"Let me tell you, I created Femme in 1943 in Paris during the worst days of the war in a building that had a rubbish dump on one side and paint factory on the other," remarked Edmond Roudnitska about one of his most sensual compositions, a perfume that smells of woman’s skin and ripe summer plums.
Some perfumes become classics because they are based on appealing, commercial accords (carnation and patchouli, patchouli and maltol, to name some examples), and others gain the status of legends because of their haunting beauty, even if it presents a challenge. Femme’s beauty is arresting and spellbinding, its main accord heavy like a heart filled with longings. …
Its perfection lies in Roudnitska’s ability to create a harmonious balance between aldehydes, fruit, woods and mossy notes. The dryness of Femme’s chypre accord is softened by the violet tinged plum; the tropical lushness of flowers is supported by the dense richness of sandalwood. I am overcome with emotion imagining this ravishing beauty created in the middle of a war torn city out of whatever materials Roudnitska could discover at the time.
That being said, it is not the easiest fragrance to wear, given its aggressive sensuality and lack of sweetness. Femme is seductive and cruel at the same time, a vision of beauty that makes one lose all senses. Partly because of its challenging nature, Femme has not escaped from being altered, and its perfection compromised by the changes that were implemented against Roudnitska’s wishes and without his involvement.
The complete reorchestration of Femme took place in 1989, when Olivier Cresp won the brief to modernize it while maintaining the integrity of the composition. This task is not unlike attempting to clothe Michelangelo’s David. Cresp recreated his vision of Femme based on the memories of the sublime classic being worn by women in his family. The reorchestrated version maintains the chypre voluptuousness of Femme, fusing a cumin note into the plum and peach sweetness. It is lighter and more gourmand than the classical version. Despite my misgivings, I would say that it is a well-done reorchestration, and while I enjoy it, the new Femme would never displace the original Roudnitska’s version for me. As certain beautiful visions leave a long lasting impression, Femme will always be the glorious dream filled with a bittersweet yearning.
Rochas Femme includes notes of bergamot, peach, prune, rose, immortelle, jasmine, ylang-ylang, ambergris, musk, oakmoss, sandalwood. It is available from select retailers and a variety of discount online stores. Femme comes in a bottle designed like a female form, with the rounded shoulders and wasp waistline invoking the models used by Marcel Rochas, inventor of the bustier.
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Dear V - thank you for a lovely review. I am sad that the original creation was reformulated. The newer version is too heavy on cumin imo. A dear friend sent me some of the original and that I love that because I can barely detect cumin. I love cumin in cooking but not in perfumes. :)
Posted by: N | February 22, 2006 at 03:51
Dear Victoria - Thank you for your review of this great oeuvre d'art. In 1964 (at the age of 20!) this fragrance was my first “great love". It never abandonded me completely during all these years and I was quite sad when reorchestrated in 1989. However Femme did survive and is always a glorious perfume.
Thank you for your fascinating site and the interesting reviews. I was very happy when I discovered the address in January. Mille merci – and please excuse my poor English!
Posted by: Prisca | February 22, 2006 at 05:06
A great review of a great perfume. Thanks for the background of its birth, who would think such beauty could come from such horror? I'm lucky to have discovered this in my youth, as Prisca did, and have known the glorious juice of the original Femme. I think I'll stick with that, as I cannot stand cumin in a perfume, and would probably get ill smelling it in the reworked Femme.
Posted by: Anya | February 22, 2006 at 07:01
Thanks V for mentioning this great perfume.
The plum note comes from methyl ionone ( a group of fruity smelling synthetics) that was left in a barrel of a factory for about 20-30 years! Suffice to say it gave a "patisserie" quality that is still enjoyed today and accounted for its success.
To me Femme is rather sweet , not particularly dry and is quite easy to wear , provided the circumstances allow a potent blend. It's so feminine!
The cumin in the newer formula doesn't bother me on iota. It's a sexy addition , I think.
Posted by: helg | February 22, 2006 at 07:38
Seductive and cruel, definitely! I adore this one too. Thank you for the beautiful review!
