Apparently I'm hosting my own little Rose Parade for Spring 2015, since there have been so many new rose fragrance releases lately that I feel the need to try each and every one. The scorecard so far: I'm very fond of L'Artisan Parfumeur Rose Privée and Divine Spirituelle (reviewed by Angie), less captivated by Aerin Rose de Grasse and Maison Francis Kurkdjian A la Rose.
Flipping back to last year's somewhat shorter list of rose releases, however, I just noticed one perfume that I meant to cover and almost forgot until now. It's Van Cleef & Arpels Rose Velours, from the jewelry brand's Collection Extraordinaire fragrance line. Rose Velours is "a sensual and opulent take on the Rose...adorned like a jewel with materials that sparkle over time," developed by perfumer Antoine Maisondieu. Its composition includes notes of bergamot, violet leaves, rose absolute, orris absolute, honey, benzoin, ambroxan and cedarwood.
On my skin, Rose Velours starts off with deeper, darker notes and turns softer and sweeter over time. The bergamot top note passes in the blink of an eye, and then the ambroxan (a synthetic substitute for ambergris) leads the way with its musky-woody facets. There's a bit of aldehydic "lift," too, which is a nice effect, and a green edge of violet leaf. The rest of the composition develops very slowly and gently, shedding the woody notes and subtle earthiness and revealing its red rose heart. The honey and resins lend some sweetness, and in the dry down the rose turns slightly jammy with a hint of spice. Despite its moderate sillage, Rose Velours doesn't overwhelm, and it could easily be worn from fall through spring.
As you can tell from this description, Rose Velours does not belong to the ever-expanding pack of fresh/light/dewy/youthful rose soliflores. Of course, if you're a diehard perfume obsessive who cherishes dramatic and/or "dirty" rose fragrances, Rose Velours may not be quite big enough for you — you won't mistake it for anything like Frédéric Malle Une Rose or Guerlain Rose Barbare. That's fine, though; Rose Velours isn't trying to be a heavy-hitter in that category. Instead, it succeeds very well at being a tasteful, elegant (but not stuffy) scent for women (not girls) who are willing to embrace the more indulgent aspect of roses.
Van Cleef & Arpels Rose Velours is available as 45 ($125) and 75 ml ($185) Eau de Parfum.
Note: top image is A rose is a rose [cropped] by Irene2005 at flickr; some rights reserved.
Oh, what a pretty bottle! Never seen any of the Collection Extraordinaire in person, of course I don’t shop at Van Cleef and Arpels much either though 🙂
The bottles really are nice in “real life” — simple and modern, but elegant. I like several of the fragrances. They’re not wildly innovative, nor are they supposed to be… but they’re well-made and sophisticated. Definitely for “grown-ups.” I think Bergdorf still carries them…
The VC&A boutique does not sell perfumes. They sent me next door to Bergdorfs.
Really? So strange. Thanks for the info!
I really need to catch up on my roses! I am so happy they are in vogue. Thanks for the review of anohter lovely sounding composition.
Yay, me too! More roses for everyone!
So many rose perfumes, so little time…… and I need them all.
You make this sound amazing!
Hahah, I’m really enjoying my wee sample of this one, but I keep reminding myself that my collection is not exactly lacking in rose fragrances. Lately I’ve also been wearing lots of SL Une Fille de Berlin (a gift from my family, but something I’d definitely splurge on for myself) and Drole de Rose (makes me smile on cloudy days!) and Aroma M Nobara-Cha (rose-amber).
It sounds very nice. I have a partial bottle of Bois d’Iris which I cherish. They all same to have this same elegant and quiet character. If I come across this rose I’ll be sure to try it.
Oh and I so agree about Drôle de Rose, such a fun fragrance.
Bois d’Iris is another good one from this collection! I also like Orchidee Vanille and I liked Lys Carmin until it was discontinued. I agree — they’re quiet but gracious.
At this point, Nahema is my favorite rose perfume. I have some other favs that are rose plus something else (such as BK Liaisons Dangereuses), but I’d like another rose soliflore. I was really disappointed in MFK A la Rose and don’t like Rose Barbare. I’ve recently ordered samples of the AG roses to test, and it sounds like this one is worth sampling, too.
Oh, I’m a longtime fan of Nahema — another big and bold rose. I think you may find a Annick Goutal or two that will please you. They’re very pretty and natural-smelling. Have you ever tried any SSS roses?
I wish Ava-Luxe still offered Roses. That was a gorgeous fragrance.
I love this review and I love this enough to have a FB!
Hooray! It really is pretty, isn’t it? Even though it’s not brand-new, I thought it deserved some attention during this season of rose releases!
Ah, are you the one who sent me a sample? I thought it was such a nice surprise! Very pretty.
I love your review, I found this fragrance at Winners and bought it un sniffed, it was a great surprise. I love rose fragrances and this one is perfect.
I’m so glad it worked out for you! I’m going to keep it on my mental list of rose recommendations, that’s for certain.
I got one at Winners too! I bought it unsniffed and am so happy I did. It is lovely.
Oh, this sounds really lovely.
I have been having my own rose fest too, with Andy Tauer’s roses- PHI Une Rose de Kandahar, Rose Chyprée, Incense Rosé and Rose Vermeille. I did get to try the VCA Rose Velours at Neiman’s last year, but it didn’t wow me. Very nicely done however.
I love your description of rose velours! I have tested it briefly at some point but I don’t remember anything about it. I’ll have to revisit it! I have a hard time finding rose fragrances that I don’t think fit my mother better (she’s a rose fiend) and so far Rose Chyprée is the only one I genuinely love, but I’m persistent!
VCA scents seem to suit me well. I will try this one out if I have a chance!
I love the idea of deep dark roses, but I don’t seem to be able to actually wear them! Lately though I’v been wearing jovoy’s Chypre which seems to fit, or almost fit, into this category!