Jacques Fath L'Iris de Fath was released in 2018, created by Patrice Revillard. Taking its inspiration from the original Jacques Fath Iris Gris, which was a stunning iris creation that only existed in the world for a short time and was prohibitively expensive. I smelled the original and reconstructed original (Osmotheque) when I was in France many years ago, and it was enchanting, and this new version has captured much of what I remember. Notes of peach, petitgrain, bergamot, neroli, orris root, iris, violet, carnation, violet leaf, jasmine, Turkis rose, musk, oakmoss, sandalwood and bourbon vetiver. This reconstruction of Iris Gris was the result of a competition of several perfumers, judged by perfume experts who had smelled the original in its original form. Lucan Turin said this about why he chose this as the winner - "What made the (winning) version special was that it seemed to magically put together all the different facets of the - very different - samples of Iris Gris we had available. Naturally, their submission smelled wonderfully of iris, but more importantly it had that extra message of style and refinement which made Iris Gris unique and far more than a mere 'iris fragrance'."
From the brand -
"'The first appearance of Jacques Fath's famous Iris Gris was ephemeral: Launched in 1947, the perfume could not overlive the sudden loss of its creator, the grand couturier Jacques Fath, contemporary and friend of Christian Dior. It occurred in 1954 and its overpriced formula did not help its continuation. No matter, the fact remains that this perfume imprinted an unforgettable souvenir in the collective memory...
"In 2018 the Panouge group - the owner of the brand, chose to relaunch the Extract as close as possible to its original version. The result was a composition elevated as an object of desire for any passionate of authentic Haute Parfumerie. Wild and Sensitive, the EdP (Eau de Parfum) version challenges the aura of the extract with its sensational solfeggio of the noblest notes and its harmony with a perfect fall.
The Peach mingles with the impressively vivid and playful unchanged floral bouquet filled with Lilac, Rose, Jasmine and Ylang. However, when worn, the EdP version is iridescent and woodier than the extract, thanks to the talent of the perfumer who had the audacity to rewrite the formula, rather than a lower concentration of ingredients.
"'As much as for the Extrait we have organized a competition among perfumers, this time Patrice Revillard, who has achieved a beautiful work on the extract, was alone. The challenge was to seduce another audience without disappointing the aficionados of the original'; explains Rania Naim, Artistic Director of Jacques Fath Parfums.
"At the heart of all attention, the Iris, with its powdery and woody violet flower facets, is produced with Firmenich's Orriscience technology, allowing to optimize the development process of the Irone (flavor ingredient) in the Rhizomes. This know-how makes it possible to produce by steam distillation an Iris "butter"; or Iris Concrete at a level of Irone ranging from 8% up to the absolute at level of Irone at 75%. Thus, it gets as close as possible to the Rhizome’s representation.
"'It seems natural to me to introduce contemporary ingredients into a formula, even for a historical perfume. After all, musicians perform seventeenth- century music scores with today's instruments without distorting the music in the slightest.' explains perfumer Patrice Revillard. Thanks to L’Iris de Fath l’eau de Parfum, this aesthetical trail with its vital vibration is now available for a greater number of women and men.”
Jacques Fath L'Iris de Fath is the extrait version of the perfume. We will also be offering the EDP soon, which is a little more affordable!
Fragrantica - "IdF is undoubtedly a beautiful iris scent that is well-composed with high-quality ingredients. The iris lasts throughout as I'd hoped, satisfying my iris craving. It is one of the best irises I've smelled."
Fragrantica - "This is beautiful, though, like Nombre Noir and Patou Pour Homme and other unicorns, perhaps suffers a bit under the weight of expectations. It's not a weird, austere, uber-creative combination of notes (i.e. Djedi), but it is a perfectly lovely and balanced orris/violet/peach that smells like idealized skin and, I'd wager if it were widely available, it would be a solid enough seller today."
Fragrantica - "When compared to other iris or iris-peach fragrances, I also find L'Iris de Fath quite unique. Iris Silver Mist exaggerates the rooty, carrot-like aspect (which I dig), while Xerjoff Irisss skews a bit powdery violet lipstick-like after its initial creamy opening, but L'Iris de Fath really puts forward the buttery texture of iris without forgetting its woody and rooty undertone. When set side by side with Sultan Pasha Irisoir and DSH Scent of Hope, the biggest difference that I perceive is the mossy base and the subtle carnation touch in L'Iris de Fath. Regarding the peach-iris duo itself, I find that Scent of Hope has a more dominant peach and Irisoir has more emphasis on the woody iris (I enjoy both too), whereas L'Iris de Fath has a more balanced peach-iris and is more buttery in comparison."
