The key ingredients for all Parterre Fragrances are grown and distilled at Keyneston Mill in Dorset. The skilled team oversee the production process from seeds and seedlings, through planting in the crop fields, to harvest and distillation. The intensity of fragrance is achieved through care and nurturing of the plants, and picking at the optimum moment. Its knowing what to grow and when to grow – but also when to harvest, distill and refine. Once ready, materials are inspected and blended by a master perfumer. The three original Parterre fragrances were formulated by Jacque Charbert (who also put together Guerlain's Samsara among his other creations). Each year Parterre experiment with new crops and more perfumes will be coming out depending on which plant thrives. At the moment they are working on a grass that smells like tonka and if it takes off, we might see a beautiful coumarinic fougere next year.
Parterre Fragrances are sustainably produced, vegan, cruelty free and phthalate free. All Parterre perfume editions are numbered because each year produces a limited amount of the nest oils that form the key notes, and it is this that dictates the quantities.
A Tribute To Edith is a rich, sensuous rose. Reminiscent of Paris in the jazz era, this is a sultry and compelling fragrance with geranium for a modern accent. This enigmatic fragrance unveils its beautiful secrets: the rose is surrounded by geranium and unexpected yarrow, embellished by rich and enveloping patchouli and liquor accents in the drydown. It is a tribute to Edith Piaf's La Vie en Rose. The rose geranium and yarrow in this perfume are grown at Keynestone Mill in Dorset.
A Tribute To Edith features top notes of geranium, rhubarb, rose and whisky; middle notes of Centifolia rose, davana, Rose de Mai and yarrow; and base notes of benzoin, patchouli and sandalwood. It is an eau de parfum, edp.
Fragrantica: Love at first smell. I didn't get the whisky at all, I smelt a clean, happy floral with a background pulse of aniseed. Old fashioned, but with a dry newness. I have a bottle, and I still love it. It doesn't last on me though, and it feels too expensive to spritz liberally through the day.
The Sniff: Think classical perfumery and you won’t be far away from A Tribute to Edith. The perfume is a homage to Edith Piaf’s La Vie en Rose and is charmingly nostalgic and classical in its formulation. The rose that permeates throughout the scent is rich and fleshy, creamy and opulent. The rose starts off big but is, at times, overwhelmed by the buzzy geranium adding that astringent, almost sour contrast. To highlight this further, a beautiful rhubarb note comes in to play which makes the scent really shine. The rhubarb and geranium interplay lingers well, leaving you with a shiny, luminous hum of scent on your skin long after the more flighty notes have disappeared. There’s something really wholesome and natural about this scent, it evoked 1940s land girls to us, or the sort of rose, geranium and spring water potion you might have made as a child experimenting with perfumery. It’s very lovely, very feminine and very classical. One for lovers of simple elegance and old fashioned values. The longevity of the scent was decent, lasting until mid afternoon following a 7am application. The sillage, or projection, of the scent was also pretty good, going to around handshake distance or thereabouts.
