit was the flip side of his 1948 Fracas, the most threatening white flower since the Titum Arum, and the scent that may have brought on workplace perfume bans. I’ve owned both for years and gifted my then-teen godchild with at least one of them. Which might have caused consternation to her Mother, were she not a ‘fume head as well and would look upon it as a borrowing opportunity While I wear Bandit out on occasion (on a crisp, cool day it just sings) I will admit that I wear Fracas only at night or when I am in a seriously bad mood. The Barbara Stanwyck with a .45 Venus Flytrap aspects of the tuberose-heavy white flowers make me feel better when I am testy and if I am wearing it out serve as a warning: cross me and I will slap you like Joan Crawford slapped, well, everybody she was ever in a movie with.

So when I read a blog post reminding me about Futur, I had to replace my used up sample.

Futur was originally released in 1960, a few years before the Mod era. 1960 was still all about tail-fins, bouffant hairdos, and New-Look nipped waists and full skirts. Futur was for the “witty, honest woman full of self-esteem…(who) follows her own style.” Notes (from Fragrantica):

Top notes: Green Notes, Neroli and Bergamot

Middle notes are Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine, Violet Leaf and Violet

Base notes are Vetiver, Virginia Cedar and Patchouli.

The easiest way to describe Futur would also be the easiest way to denigrate it: Bandit Lite with Celery. Which in a way is true; it’s not as in-your-face as Bandit but a lot of that feeling is there. Futur girl might not be packing heat but she could pull off some Emma Peel moves if you got mouthy. I do get some celery in the greenness- but sort of like the celery I get in Lutens Mandarine Mandarin- floating around the edges of the hedges, as it were. The scent is brilliant on it’s own but also, I think, a lovely tip of the chapeau by nose Aurelien Guichard to Germaine Cellier, who created the original Bandit as well as Fracas. After the first half-hour of fireworks it does dry down to a lovely, subtle green base of vetiver, violet and cedar with just enough patchouli to make it interesting without making it Haight-Ashbury. You have to lean in to smell the whole thing. So you needn’t worry about scaring everyone in the office  Of course you will be forgiven if you can’t help but re-spritz to get the full effect. I did. More than once.

Now I know this is part of the 2009 reissue that was previously only available at Harrods so I don’t know how it compares to the original. While Surrender to Chance doesn’t have this one, they do have samples of both Bandit and Fracas (in perfume strength), and if you never have, you really need to. Futur is available at the Piguet website or at various e-tailers for less than retailers. I purchased my bottle at one of the e-tailers.

Photos: my iPhone, Pexels, and Wikimedia Commons