Posted by: Marina | February 22, 2006 at 08:58
I have never sniffed the original Femme, and I don't care for the current version - I agree with N that cumin is wonderful in cooking but not generally in perfume. Looks like I have another name to add to my vintage searches. Thank you for a wonderful, evocative review!
Posted by: annE | February 22, 2006 at 09:25
You make me long to try the original version. I know I have a sample somewhere. I anticipate another one of these futile evenings of me scrabbling through countless vials and never finding the one I want.
Re: Roudnitska's surroundings, it strikes me that, in his wartorn industrial surroundings, he was composing in a milieu befitting to a bohemian artist, not a mercenary perfumer for hire. The story gives the fragrance an added layer of wonder, and thank you for it. :)
Posted by: Tania | February 22, 2006 at 09:45
Someone needs to get together a coffret of vintage classics and sell them on ebay for an astronomical price. I'd be tempted. But I like the reformulated Femme very much. It's hard for me to imagine what the original smells like if the reformulation was intended to be more commercial and easier to wear (all that cumin!). I'm wearing its skinnier sister today: Mitsouko. Thanks for the great review, V! :)
Posted by: Liz | February 22, 2006 at 09:55
Femme is one of my favourite perfumes ever, it is truly feminine and to learn about how it was made in the midst of post war chaos makes me love it even more. It's a genious creation by one of the perfumers I admire the most (the other being Jacques Guerlain).
I first tried the modern version, with which I fell in love instantly.
The cumin is very handsom in this composition, adding warmth and sweetness to the dried fruit accord. The dry down is sweet and ambery (I don't find Femme to be a dry perfume at all!) and very feminine. It's a dark, sophisticated, warm perfume which I enjoyed very much wearing in the summer and early fall.
However, when sprayed it can be quite overwhelming with an unbeatable silage, so I have started looking feverishly for the parfum.
I finally got one from a fellow perfume addict - about 5ml of vintage Femme, and it's out of this world. If I liked the EDT/EDP of the modern version, I am completely infatuated with the original parfum: it's leathery and mysterious, dark and actually a lot more easy to wear than the modern version (anyways, the sprays...). It's soft and voluptous and just perfect. It smells a lot like osmanthus absolute, actually. The leather notes far more pronounced, there is no cumin of course, and it is ever so feminine - the perfume version of a woman's scent... It's very intimate andn seductive, and perhapst that is why I don't reach for it very often, and treasure it's rare beauty.
Posted by: Ayala | February 22, 2006 at 11:26
I am so lame! All I remember about Femme is that it packed a huge, girly punch and it wasn't for me. See, I told you. I'm so impressed with all of these articulate admirers' comments.
Posted by: Laura | February 22, 2006 at 11:31
V, does the original have anything in common with Parfum de Therese?
Posted by: Robin | February 22, 2006 at 14:02
Great review, V! Femme was my mom's signature perfume and whenever I think of her I imagine the cloud of Femme. She stopped wearing Femme when they reformulated it. I should look for a bottle of vintage on ebay.
Posted by: Linda | February 22, 2006 at 15:25
V, I hate to admit it, but I have never had the desire to even test this or any of the Rochas line, except Absolu and Femme. I did not like the former, but the latter was intriguing, even mysterious. It's a true classic.
However, now that I know it has been re-formulated, I want to test the original. I bet that it was a beauty, and I love the bittersweet story behind its creation. I guess if one tries hard enough and uses his or her imagination, beauty can be found even under the most trying of circumstances.
Hugs to you for such a gorgeous review!
