I'm surely the wrong person to review Guerlain's new La Petite Robe Noire Black Perfecto, since I've long since lost track of all the flankers to the (currently canonical) La Petite Robe Noire from 2012, and really I can only just barely remember the difference between 2012 La Petite Robe Noire and 2011 La Petite Robe Noire and 2009 La Petite Robe Noire. All I can tell you is that I found at least one variation fun, and on the rare occasions that I've smelled (more? other?) versions of La Petite Robe Noire in stores, nothing happened to inspire me to do a better job of keeping track. So before smelling Black Perfecto, I consulted the expert on all things Guerlain, Monsieur Guerlain. Monsieur Guerlain, for those of you not familiar with him, has no affiliation with the brand, but as near as I can tell, he is paying far more attention to the subject of Guerlain's fragrance output than anybody else on earth, possibly even the folks at Guerlain. His take on Black Perfecto:
Guerlain fans, rejoice! This smells like a resurrection of Delphine Jelk’s greatly missed original version of La Petite Robe Noire from 2009, which was evidently more charismatic than the reworked 2012 version that followed: a gorgeously rich "Musquinade" blend of raspberry, amarena cherries, bitter almond, Bulgarian rose absolute, licorice, and burnt sugar, well worthy of the Guerlain name. Back then, Guerlain's now former artistic director, Sylvaine Delacourte, explained that La Petite Robe Noire was inspired by the flavour and chewy texture of a raspberry macaron, and Black Perfecto makes us remember why....
Monsieur Guerlain thinks Black Perfecto is the best Petite Robe Noire outside of the Extrait version, which of course I've never smelled to begin with. Guerlain, meanwhile, explains that Black Perfecto is a floral "celebrating every side of the rose". Additional notes include almond, leather, black tea, patchouli, tonka bean and musk.
What I can tell you first of all is that Black Perfecto wears more like a floriental than a floral; yes, there is rose, but it is not assertive, and you are far more likely to notice other things, from the dark cherry cough syrup in the opening, nicely undercut with bitter almond, to the smoky tea nestled on a very clean patchouli in the base. The top notes are sweet, but not overly so unless you apply lavishly, and after that, it's far drier than I would have expected. It's also darker — you'd expect darker, of course, from the reference to the black perfecto jacket, but it's always a surprise when a brand actually delivers on the promise. In this case, the "darker" is offset by the relative sheerness. There is leather and there is licorice, yes, but after the top notes calm, Black Perfecto stays in an airy register (what Monsieur Guerlain called "gorgeously rich" is just barely "rich" on my skin, and that for no more than about 10 minutes). After that, you could probably get away with it for office wear. The far dry down is a slightly creamy vanilla-tonka-musk, with just enough cherry and rose remaining to give it a vague lipstick vibe, although I did not notice that until I took it outside into the heat and humidity. In air conditioning, it just seemed to fade away, rather sooner than I expected, to a wan woody musk.
Verdict: It's quite nice, and indeed, it's the first new mainstream fragrance from Guerlain that I actually enjoyed wearing in a good long while — I would take it over Mon Guerlain in a heartbeat. Back in 2012, Jessica wondered why not just wear Lolita Lempicka and be done with it, but there is something attractive about a sheerer, step-farther-removed-from-Angel version. All the same, I don't love it, and I don't need any. Or do I? Get a load of that bottle, will you? It is indeed Black Perfecto, and if I ever ran across the 30 ml at discount, I'm pretty sure resistance would be futile.
Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Black Perfecto is available in 30, 50 or 100 ml Eau de Parfum. I don't think it's in the US yet, assuming it's coming here at all (do comment if you know), but it appears to be available nearly everywhere else on earth.
Oh, I will have to try, even just because I happen to adore that little black bottle. I have tried a few Robes Noires but can’t for the life of me remember which ones.
I’ve tried Mon Guerlain a few times and it’s one of those fragrances that I like a lot without understanding at all why, may the lavender that is supposedly in there?
