En Avion by Caron

Image from http://www.hrharmer.com

Russian version - click here

En Avion (launched in 1932 by Caron) seems to be a sequel to a story of emancipation initiated by Tabac Blond. The valiant women who dared to fly a plane inspire the nose behind the fragrance – Ernest Daltroff. The website of Caron mentions the names of Adrienne Bolland, Hélène Boucher and Maryse Basti, the first women conquered the skies.

This fragrance is also reconstructed, probably somewhere in 1995 and probably by Richard Fraysse, the house perfumer of Caron for the last 30 years. Tania Sanchez is milder in her judgment to this one (compared to Tabac Blond). En Avion gets two stars, but called an anisic floral.

The opening of En avion (modern version, parfum) is a bit close to the one of Tabac Blond, but without herbs and angelica nuances. It reveals a note of dry leather on a background of carnation and violet. A bit foreright and not too subtle it reminds that sky is not for fancy pants. Although the leather note flies away pretty quickly, a clash between the carnation-violet wall and orange blossom trying to break through still gives a good illusion of being on a plane – it gives that unique smell I can’t describe well.

Carnation and violet combination seems not to be the best background for orange blossom to bloom. There is too much contrast that looks more like a fight. But isn’t it a reflection of what happens in our society when woman tries to interfere with the “man’s business”? And isn’t it a nice representation of transformation that takes place when a female aviator takes off her rough uniform and puts on an elegant gown?

Although orange blossom cannot easily compete with carnation and violet accord, it is pretty powerful finally to soften the fragrance and finally to win. Sometimes it comes together with a bit candy like lemon note and other times it has more soapy nuances. But on my skin En Avion can’t find the point of balance. No problem – I never cherished a dream to become an aviator.

Tabac Blond by Caron

Tabac Blond by Caron is often referred as The Leather Scent, a monster fragrance, “weird and edgy”, “dark and totally unpresentable” (Ch. Burr). What else can you expect from a creation that was meant to honour those daring woman who smoked – a shocking habit in the begin of the past century. Created in 1919 by Ernest Daltroff it was the only feminine perfume with the tobacco notes.

The modern version of Tabac Blond created by Richard Fraysse seems to give a different interpretation of femininity, according to Tania Sanchez. In Perfumes, the Guide written with Luca Turin she gives it one star, calls it woody floral and regrets the reformulation. Well, such a frustration is easy to understand when a very good fragrance looses its character. I never smelled the original version of Tabac Blond. And may be I am lucky – I have nothing to compare and to regret about.

The modern version of Tabac Blond is a perfume with character, although is easier to approach than Knize Ten. It starts with dark deep spicy leather surrounded with herbal notes of angelica. I recognize neither smoke nor tobacco there – just smell of leather of old books, travelling bag and woods mixed with drying herbs in a room of lonely hermit. A transient apparition that fades giving place to a spicy carnation note, a smell of glorious flower. Supported with violet-iris note (that probably comes from ionone) it sounds loud and persistent for a while and slowly gets softer turning into a smell of oriental rose. This one is a difficult accord that mostly doesn’t open well on my skin and turns into a rosy smell of cheap incense sticks. Unfortunately… It looks like Tabac Blond is not my perfume – the leather note is too short, carnation is too loud and persistent and the rose is too cheap. Although on feminine skin of my perfumery fairy Tabac Blond opens much better. Well, no problem, I still have Knize Ten. What I have written above is about perfume extrait. The EdT version has a fresher and sharper start with more prominent herbal notes and less deep leather accord. Carnation stadium is shorter and you can easily smell the rose through.

Image from Perfumes Caron