Posted by: violetnoir | February 22, 2006 at 15:30
Dear N, I do not mind cumin at all in the reformulated version, but it is so different in spirit from the original that I cannot by treasure my vintage bottle.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 22, 2006 at 16:00
Prisca, thank you! I have a special relationship with my own first perfume loves, and even if some of them I can no longer wear, I cherish them nevertheless. You right, it is important that at least Femme survived.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 22, 2006 at 16:01
Anya, I find the story very moving. It proves that genius can operate under any circumstances. I do not think that you should like the new version, because the cumin is rather heavy.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 22, 2006 at 16:02
E, I agree that it is quite amazing how Roudnitska was able to find the ingredients. Methyl ionones smell like woody violets, and here that effect is evident. They are not fruity, although they can give off an interesting plummy effect, as in Feminite du Bois (especially paired with woods). I find the plum note to be abstract to say the least, but paired with other notes, it simply shines. The vintage version strikes me as leathery rather than sweet, and it is just a brilliant juxtaposition of accords.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 22, 2006 at 16:05
M, thank you. I love that it keeps me guessing till the end.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 22, 2006 at 16:05
Ann, cumin is one of those notes that I do not mind nearly as much as most other people I know. However, yes, if you do not like it, I cannot see how the new Femme would be wearable. I hope that you can get a chance to try the vintage. It is gorgeous.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 22, 2006 at 16:06
T, when I first came across the story and Roudnitska's original quote, I became even more enthralled with the already beautiful fragrance. Of course, growing up in Ukraine, the memories of war are strong even for people my age, even though I was born about 30 years after it ended.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 22, 2006 at 16:08
Liz, that would be a stellar idea, but I doubt that I would buy decants of vintage fragrances. They are just too fragile. As for Mitsouko, it is gorgeous. Different from Femme, but likewise, a work of art.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 22, 2006 at 16:10
Ayala, thank you for your interesting insights. I recall smelling osmanthus absolute and being struck by how aggressively leathery it smelled. It was stunning. I am yet to find a similar effect in the perfume. You are right, Femme definitely has that quality, with its fruity, floral and leathery facets combined.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 22, 2006 at 16:12
L, you are not lame! And that is a good comment--Femme packs a punch, and that is what makes it challenging.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 22, 2006 at 16:13
R, not particularly. They are rather different, although both have the leathery aspect pushed to the front.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 22, 2006 at 16:13
Linda, fragrances that remind us of our mothers... Mine wore a number of fragrances, but one of them was Diorissimo. I still have a soft spot for it.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 22, 2006 at 16:14
R, thank you! I am glad that you sought out Femme. I was not thrilled with Absolu, but I like other Rochas fragrances--Byzance, Mystere (before it was changed), Lui, Madame Rochas. Femme is my favourite, hands down.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 22, 2006 at 16:16
V, what a beautiful review!I love the talent and your words. This goes on my list as I love cumin in my fragrances. Go figure!
Posted by: Constance | February 22, 2006 at 16:19
C, finally, someone else who loves cumin in fragrances! I fault the new Femme for not being the original Femme, but it is of course unfair. It is a lovely fragrance in its own right.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 22, 2006 at 16:23
Another great post because it gives me information about chemicals and the history of a perfume's formulation and reformulation. What are your sources for this information?
Posted by: Cait | February 22, 2006 at 16:27
I love Femme in all of its incarnations. I have worn it since my late teens, and the love affair has never dimmed. Of course, I wish they'd simply left it alone - since it was a masterpiece the first time around. At least the parfum allows me to enjoy the original.
Each time I revisit it, I always take a deep breath and say to myself, Now THIS is perfume!. I guess it's a standard of some sort for me - it is rich and deep and beautiful and sophisticated and above all, interesting and womanly. Thanks for writing about it!
Posted by: michelle | February 22, 2006 at 16:48
Dear V., Femme did a strange thing to me recently and of course, you know you're partly responsible for it... Sampled the current version several times thinking "this isn't me", "it really isn't", then being unable to get it out of my head. And then the vintage... Well, we're all agreed: in a way, like Michelle writes, this is what perfume's all about. Femme, the word says it all... On another note, literally, I'm becoming totally addicted to Derby by Guerlain, which you recommended. It's just moved to the top of my must have modern scents (Femme heads the vintage category). I feel Derby, with its dryness and the perfect legibility of its notes -- oakmoss, carnation, cloves, then, yes, the unmistakable murmur of tuberose -- could be my "default" scent: the one I wear when I just don't know, can't choose, need clarity. Thanks!
