Femme by Edmond Roudnitska for ROCHAS 1943

Hello Fellow Fumies,

Please go and check my Guest Post on one of the world’s largest and best known perfume blogs Perfume Posse. This is a BIG DEAL gang. Leather Krem by SOIVOHLE post (<<JUMP)

I have always madly loved this bottle. One of my courtesy Aunts always had a bottle of Femme on her dressing table and I thought, and think, that the simple fat swirl of a bottle is gorgeous. That this courtesy Aunt was secretly one of my favourites, and a big hug from her was like being awash in a sea of fragrance, also means that the juice has happy memories for me every time I smell it. Yes, it is thinner than the Edmond Roudnitska masterpiece that I remember it due to a reformulation in 1989 overseen by Olivier Cresp making it a little more gourmand, a little less skank and apparently lemon, but there is still that va va voom so lacking in much of today’s perfumery. A saucy wink of a fragrance that takes real self possession to carry off, and a killer Feck You attitude. I think I’m finally ready for Femme.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these notes/accords:
Top: Bergamot, peach, cinnamon, lemon, Brazilian rosewood, plum, apricot
Heart: Cloves, jasmine, rose, iris, rosemary, ylang ylang, carnation
Base: Benzoin, leather, vanilla, amber, musk, oakmoss, patchouli

Photo my own Charles by Norman Lindsay

What do I get? Well the opening is still a complete backhand bitch slap: sweet, spicy, woody fruit and I think the cloves are already there, right up front, or maybe it’s the bergamot? Femme has me at “Hello”. As this extraordinary opening burns off a little I get a swoosh of breathy jasmine and ylang ylang and there is unmentioned cumin here too, the herbaceous notes play more of a backing role filling the fragrance out and giving it light and shade. It’s so hard to parse a big fragrance like this when I am basically scent illiterate and they are all so harmoniously blended. Although we are well into the heart of Femme I am still getting scrummy super ripe fruits alongside the bouquet, this is over an hour into the life of.

I think I’m getting a tingle of patchouli, amber and the musks, there is still a very healthy human sweat and breath feeling running through that has to be cumin, and the bouquet has not left. I does seem to be getting more intimate, snuggly and warm, the civet could be asserting itself (also not mentioned). Not like but reminiscent of waking in the night with someone nude spooning in your arms who is wearing a killer fragrance on top of really fit skin and a soft whisper of the generally bovine effluvia of sleeping person in love.

The amber and vanilla come quite late to the party on my skin and the jasmine is still pumping through till very late. As it dries down it gets very naughty, I think this is what people mean when they talk about Ho Panties. I smell deliciously fornicatory and floral and amber-ish all at once. There’s a long road to travel before it’s gone. I’m going to bed to sleep on it. Wake up and like a dream Femme has gone.

Photo Stolen parfemi

ConfessionsOfAPerfumeNerd does a super review of the Vintage EdC and NowSmellThis helped flesh out my meager knowledge.

FragranceShop has 100ml for around $33
ThePerfumedCourt has Vintage Femme PdT $12/ml and Vintage Parfum $20/ml
SurrenderToChance has Modern Femme EdT $3/ml

This is a must try on your olfactory journey. If you are only au fait with modern perfumes then this will blow your mind.
Love, Love, Love to you all,
See you tomorrow hopefully,
Portia xx