Bal a Versailles by Jean Desprez
Created in 1962, Bal a Versailles sports a defiantly retro-French image: rounded little jewel of a bottle, gleaming metallic gold packaging, a pastel label adorned with a pretty young girl in a flouncy dress holding a bouquet of flowers -- it exists almost like a snapshot of the establishment's disconnect from the social and sexual upheavals headed its way.
To the credit of Jean Desprez, it's 2008 and they haven't changed the packaging one bit to suit the changing times, though I can't fully decide if that's courageous or foolhardy -- maybe a bit of both? But what comes around usually comes around again (and again), and now the packaging for Bal a Versailles (not to mention the actual contents of the bottle) seems charmingly in vogue, almost tongue-in-cheek ironic if you're unaware that it's approaching its fifth decade of production.
What makes it even more ironic is that such a dainty little package contains a product that a good portion of contemporary women find much too dark and "dirty" to even contemplate wearing. Bal a Versailles is a classic oriental in its structure, with just enough florals in its intro to fool you into wearing it to your next tea party, but once it settles down into dry, earthy woods and ambered musks, the china will be rattling, the silver spoons clanking and you'll be excusing yourself for a quick trip to wherever the air isn't punctuated with the sharp knives of social disapproval.
But how were you to know? The bottle is so pretty!
Bal a Versailles is a throw-back to old-school French perfumery, civet musk and all. The florals last for about the first thirty minutes, then the whole thing drops all attempts at feminine sensibility and plunges five registers down into a deep woods and amber mix (the sandalwood is very nicely done, if you like that kind of thing). The result is a fragrance that's more masculine than about 75% of the so-called masculines now on the market, pastel labels be damned.
If I didn't know any better, I'd swear Tom Ford was somehow involved . . .
***Note: this review is for the parfum version, which, though potent, wears fairly close to the skin; I've read that the EDT is much more dry and loud.
Photos of the bottle and packaging below:
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Hooray! More perfume packagin porn. ;)
With particular relevance today, given your reflections on the stridently retro packaging. I like to think that indeed, both courageous and foolhardy--and perhaps both forward thinking and head in the sand?
I've passed up an opportunity to pick some of this up at a local discount clothing store on the cheap; feeling very regretful and covetous at the moment.
Right! There they were, 1962, on the cusp of the sexual revolution and the youth explosion, and they chose THAT as their packaging design? It does seem almost like a weird mix of courageous head-in-the-sand behavior.
But the juice inside is a whole different ballgame. If you're into earthy orientals, then Bal a Versailles has your name written all over it. I'm feeling sympathy pains at the idea of you passing it up at a discount, but I did notice that they still have the small 1/4 ounce bottles of parfum at Amazon for a pretty steep price cut (almost 60% off retail). Good prices on the EDT, as well.
My mother got hold of this in 1969 or 1970 when I was 5 or 6 or so and gave it to me because she didn't like it. I was a little girl and I loved it.
I need to track it down. It sounds like something I'd like now, too. (Mostly, I wear Bandit, YSL pour Homme, Pi, and Fracas...guess I'm a bit schiz there!)
Your mother gave you Bal a Versailles when you were five? That's fantastic. I'll bet you did love it -- it's rich and full of layers. Definitely the sort of fragrance that a young, energetic mind could dig into.
It sounds like you're wearing bold fragrances now, so I would say that it's a safe bet you'd like Bal a Versailles today.
I think she thought I would just play with it, but I adored it. I must totally get some.
My mother I don't think ever understood the fragrance at all. Her idea of perfume is more along the lines of "Charlie" or "Pavlova".