Posted by: carmencanada | February 22, 2006 at 17:37
Cait, thank you. I think that it is a gorgeous fragrance, and even the new version is very well-done. As for sources, it is a hard question, because I have been interested in this topic for such a long time. So, my sources range from all sorts of books, journals, and personal conversations (not with Edmond Roudnitska though :), although how much would I have wished that during his lifetime!) To mention some of my favourite books, Michael Edwards's books are among them.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 22, 2006 at 17:54
Michelle, I also wish that they left it alone. I know that Roudnitska was not happy about the reformulations/substitutions of ingredients (do not know his thoughts on the new version, but I gather that he would not approve tempering with his masterpiece). You put it beautifully when you say, "Each time I revisit it, I always take a deep breath and say to myself, Now THIS is perfume!" I cannot agree more.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 22, 2006 at 17:57
Dear D, I knew that you would love Derby! It is excellent chypre, and yes, the murmur of white flowers is amazing. I also love the iris chill in the base. Here is another recommendation to you--Parfums de Nicolai New York. I am wearing it today, and I was just exchanging thoughts about it with Tania, who called New York a soul of Coty Chypre. It is more polished than Chypre, but it has the intriguing roughness of Coty's classic. If you have tried it, I would love to hear your thoughts.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 22, 2006 at 18:02
Wow, you have totally outdone yourself here. What a fascinating, precise, beautifully written review, with one hell of an opening quote. The blog is just going from strength to strength.
Posted by: Campaspe | February 22, 2006 at 21:20
Wonderful review - I am so glad I tried this one before 1989, but I think I was too young to wear it then. I never got a bottle of the new kind, so I never knew it had changed. Too bad. It was a masterpiece.
Posted by: portlandia | February 23, 2006 at 01:05
I haven't tried Patricia de Nicolaï's scents in ages, the boutiques are sort of out of my beaten path. New York, the soul of Chypre... interesting. I'm just reading a new French book about the history of perfume, and the author draws a comparison between Coty's creations and Fauvism and its heightened, nearly brutal contrast in colours. That's what I feel from Chypre de Coty: it's got something rough and almost deliberately barbaric about it.
Posted by: carmencanada | February 23, 2006 at 02:32
V, I've been lurking here and reading for several months now; your reviews are wonderful to read, frequently tempting me into treating myself to a new perfume! For example, today I'm wearing Black Cashmere - it's snowing outside and it goes so well with snow - which I bought after reading your review. I'll be trying Femme as soon as I can, I do love cumin (sometimes I can be found in the kitchen wafting the spice jar under my nose). Have you tried Alexander McQueen's Kingdom? That has a very pronounced cumin note - my unsophisticated nose guesses that it's not a particularly of perfumes (the cumin seems to drown the other notes out to start off with), but as well as the cumin it has a lovely rosey spicy woody drydown.
Posted by: Katherine | February 23, 2006 at 04:23
Ayala and Victoria, you have mentioned the loveliness of fruity-floral-leather scents. I find myself drawn to many of these, taking particular note of them after the surprise of the vintage Miss Balmain I got, and looking at my collection in a different way ;-). I would never have taken notice of my occasional dips into this genre of perfumes, as I didn't classify them as my favorites. Perhaps they are still not my favorites in the scent family, but I have noticed a large number of them in my collection - mostly vintages -- eg, Anais Anais, the Miss Balmain, Must de Cartier, cabochard, Miss Dior, etc. On some the fruit is not as pronounced, of course. V, perhaps you could some day do a series on this type of fragrance, as you have done with iris scents. Is it my imagination, or has this type of scent fallen from favor with perfumers, and they are not creating them (or as many) anymore?
Posted by: Anya | February 23, 2006 at 07:21
I confess I've never tried Femme, but when I read it's a fruity-chypre I immediately thought: oh, it's like Balmain de Balmain!
Balmain is one of my favourite fragrances: it starts green and fruity (something like berries), then it gets woody and smoky. It's a beautiful chypre, smells like a forties scent, it's bold and unusual. I think it'd interesting if you wrote a review about the Balmain fragrances, like this one, or Miss Balmain, or Ivoire. Now that Jolie Madame and Vent Vert have been so badly reformulated, I think these are the best of the Balmain range!
