You, too, can now have your own portable rose garden, thanks to Guerlain’s newest fragrance, Idylle. Swiss perfumer Thierry Wasser makes his debut for Guerlain with a floral chypre. The top notes consist of an ensemble of lilies of the valley, peonies, freesia, lilacs, and rose; no one flower stands out. For the middle, Wasser used Bulgarian roses blended with raspberry and litchi. Since some find a traditional chypre scent a little bold, the perfumer added base notes of patchouli and white musk to brighten the over all feel of the fragrance.
Devotees of Guerlain perfumes will notice that the Guerlinade, which used to appear in every Guerlain offering, has gone missing from Idylle’s repretoire. Thierry Wasser conciously stepped away from the proprietary blend of the six scents of jasmine, bergamot, tonka bean, vanilla, iris, and rose. Instead, he chose to honor a small part of Guerlain’s scent history by only including rose.
The pure florals here just don’t quit – I want to spray this perfume on before bedtime, so when upstart reporters ask me what I sleep in, I can say, “Guerlain Idylle – and Old Navy pajamas.” A beautiful scent deserves an equally beautiful package, and thanks to French designer Ora-Ito, Idylle comes in a sleek yet curvaceous bottle that makes any vanity ultra chic. The grand concept behind the scent and bottle come from the notion of the Ideal Love – be it lasting or ephemeral. I don’t know about that, but it lends a little dignity to my otherwise slapdash lifestyle. And if Idylle can do that, there’s no telling what else it’s capable of.
Guerlain Idylle is available in 35ml ($75,) 50ml ($90,) and 100ml ($130) exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue.
– Katharine McKenzie