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DescriptionElegance personified.
Consider perfume a portrait of its wearer: the sound of her voice, her gaze, the way she plays cards. At once timeless and resonant with today, here is a scent that speaks of her innate sophistication. Charm that emanates from within, boldly depicted without; an expressive portrayal of modern grace. Read MoreElegance personified.
Consider perfume a portrait of its wearer: the sound of her voice, her gaze, the way she plays cards. At once timeless and resonant with today, here is a scent that speaks of her innate sophistication. Charm that emanates from within, boldly depicted without; an expressive portrayal of modern grace.
At the fore, an exuberant dose of Turkish rose — 400 flowers per 100ml bottle, no less. Beneath, a bed of patchouli heart imbued with sandalwood and frankincense. An accord of clove, blackcurrant and raspberry binds the perfume together for a final characterful brushstroke.
Lady, in profile. View Less -
DetailsTop note: rose
Middle notes: blackcurrant; raspberry; clove
Base notes: patchouli; sandalwood; frankincense
100 ml / 3.4 fl. oz
50 ml / 1.7 fl. oz
10 ml / 0.3 fl. oz (Refill format for our iconic travel case available separately here)
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COMPLETE THE COLLECTION
The story of Portrait of a Lady, in fact begins with another scent from the Frédéric Malle library, the irrepressible Geranium Pour Monsieur. Inspired by antique men’s grooming products — King Louis XVth’s mouthwash, to be exact — Geranium Pour Monsieur was the willful creation of Dominique Ropion, a rare talent widely considered to be the industry’s best perfumer. As Frédéric Malle’s long-time friend, collaborator and sparring partner, the two have enjoyed a 30 year conversation on perfume that began as colleagues at the prestigious Roure Bertrand laboratory and resulted in a slew of modern hits including Carnal Flower and Vetiver Extraordinaire. Yet it was in the unique dry down of their men’s fragrance Geranium Pour Monsieur that Malle and Ropion discovered something peculiar; a specific background warmth that would go on to form the unmistakable base of our protagonist, Portrait of a Lady.
From this auspicious cue, Frédéric Malle and Dominique Ropion conspired to achieve the unthinkable; reinventing the oriental type perfume. A key category of fragrance, the oriental scent type is the most widely used recipe to generate a sensuous perfume; no easy feat to reimagine. Of course, Malle and Ropion were well-armed: compounding decades of expertise with a fond friendship and no limitations on time or expense, months of experimentation began. From Ropion’s state of the art IFF lab in Paris, they inched toward their ambitious goal guided by an exhaustive creative process — one part methodic, to one part organic.
OLFACTIVE PYRAMID
THE BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP
Portrait of a Lady is also featured in our Essential Collection, an invitation to discover our crown jewels and perhaps mark the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
This carefully chosen selection features six perfumes, presented in 3.5ml sprays for you to enjoy and share:
Carnal Flower, Eau de Magnolia, En Passant, Iris Poudre, Musc Ravageur, Portrait of a Lady.
DOMINIQUE ROPION
One of our 12 legendary perfumers who collaborate with perfume editor
Frédéric Malle to create our unique fragrances. The essence of our brand
is this relationship between Frédéric and his perfumers.
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