Hey, and that is a nice bottle too. Why worry over why?
I do like this bottle better though.
I collect Guerlains (after a modest fashion) and after smelling the first iteration of LPRN I felt strongly that Guerlain should be paying royalties to Lolita Lempicka. I never bothered with the flankers. LPRN, for me, embodies everything that has gone wrong with the house in recent years: dumbing down, commercialism.
Well, if you go that way, they should both be paying royalties to Mugler 🙂
Ha! Tru dat.
Loving the bottle!!
Being on a Black Cherry binge lately with the Aromatics incarnation and Cafe Chantant,of course I need to try this!!!
I was thinking of you as soon as I saw cherry listed as a note! Just out of curiosity, did you ever try Escada’s Limited Edition Cherries in the Air? That had a definitive cherry note but it was also very sweet and soft spun marshmallow. I rather liked it.
I have still not tried the darned Clinique! I do not love the original AE though, will I like the Cherry version?
I haven’t tried the Cherry AE yet, but I found the White and Black versions far removed from the original.
Thanks!
When I get back from vacation, my large sample should be waiting for me in its glorious beautiful packaging.
Yay 🙂
Jealous ????
I think I would buy this for the bottle alone…how cute would a 30 ml be, right? although the notes intrigue me as well.
Darned cute, of course. Cuter than the 100 ml for sure.
“Monsieur Guerlain, for those of you not familiar with him, has no affiliation with the brand, but as near as I can tell, he is paying far more attention to the subject of Guerlain’s fragrance output than anybody else on earth, possibly even the folks at Guerlain.”
This. 🙂
I have half a bottle or so of the original 2009 version and shall be happy to compare this one.
It is interesting that instead of breaking new ground Guerlain chooses to recreate the original formula and put it in an opaque, black bottle to seal the deal…as if we are all just chomping at the bit and waiting to buy rehashed perfumes in opaque, black bottles…wait, are we? 😉
Oh, do report back!
And yes, pretty sure we are, LOL…and possibly if they’d done it in the black bottle to begin with, it would be the canonical version.
I’m waiting for Guerlain to put it in a LE Bee bottle and charge $600 for it!
😉
Ha, you know that’s coming.
????
I loved the original version of LPRN, will have to try this one out!
Which original?
I wish I could remember which one was fizzy.
Good point. I’ve lost track of all the versions. Between this perfume and the Narcisco Rodriguez perfumes, I find all of the new releases so confusing… (O_o)
The bottle is amazing, gorgeous actually
Robin, to answer you question on the SOTD lately this different authentication screen had been popping up when I log in, which I have never seen before. Today it is not there.
But it is letting you log in, right? It’s the new spam filter thingie, and I’m still trying to get it working properly so as to not block everybody. I might have to give up and find another one.
Oh dear, you’re making me want it.
Other than the bottle, I’d be over it already, if that helps.
Definitely looking forward to this… the 50 ml bottle is just the right size to look good next to my Coco Noir.
Decorating considerations matter, LOL…
Thank you very much for the kind mention, Robin! I really do find it much richer than the 2012 version, yet much less so than the Parfum.
No need to thank me — I will thank you for the amazing resource you have created!
Rather against type I liked (what I refer to as) the original original – ie the one before they put it in L’Heure Bleu/Mitsouko’s bottles ;-). A black 30ml bottle is sort of tempting though I have to be careful these days with Guerlain musks….
I guess that’s the 2009?
Robin, do tell how you managed to snag a bit of this goodie! I adored the original LPRN. And rue the day I lost my bottle while traveling. The original version is next to impossible to find. And what is available on the evil bay is ridiculously expensive! I can not wait to try this. ????
A sample from eBay!
Do want the 30 ml bottle. Relieved to hear it may actually be wearable. 😉
And I think a number of people who comment on Monsieur Guerlain’s FB page love it much more than I do! So you might too.