Beauty | Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire

Last Friday I headed over to LVMH in Brussels to discover the La Petite Robe Noire fragrance by Guerlain. Upon arrival I pictured myself in Paris, where the luxury brand has its roots. Champaign, jewelry, fancy vintage dresses, elegant black silhouettes of Parisiennes, beautiful perfume bottles and perfectly wrapped giftbags were scattered all over the press room. Wowzers! Our host of the afternoon was Massaniello Bogaert, Training Manager at Guerlain Benelux who has been with the brand for 4 years and can talk about it like no other man can.

La Petite Robe Noire has been around for 2 years, but now it has reinvented a new seductive version of itself. Audaciously generous notes of black cherry, patchouli and rose meld with Guerlinade, the mythic signature base of Guerlain perfumes. Perfected by Thierry Wasser, Guerlain’s exclusive perfumer, the fragrance became fresher, more luminous and amorous, more couture and more glamorous. The essence of Parisian elegance.

“Between fantasy and magic, black cherry blinks the first wink. It is illustrated by a clever blend that extends exquisite almond, delicious berries and fresh, sparkling bergamot. The second wink takes place as rose enters the stage. A precious combination of fresh, explosive bulgarian rose essence and the presence of soft, deliciously candied turkish rose absolute.

Finally, the shadowy temptations of liquorice and smoky black tea reveal more of me. The evocation of the dark, powerful and noble root leads to slightly dry seduction touched with anise to boot. Elegant lapsang leaves are smoked to make themselves seen with an almost leathery sheen. For the ultimate temptation, the entire creation is wrapped in Guerlinade. Imbued with maturity, it adds to my charisma and mystery.”

Like so many other Guerlain products, La Petite Robe Noire has a long history. The design of the bottle might look familiar because it goes way back. LPRN borrows its elegant silhouette from its precursors, L’ Heure Bleue and Mitsouko (almost 100 years old but still raring to go!). You will recognise the sensual, feminine taper of the shoulders and the stopper with its upside-down heart shape. Before the spray, people actually had to use this stopper to apply the perfume below the jaw line, where you can feel your heartbeat.

The bottle was designed by Serge Manseau and features a shadow portrait of the ideal little black dress on a graduated black and powdery pink background.

Indeed, LPRN is all about what is maybe the most iconic pieces of clothing the world has ever known, the little black dress. Guerlain made a wise choice here, by NOT going for a celebrity face for once, but instead go for a gorgeaus elegant black silhouette of a Parisienne wearing a little black dress drawn by the illustrator duo Kuntzel+Deygas, whose work can also be seen in the opening scene of Catch Me If You Can by Steven Spielberg, The Pink Panther by Shawn Levy and Le Petit Nicolas by Laurant Tirard. This collaboration with Guerlain brings a new character to life. The sleek figure of a mischievous, endearing and refined Parisian woman moving through a unique showcase on the borders of fragrance and fashion.

I’m totally captivated by the story behind the fragrance and it makes me want to treasure it even more. LPRN is a lovely bi-phase fragrance; some will smell its sweet notes first, while others will pick up on its spicier side first. The design of the bottle is pure luxury and will make a great fit on my bathroom table. Or my desk (a beauty bomb has exploded in my bathroom and there’s simply no space left to place anything). Anyway, it’s way too pretty to hide away in some drawer. Go discover the fragrance in your local perfumery and check out the gorgeous campaign below!