Barénia Pleine Fleur, the new creation inspired by the house’s heritage leather and its absolute quality, redefines the captivating world of the Hermès chypre. For this third creation, Hermès perfumer Christine Nagel offers the Hermès woman – a radiant, magnetically seductive woman – a luxuriant floral bouquet tempered by a fresh top note.
Embracing and adapting the dictum of Director Artistic of Hermès Pierre-Alexis Dumas that there is «no creation without memory», Christine Nagel thought back to the hundreds of preliminary trials conducted while developing Barénia. All at once she realised that the white lily was the perfect emblem for a modern, adventurous woman.
The lily lends the scent a unique roundness, evoking the softness of a petal and the stirring sensation of skin against skin. The elegant calyx converses with orange blossom, its more discreet companion, tempering its headier facets to reach a closer accord with this small white flower which graces the bitter orange tree in springtime – a centuries-old symbol of innocence and purity.
Naturally, the profile of this fragrance, created to adorn a bold, liberated woman, also includes the notes at the very heart of the Hermès chypre. The gourmet aroma of roasted oak wood, reminiscent of rum, whets the appetite, and Gayo patchouli adds sensuality.
And the miracle berry? As a child, Christine Nagel read a Beninese fairytale in which a sorcerer extols the virtues of a small West African fruit with the power to change sour to sweet, an image that has lingered in her memory ever since.
Now she has brought the tale to life, working with this elusive botanical scent – from which she has managed to capture a warm, dried apricot fragrance – to breathe a magical spirit into her incomparable chypre.
The refillable Barénia Pleine Fleur bottle is lacquered in an orange-pink hue, and housed in a box marked with a white H against a background matching the shade of the glass. The bottle also bears a silver-toned plate embossed with Clou Médor studs. This eau de parfum is available (CHF 209 / 100ml) in selected Hermès retail outlets worldwide.
LoL, Sandra
Photos: © Hermès
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