Star rating: 5 stars--outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars--very good, 3 stars--adequate, 2 stars--disappointing, 1 star--poor.
Full-bodied, voluptuous fragrances are as rare today as curvy models on a catwalk. I find it less and less frequent to experience what French perfumers call “gras,” or fat, denoting a certain unctuous richness that characterized fragrances of the past. Although this quality is not always welcome, the multitude of crisp and fresh new launches leaves me craving something with more substance. So once I smelled Annick Goutal Mon Parfum Chéri, par Camille, I felt like a dieter who has been allowed a slice of chocolate cake.
Mon Parfum Chéri was created by perfumer Isabelle Doyen, as a tribute to both Camille Goutal and her mother Annick Goutal who founded the fragrance house. While it is a departure from other recent Goutal releases such as Ninféo Mio and Un Matin d’Orage, Mon Parfum Chéri possesses the opulent aura of older Goutal classics like Passion and Grand Amour. It blends the darkness of a fruity chypre with velvety iris notes, embellishing the whole with sweet spices and vanilla.
Iris forms the first impression of Mon Parfum Chéri, and unlike many iris accords, which tend to be rooty and green, this one has a strong floral character. I can almost feel the velvety softness of petals as the fragrance begins to develop on my skin. Iris alternates between delicately powdery and pleasantly sweet, with a scattering of cinnamon and clove giving it a beautiful lift. The darker elements of the composition unfold soon thereafter, and the richness of the woods drenched in plum juice leaves no doubts as to the character of the composition. The sensual warmth of patchouli and sandalwood soon supplants the patrician austerity of iris, while vanilla and heliotrope lend the impression of caramelized almonds. Everything is kept in balance, however, from the chilly breath of iris to the lush darkness of woods. Mon Parfum Chéri at once references the chypres of the past and contemporary radiant floral notes. The result is surprising and unpredictable, blending the best of both worlds.
Annick Goutal Mon Parfum Chéri, par Camille includes notes of violet, plum, patchouli, iris and heliotropine. The official launch is in September, but it is already sold at Bergdorf Goodman. Available from Neiman Marcus, Barneys New York, Aedes and other retailers in the following concentrations: Eau de Toilette--50 and 100 ml bottle, and Eau de Parfum--100 ml bottles.
Sample: my own acquisition
Reading this review makes me happy. There is hope for perfumery yet! I love a good fruity chypre, and this one sounds gorgeous. Several of the older Goutals are lovely: I wore Heure Exquise in college. As soon as the trains start running again, I will be heading to Bergdorf's for a test of Mon Parfum Cheri!
Posted by: Elizabeth | August 29, 2011 at 10:05
This sounds gorgeous! I haven't seen it yet, but will have to try as soon as it arrives.
Just out of curiosity; is there any Goutal that you would give 5 stars to?
Posted by: Austenfan | August 29, 2011 at 10:30
I must try this one. Thanks for the lovely review.
Posted by: dleep | August 29, 2011 at 12:02
I can't wait to test this! I have been looking forward to it for quite some time.
Hugs!
Posted by: violetnoir | August 29, 2011 at 12:34
Your review makes this fragrance sound *very* tempting. Were you trying the EdT or EdP?
cheerio, Anna in Edinburgh
Posted by: Anna in Edinburgh | August 29, 2011 at 12:36
Gah. Velvety iris. "woods drenched in plum juice" !!!
Posted by: sweetlife | August 29, 2011 at 12:37
Adding--just crossing my fingers that it doesn't have a strong dose of that spiky wood stuff that ruined Vanille Exquise, Matin D'Orage, and Ninfeo for me.
Posted by: sweetlife | August 29, 2011 at 12:38
Wow! This sounds wonderful!
Posted by: karin | August 29, 2011 at 13:23
sounds gorgeous! must try! thanks for kindling a hankering!
Posted by: minette | August 29, 2011 at 14:33
Hmm, maybe Sables. I think that it is a genius composition based on sandalwood. Nothing like it exists!
Posted by: Victoria | August 29, 2011 at 16:33
I believe that it was the EDP. I just realized that I did not label my sample, so I will have to return to Bergdorf to double check.
Posted by: Victoria | August 29, 2011 at 16:38
Its woody notes do have that feeling, so definitely get a sample first. Maybe, the patchouli and vanilla will be enough to balance out the woods, but I know that you are very sensitive to these kinds of notes.
Posted by: Victoria | August 29, 2011 at 16:40
I miss these bold, lush fruity chypres, so it was such a pleasure to discover this fragrance. Heure Exquise is something I have been wearing a lot lately.
