Presented in the deepest red/aubergine bottle (on first glance it looks black, but look a little closer and you see the light reflecting from the femininely curved corners of the flacon), for her l’absolu pays homage to designer Narciso Rodriguez‘ enduring love of the colour in his collections.
Narcisco Rodriguez says: ‘For this new fragrance, we chose a deep aubergine colour, a rich tone that is very important in our story. Again, there’s this sense of duality, an air of mystery, in the bottle which echoes the fragrance. The bottle is a pure beautiful object; you have to experience it, fall in love with it – just like the fragrance.’
Along with contrasting flesh-coloured tones, classic black and muted, powderedy white – together these colours form the basis of his design palette, and it just so happens to be one of the hottest colours around for Autumn/Winter, too. Yes, we know, you don’t want to be thinking about Autumn just yet, but let’s face it, this Summer has been rather less tropical than we’d like – so we say put away the strappy sun-dresses and fetch those tights out the drawer once more…
Before we depress you thoroughly with talk of the weather, let’s get back to the far more pleasing subject of perfume. Since the original launched over ten years ago (if you can believe it – we can’t!) it has proved to be one of the most successful female fragrances on the market – and with good reason. A scent with real character and presence, ‘raw yet refined’, it retains a nuzzly softness at the base, and manages to be both incredibly sexy still wearable at any time of day, and throughout the seasons.
‘Absolute of jasmin, a voluptuous floral, transforms the signature heart of musk in an intoxicating olfactive composition. Soft amber notes and smooth woody notes of sandalwood and patchouli add a rich depth that envelops tenderly.’
Think of a Narcisco Rodriguez perfume as that elusive designer item you decided to treat yourself with, you have worn almost constantly, but still looks as good as the day you got it. Wardrobes are hardly stuffed with such pieces, but thankfully many fans (ourselves included) have one or all of the Narciso perfume incarnations in the fragrance wardrobe as one of the go-to favourites. And it’s a snip of the price of designer clothing, too. Win-win.
Narciso Rodriguez for her l’absolu from £39 for 30ml eau de parfum
At John Lewis
Written by Suzy Nightingale
