I have not been a huge fan of the modern Robert Piguet line. I haven’t tried even close to all of them, and perhaps I’ve skipped over the best, but those few I’ve tested (Douglas Hannant de Robert Piguet, Mademoiselle Piguet, Petit Fracas)1 have not bowled me over. For that matter, I’ll come clean and admit that much of the resurrected classic line (Baghari, Visa & Cravache, etc.) doesn’t really bowl me over either. I’m a Fracas girl, with a secondary respect and admiration for Bandit, and while I admire the care they’ve taken in keeping the Piguet brand alive and relevant, I’m pretty happy sticking with those two.
The newish Gardénia de Robert Piguet, though, is really pretty. I wasn’t quite bowled over, but I was impressed, and I’m sorry to have to give away the bottle I was sent for review (it’s already taken, sorry). Like most (all?) of the modern Piguet line, it was developed by perfumer Aurelien Guichard, and the composition walks a very fine line between what a hardcore perfumista might accept as a “gardenia” and what a modern consumer might be willing to wear to work…