Monday 9 November 2015

JE REVIENS - Recreated by Pierre Bourdon

After the phenomenal success of their first fragrance in 1924, Les Parfums Worth followed Dans La Nuit with Vers Le Jour, Sans Adièu, Je Reviens, and Vers Toi. Now, Je Reviens is undoubtedly one of the greatest perfumes ever created, but it also has one of the most troubled histories. Reformulations pushed it from a premier scent to a drugstore staple, but true to its name it refuses to be forgotten. In this period of Remembrance let's take a look at one of the soldiers' true nap-sack fragrances, and try to understand why it came to be found on so many sweetheart's dressing tables during World War 2.

Je Reviens, which translates as "I (Will) Return", became a popular choice for soldiers stationed in France during World War 2. Even though there were five other female fragrances released by Les Parfums Worth during this period, the sentiment of the name succeeded in the same way that Caron's 1916 N'aimez Que Moi had during World War 1, and did again during this second conflict. Far from cashing in on sorrow, perfume allowed women to remember their sweetheart everyday, and "everyday" would last a long six years.

Now, Je Reviens, and the whole of the Worth catalogue, would eventually be owned by five companies during its life, but it was in 1995 that a clumsy reformulation pushed it firmly from premium to budget. In an attempt to make the fragrance more "appealing" it was actually made harsher and brighter, which isn't what Je Reviens is about. However, another sale to Shaneel in 1999 paved the way for a reconstruction of the original scent, and in 2004 Je Reviens Couture was launched.

Under the guidance of Pierre Bourdon, and working within IFRA regulations, Je Reviens Couture was described as being "as close to the original as possible”, and represented the true spirit of Maurice Blanchet’s 1932 creation. A glorious Aldehydic Floral, the citrus freshness which sits alongside the heady rose, jonquil and iris are superb, and the base is a very sexy gathering around sandalwood of incense, vetiver and amber. Add in the dangerous narcissus and you have a perfect reconstruction of a timeless classic.

The House of Worth have kindly sent me a bottle of Je Reviens Couture to give away to one lucky reader. For your chance to win just follow these two simple steps.
1. Fill in the "Subscribe To My Newsletter" box, on the right-hand side of this page, and click submit.
2. Remember to validate your subscription via the email that you will be sent. Only validated subscriptions are eligible to win.

The competition closes at midnight on Sunday 22nd November 2015. Good luck!
To view full terms and conditions you can click here.

6 comments:

  1. so it has the 20s charm equal to chanel no5 and shalimar? making it a cloudy decadent ambiguous and vague perfume?

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    1. Hello "c", I don't see the link with Shalimar, although the interest does comes from floral interplay rather than the aldehyde. I would agree with "decadent and ambiguous", but not really "cloudy" in my opinion. What did you mean by "vague"? That has got me thinking. Stephan

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  2. The iconic house of Worth. I'm enthralled by the history and the scent. Thank you for so kindly making it available through your contest.

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    1. The House of Worth has always been a favourite of mine, and I'm glad you enjoyed the piece. Make sure that you look at the other ones on the return of the house and also the reviews of Miss Worth. Stephan

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  3. Siendo una historiadora mexicana de 64 años estoy sumamente agradecida por esta historia, ya que guardo recuerdos muy conmovedores de este perfume que me regaló un novio casi por los 16 años, a los años guardé un frasquito antiguo que una mi tía me regaló. Hablando de perfumes hoy con mi equipo en el trabajo se me ocurrió buscarlo y encontré esta maravillosa historia que yo desconocía totalmente. Pero me impactó mucho porque he dedicado mi vida a la paz después de las guerras, he estudiado mucho sobre cómo reconstruir sociedades después de los conflictos armados. Así que sin saber estaba sin querer cerca de lo que más amo.

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    1. Hello, thank you so much for your comment. It's amazing how the fragrance's story mirrors aspects of your own life. That's the fantastic thing about scent. Best, Stephan

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