Photo - Wikipedia - Vincent van Gogh "Starry Night", 1889.
Museum of Modern Art, New York
The first time I smelled Violette Fumée on my skin I knew I was going to buy a bottle of it. It’s a luxurious skin scent that partners violet and pipe tobacco in a way that makes me want to keep on smelling it. Like most fragrances, Violette Fumée has a back story – a rather somber back story – that has its beginning in Grasse.
While developing an amenity line for a luxury hotel, interior designer Jeroen Oude Sogtoen met perfumer Mona di Orio at Accords et Parfums in Grasse. Working together on the project, they realized that they shared a strong belief in artisanship and a passion for quality ingredients, and over time, a friendship was born.
A pupil of the great Edmond Roudnitska, a titan in the fragrance world, Ms. Di Orio was a gifted and talented nose. Sogtoen saw the potential of combining their skills and so in 2004 they became business partners and launched Mona di Orio Parfums. In 2005 they released their first fragrances: Lux, Carnation and Nuit Noire (a real stunner and one of my favourite spicy orientals BTW) and in 2010 they launched the Les Nombres D'Or line. Inspired by the Golden Ratio, this line was dedicated to exploring classic fragrance accords like vetiver, leather, amber and vanilla (Les Nombres d’Or Cuir is mouthwatering BTW). Then in December 2011 di Orio suddenly passed away, leaving behind fragrances that were almost completed but not quite ready for market. This left the grieving Sogtoen with some very difficult options: he could close down the house or find a new nose for the brand. In the end he decided to honor di Orio’s memory by releasing some of the fragrances she had worked on, and so in 2013 Violette Fumée was launched.
Violette Fumée is the personal fragrance di Orio created for Sogtoen. Based on his memories – the pipe his father smoked, his favourite materials – fresh lavender and his love of luxury – violets, the feel of cashmere, champagne, it was made for his use only. Together they sourced and searched for the perfect materials for Violette Fumée. The result is a gorgeous frag that is a true reflection of their collaboration - their artistic vision and their commitment to quality ingredients.
Violette Fumée opens with a note of fresh lavender – not the sickly synthetic stuff you find in scented soaps and sachets, but the herbal, floral scent of fresh lavender sprigs that have been crushed and rubbed between your palms. Bergamot adds a crisp sparkliness that is a nod to champagne, as is the muselet that covers the stoppers on all 100 ml. Mona di Orio perfume bottles. Oakmoss gives the opening a delicate earthiness. Skin heat brings out the heart notes – tender violet, bolstered by lush Turkish rose, plays between tendrils of soft, smoky pipe tobacco accord created by vetiver and clary sage. Violet leaf, green and fresh is warmed by spicy saffron which makes Violette Fumée smolder on a resinous base of resinous opoponax, bitter myrrh and musky, woody cashmeran.
The drydown is creamy, soft and tender with a freshness that livens it up just enough, but it’s that violet/smoke pairing that wafts up from my wrist to my nose from time to time and makes me smile.
Violette Fumée was a gift made by Mona di Orio for a friend, now it is their gift to us.
Today, we’re adding Violette Fumée to our Decant Store. Decants are $7.00.