RETRO - Coty Les Muses EDT (from The Chateau Collection)
Year Introduced: 1986 - Feminine
Notes: Top notes of lily of the valley, gardenia and tuberose; middle notes of jasmine, ylang-ylang, peach and spices; and base notes of amber, vanilla, benzoin, white musk and sandalwood
In 1986, Coty released three discontinued fragrances in a set called The Chateau Collection. This collection of old favorites was comprised up of La Rose Jacqueminot, Chypre and Muse which was rechristened as Les Muses.
A wonderful advertisement packed inside the box reads:
The Chateau Collection - Now Every Woman Can Have a French Accent! $5.00 for all three, regularly $11.25. La Rose Jacqueminot, Chypre and Les Muses. It's so easy. All it takes is a little dab of the right fragrance in the right places.
Lesson One: How to Flirt: Fascinate them with La Rose Jacqueminot. Romantic. Captivating. The scent that started it all in Paris in 1905. Wear it and absolutely no man will be able to resist.
Lesson Two: How to Keep Them Guessing: Intrigue them with Chypre. Elegant. Evocative. The scent that has inspired so many imitations. Yet it has gone unrivaled. Its sensuous aura says you're a woman of style and a bit mysterious too.
Lesson Three: How to Command Attention: Seduce them with Les Muses. Coty's highly guarded secret. Dramatic. Sensuous. A multifaceted scent that leaves men longing for your attention. Now that you're fluent in French, its up to you to decide exactly what to say.
An excerpt from Coty Perfumes Blogspot:
Les Muses is a sweet, but heady amber spicy floral bouquet, combining white flowers of muguet, creamy gardenia and tuberose, layered upon nuances of jasmine, ylang ylang, and peaches, anchored on a powdered base of amber, sweet vanilla or benzoin, soft white musk and sandalwood. It is very similar to Sand & Sable, also by Coty but lacks the "sun tan lotion" effect of Sand & Sable. The fragrance is soft, sweet and romantic and implores your significant other to get closer.
An excerpt from The Muse in Wooden Shoes:
Les Muses is, of all things, a fruity floral. Yes, really. Peach, citrus, tuberose, jasmine, and, I think, rose and ylang, on a sandalwood base. Donna (Flora), who writes for Perfume-Smellin’ Things, was kind enough to send me a vial of this and it’s very pretty for a long time before it eventually pulls up one of those Youth-Dew-esque balsamy notes that just killllllls me.
An excerpt from The Non Blonde:
I get a slew of compliments whenever I wear this. Seriously, even my husband likes it and doesn't complain about it "smelling like vintage", probably because it doesn't have a thick layer of expired aldehydes in the opening and the overall impression is sweet and smooth.
Les Muses smells pretty. Very pretty. It's enthusiastic and uplifting to the point of elation- something in the sunny floral blend, I assume. I smell tuberose and muguet and they hang in the air and reverberate like the sound of a silver bell. It's the kind of scent that makes me want to take the stairs two at a time, wear a cute dress and skip outside.
I smell wood in the drydown, especially a very nice sandalwood- a little sweet, not too creamy. Les Muses lasts and holds its structure for hours, even though my bottle is only the EDT. It's another reminder of Coty's past and heritage, now sadly gone and drown in a vat of celebrity perfumes and cheapened drugstore scents.
Les Muses from the Chateau Collection has been discontinued. We are decanting from an unopened, boxed original bottle of eau de toilette from 1986.