Posted by: Victoria | August 29, 2011 at 16:41
You are welcome! I am so happy with this discovery.
Posted by: Victoria | August 29, 2011 at 16:41
It totally fell under my radar, I admit. I discovered it a couple of weeks ago, when I went to BG. It wasn't there yet at that time, so I waited till they got it in stock. The description sounds so wonderful, and I am glad that it lived up to my expectations.
Posted by: Victoria | August 29, 2011 at 16:42
:)
Posted by: Victoria | August 29, 2011 at 16:42
It is my favorite launch this season, along with Sweet Redemption.
Posted by: Victoria | August 29, 2011 at 16:43
You are welcome! Do let me know what you think of it.
Posted by: Victoria | August 29, 2011 at 16:43
Thanks, that one is apparently considered to be her masterpiece by more connoisseurs.
Posted by: Austenfan | August 29, 2011 at 17:31
This is exciting! I am really looking forward to try or maybe even blind buy this perfume based on your stellar review. Do you recommend the edt or edp?
Posted by: Myra | August 29, 2011 at 21:31
it wasnt yet presented at the AG counter when i stopped by... need to check this out. what a pretty bottle, too!
Posted by: Natalia | August 30, 2011 at 14:41
I went on a sniffage in Horrids with a recent convert on Monday and saw this but didn't touch it (shame!) because we were there primarily to fill a gap in my friend's growing collection (settled on Chanel's Sycomore though he also liked Bandit, Ormonde Man, Givenchy Vetyver and Tom Ford Tuscan Leather!). Now I wish I'd picked up the bottle as it sounds simply wonderful. I'm a sucker for a good fruity chypre and am very appreciative of your analogy of a dieter faced with a delicious slice of chocolate cake. Oh well - the ANTICIPATION!
Posted by: [email protected] | August 31, 2011 at 06:01
Update. My local HoF had the EDT and so I have been able to sample that. It makes me think of Boxeuses and original Femme in its womanliness. I suspect the EDP is heavenly.
Nicola
Posted by: [email protected] | August 31, 2011 at 09:25
Myra, I checked, and my local store only has the EDT so far. That is what I've tried. I would imagine that the EDP might be even more splendid (Annick Goutal's EDP versions are generally richer and warmer, which would be so good for this composition.) I am myself waiting to try the EDP and compare them before I spring for a full bottle.
Posted by: Victoria | August 31, 2011 at 10:37
I love the shade too! Hope that they will do them in big round bottles at some point. Those tend to look like works of art, so beautiful.
Posted by: Victoria | August 31, 2011 at 10:37
You and me both! I love fruity chypre fragrances, and I miss this genre, as it is getting rare.
Posted by: Victoria | August 31, 2011 at 10:38
Nicola, your original Femme reference is spot on! I was going to say Bois de Violette and Femme, but Boxeuses is an even better comparison.
Posted by: Victoria | August 31, 2011 at 10:39
I admit that I have not smelled the latest version. I cannot imagine what it is like now that Indian sandalwood is pretty much unavailable.
Posted by: Victoria | August 31, 2011 at 10:40
so true.
what i especially love about AG work, both perfume and bottles, is how tasteful they are, with no exception. such a pleasure to stop by their counter.
Posted by: Natalia | September 01, 2011 at 04:07
ooh, even better. Bois de Violette and Femme i adore like nothing else in this genre!
Posted by: Natalia | September 01, 2011 at 04:09
Ooh, if it is full-bodied and voluptuous at EdT strength, they'd better lock up the EdP! Definitely a scent I shall seek out here.
Thanks for the very helpful information, as always.
cheerio, Anna in Edinburgh
Posted by: Anna in Edinburgh | September 01, 2011 at 12:10
That's my favorite too!
Posted by: Victoria | September 04, 2011 at 10:19
Hope that we can try both versions soon and compare them.
Posted by: Victoria | September 04, 2011 at 10:20
I approach with trepidation, because fruity chypres like Mitsouko, Femme and Femininite de Bois can be a handful, but I've become such an admirer of the Goutals lately -- they are very innovative, unusual, without being particularly provocative. Simply put, they make me happy, several of them.
Posted by: sisty | September 06, 2011 at 21:13
I don't get the curvaceous thing at all, to me it reads dry fruity chypre in the edt version, perhaps the edp is the monster everyone's talking about. It's opulent but in a restrained fashion, after all it's a Goutal. I find the fruity oriental/chypre Lutens Chypre Rouge more baroque than MPC. I just bought a bottle and it looks like I got the last bottle at B&G, edt 100ml so I hope it's not on somebody's Valentine wish list this year.
Posted by: emma | February 07, 2012 at 15:04