Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.
When you think of Robert Piguet, Fracas is the first fragrance that comes to mind. This lush, narcotic, aggressive tuberose is certainly polarizing, but it is memorable and unique. When I heard that the new fragrance Douglas Hannant de Robert Piguet is going to be a modern white floral take, I imagined a composition that would be pink organza to Fracas’s dark purple velvet. At the same time, I always get suspicious whenever a fragrance is described as modern, clean and fresh as well as possessing “good taste, true luxury, … and timeless beauty.” In a sense, my expectations of Douglas Hannant were fulfilled—it is a fresh modern floral, nicely made, but without anything particularly dramatic or memorable about it.
Douglas Hannant is a New York-based fashion designer, who is famous for his beautifully layered gowns and couture sportswear. The fragrance created by perfumer Aurelien Guichard is Hannant’s debut in perfumery. Douglas Hannant de Robert Piguet is meant to stand as the first original Piguet fragrance that the house has released over the past few years, in contrast to reorchestrations like Visa, Cravache and Futur .
The composition opens up on a bright gardenia and orange blossom accord, which immediately calls to mind the initial freshness of Fracas. As it dries down, it takes on a richer white floral character, with tuberose and jasmine becoming more pronounced. The bland and hazy drydown of white musk rounds out the composition to the point of erasing all of its distinctive features. Overall, it seems like a rather conventional white floral rendition, reminiscent of Oscar de la Renta and Gloria Vanderbilt. The main problem I have with Douglas Hannant is not that it smells like Fracas lite, but that it essentially lacks the luxurious feeling of a white floral. I envision it as a wonderful scent for shower gel or soap, but not as a fine fragrance. Furthermore, a comment from a friend on my “deliciously smelling shampoo” did little to help in endearing me to this perfume.
Douglas Hannant de Robert Piguet includes notes of orange blossom, pear, gardenia, tuberose, jasmine, sandalwood and musk. Available from Henri Bendel, Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus. Online, it is sold directly from the Piguet website.
Sample source: PR
20 Comments
axum: Oh dear! It would be somehow easier to accept this from a perfume house other than Piguet… At the beginning of your review I was imagining something like Organza, but by the end it sounded like BBW Velvet Tuberose. March 25, 2011 at 3:50am
Olfactoria: Ouch, the shampoo comment is indeed a deadly one, that does not endear this to me either. Too bad. March 25, 2011 at 4:25am
Tracy Bloom, LMT: Well, at least she thought you smelled wonderful:) How bad can it be? March 25, 2011 at 8:46am
Tracy Bloom, LMT: BTW I loved your story about the newspaper wrapped mimosa in springtime Kiev….I can really dream into that one – were you about 12? March 25, 2011 at 9:30am
Alice C: I agree with Tracy, I thing we could all accept it easier from a house other than Piguet. March 25, 2011 at 9:58am
sweetlife: Oh! Laughing about the shampoo comment. I suppose if they wanted clean they have succeeded… March 25, 2011 at 11:58am
Victoria: I am disappointed with this launch, not because it is light and modern, but because it just does not seem luxurious. Robert Piguet is usually so much better. March 25, 2011 at 12:07pm
Victoria: I would love to hear what others think of it. It must have its fans. March 25, 2011 at 12:08pm
Victoria: You are right, at least, she did. 🙂 March 25, 2011 at 12:09pm
Victoria: Oh, thank you, Tracy! I must have been about 13-14. Such a nice memory! March 25, 2011 at 12:10pm
Victoria: So true, from any other house, I would except it much easier. March 25, 2011 at 12:10pm
Victoria: It sure is clean! I guess if one wanted a light version of Fracas, it could be it. The problem is that Fracas can't be light. March 25, 2011 at 12:13pm
Marina: Those gowns deserve better! March 25, 2011 at 2:36pm
Victoria: Very true, they do! March 25, 2011 at 4:01pm
Gitcheegumee: Funny, when I hear Piguet,the first thing I think of is Bandit.Loved it many years ago.
To be honest,I don’t ever recalling smelling Fracas,although I have frequently seen it mentioned in various publications and at perfume
site on the net. March 25, 2011 at 10:31pm
Gitcheegumee: BTW, I wonder if whomever formulated the composition of this fragrance that smells of shampoo has developed scents for the soap and cleaning industry ?
You did a wonderful thread about that just recently. March 25, 2011 at 10:36pm
Victoria: Fracas is worth exploring for its gold standard treatment of tuberose, it is simply unlike anything else. And Bandit is amazing too. I adore all of the Piguet classics. March 27, 2011 at 11:18am
Victoria: Almost all perfumers today can work in both categories, the industry favors those who are versatile. In this case, it was definitely not the intent for the fragrance to come across this way, but it just seems less than luxurious to me.
That being said, the perfumer who formulated the fragrance, Aurelien Guichard is very talented and creative. I like many of his fragrances. March 27, 2011 at 11:20am
Gitcheegumee: And that magnificent gown deserves a far less dour expression on that model’s face,also. March 27, 2011 at 3:54pm
Victoria: So true! I so dislike this kind of dour look on runway models. March 27, 2011 at 6:09pm