Posted by: stefania | February 23, 2006 at 10:30
F, thank you very much! I am glad that staying up extra late to write this article paid off. :)
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 23, 2006 at 14:26
Donna, I bought a vintage bottle several years ago, completely by accident. At first, I did not even realize how precious it was. Now, I am on a hunt for another bottle.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 23, 2006 at 14:27
D, I can completely see the link between Coty fragrances and Fauvism. Just compare L'Origan and L'Heure Bleue. Guerlain manages to fuse refinement into the rustic elegance of Coty (with successful results, however). Their savage qualities are so appealing.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 23, 2006 at 14:27
Katherine, thank you very much and welcome! I am glad that my recommendations were good. I hope that if you try the new Femme, you will enjoy it. Cumin in Kingdom was a bit too much for me, but one cannot deny the sensuality of the final result. Perhaps, it was too overwhelming, because I understand that the fragrance was a flop for McQueen.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 23, 2006 at 14:28
Fruity-floral-leather--that encompasses so much! I am not even sure what you mean. Miss Balmain and Femme are chypres. Must de Cartier is an oriental, in the vein of Shalimar. I do not notice much fruit in it. Anais Anais is a white soft floral. However, it would be interesting to do a series on fruity chypre, or anything that combines those facets. Admittedly, those articles take up an incredible amount of time to prepare, and I simply am running out of it these days. Hopefully, post-exam period, this might be easier.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 23, 2006 at 14:47
Stefania, I would love to experience Balmain de Balmain you are describing again. I bought a bottle recently, because I remember how beautiful it was. Well, the result was a thin, synthetic composition. I was disappointed, to say the least. Seems that it has also suffered... Miss Balmain and Ivoire have fared much better, though.
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 23, 2006 at 14:49
Actually, the Balmain de Balmain I have is something my mother bought for herself six or seven years ago. She never wore it, so I recently stole it from her bathroom.
I had no idea it's been reworked in the past few years, thanks for telling me. I won't buy a new bottle!
Posted by: stefania | February 24, 2006 at 11:51
I was disappointed, to say the least. It was not even close to what it used to be... Enjoy your bottle!
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | February 24, 2006 at 20:04
I have searched for 25 yrs for another bottle of Jolie Femme(I had one bottle, and once it was gone it was irreplaceable---Miss Balmain is the closest I've come to it). Jolie Madame is very harsh and nothing like Jolie Madame--aside from the fact that J.Madame causes me to get a Miraine--something many scents do. Based upon your comments I'll try Femme--but I think I've sniffed it in the stores, and not been impressed.
Posted by: jgilmore | March 20, 2006 at 01:34
oh, i'm always late to the party.
i've been intrigued by "femme" for a while now and am delighted that you had a review of it on your site. this "glorious dream filled with a bittersweet yearning" description tugged at my heartstrings and now i'm more curious than ever.
i've tried searching on ebay but i have a hunch that all the femmes listed are the new version. vic, do you know of anywhere where i can find the vintage edition? are there any fragrance forums where people exchange decants or something? i must get my hands on this mysterious creature!
btw, i adore all your reviews. i wish i had found your site earlier.
xx
adélie
Posted by: adélie | July 13, 2006 at 16:08
I'm a lurker, but this perfume has driven me to comment! I bought my first bottle of Femme yesterday, at a discount chemist (the only place in South Africa, as far as I can tell, that stocks Rochas fragrances). I adore it; though I'm 25 it makes me feel extremely experienced, worldly-wise, debonair and most especially: womanly! This truly is what perfume should be.
Thank you for this blog! Out here in the fragrance wilds this kind of blog is where all my perfume-info comes from.
Posted by: hester | November 26, 2007 at 05:27
I have been wearing femme since I was 17 and I am 65 now. The original was wonderful, and though I was dissapointed when the formula was changed, I have never stopped wearing it. It is not easy to come by now, and this is how I found this site, by googling rochas femme..Louzya
Posted by: Louzya | December 01, 2007 at 14:14