You have to realize that I never knew my grandfather, who was the founder of Parfums Christian Dior. [...] Obviously Diorling, Diorama, Eau Fraiche — which is a very nice fragrance — and Diorissimo, which is of course probably the best of that bunch, were made between my grandfather and Monsieur [Edmond] Roudnitska. My mother worked with him on Eau Sauvage and on a very, very good fragrance called Diorella. It didn’t enjoy the same success [as the others] but it is one of the best fragrances ever released by Dior. So working with Roudnitska for me — and it wasn’t really working with him because he had already passed away when we launched it — and connecting with Madame Roudnitska was very emotional for me.
— Frédéric Malle, talking about his brand's release of Le Parfum de Thérèse. Read more at Perfumer Frédéric Malle: Matchmaker Extraordinaire at The St. Petersburg Times.
such a lovely “perfume thought of the day” ! it’s a great pity that diorissimo today smells nothing like what it used to. the original scent was so different, strong and linear, soft and round, registering at around 11am as its specific time, really unusual fragrance. the closest “relative” i can think of would be mitsouko, just that mitsouko’s character is more complex and less linear. the rounded softness + strength is there though and just a little stronger.
i need to smell diorella side by side with parfum de thérèse, because they have always seemed very similar to me. somehow each time i wear either of them it never occurs to me to compare them directly even though their similarity never fails to strike me. it’s the same as how i find shalimar very similar to artisan de parfumeur’s eau d’ambre, and to a certain extent vol de nuit.
when i discovered frédéric malle 13/14 years ago i never knew much about his past or his family, only his own creations and that i really like almost all of them.
Yes — this is one of the nicer interviews I’ve seen with Malle.
And do smell them next to each other, they’re definitely related.
Le Parfum de Thérèse is perfection. I’ve only recently got a hold of a pristine 220ml vat (!) of vintage Diorella and they are indeed close to one another – both being patchouli florals, with a contrasting hedione-basil-citrus-patchouli accord at their core.
But Diorella is much more aldehydic (oily skin and peach notes come through) and is more honeysuckle-based and powdery and old fashioned; where Le Parfum de Thérèse is more about plum and jasmine, and is a lot more fresh and modern. It could have a lot to do with the age of the jus though…
Lucky find, congrats!
What a lovely interview, thanks for the link. Thérèse and Diorella are very close. I’m lucky enough to have a small amount of Diorella extrait which is closer to Thérèse than the current EDT.
The former is still my favourite of the Malles.
I adore Thérèse, but don’t reach for it as often as other Malle scents — I don’t always find it easy to wear. But it’s a brilliant composition.