The year got off to a rainy start. Not exactly cold and snowy, as it should be in winter, but grey and wet. Rain and wind tend to keep us inside, which does nothing to increase the general sentiment. Starting to go to the office again and finding all of last year’s problems still unsolved, did not help it either. In short – I have had better January’s.
As this blog is about the good things in life, it has the inherent target to cheer us up, you and me alike. I needed a happy go lucky scent to start. Something that screams ‘life is easy’, ‘the sun will come back’, ‘the next holiday will come!’ and so on. The choice fell on one of my favourite strawberry perfumes, Zadig & Voltaire’s “This Is Her”. Strawberries are red, sweet, taste wonderful and when made into a really good jam, they get a heavenly creaminess. In case you have never tried strawberry jam on whipped cream and toast, you have missed something. It gives the feeling that nothing can stay wrong forever.
“This Is Her” is an overwhelming positive scent, completely dominated by strawberries, sugar and coconut, when I smell it. As usual, there are more and other scent notes than the ones that fascinate me when one digs a bit deeper. Zadig & Voltaire’s homepage names jasmine sambac, pink berry, chestnut, vanilla and sandalwood. I take the pink berries to be red strawberries.
The usual suspects in perfume research, platforms like Parfumo or Fragrantica, name ingredients like pink pepper, silkwood blossom and cashmere. Whoever wrote this has lost me. I seriously doubt the pink pepper, maybe it’s just a transmission error with pink berry. If the silkwood blossom and cashmere are supposed to mean that the fragrance is creamy and rich and soft – yes, it is.
For my nose the scents of strawberry jam with coconut, sugar and (coming to think of it) whipped cream are overwhelming. The chestnuts only give a soft additional touch. As the brand itself does not mention coconut, the perfect mix of scent notes might play tricks on me. It is the magic of perfume and human noses – no two smell exactly the same when sniffing the same perfume. With “This is her” we have reached an extreme in this regard, but it’s not important. The perfume tells of the beautiful side of life, of lightness, and joy. A sunny summer day at the beach with nothing serious to care about. It is a perfume that seems like you can eat it immediately for dessert or as ice cream (imagine Cornetto Strawberry).
It is the only perfume commissioned by Zadig & Voltaire that is – in my opinion – outstanding. It was created by two very well renowned perfumers, “Noses”, Sidonie Lancesseur and Michel Almairac. The brand does have over 10 perfumes and more variations of them to their name by now, but none as wonderful as “This Is Her”. Some of the others do smell a bit artificial and more mainstream.
The colours of the scent are bright red and pure white.
The brand Zadig & Voltaire was founded by Thierry Gillier some 25 years ago, together with his former wife. Thierry Gillier worked for some of the really big names in the French fashion industry before starting his own business. From the beginning he knew exactly what he was doing and the success proofs him right.
Fashion wise, the brand is all about the impression of nonchalance in life and clothes. This is stated on the homepage over and over again. The style of Zadig & Voltaire is, well, not according to everybody’s taste. To me it looks like military chic mixed with casual Parisian Street wear, worn by the younger generation without much money or elegance. It is one of those brands whose clothes look less expensive than they are. Certainly, the true fashionistas recognize the clothes on the spot. Chief designer Cecila Bonstroem, a former Swedish model and second wife of the founder, has perfected the Zadig & Voltaire silhouette. It is what customers want and for that reason the style does not change much. Never change a winning team. I honestly do admire Thierry Gillier and Cecilia Bonstroem for their attitude. They do their work with ethics and spirit and follow their path without being distracted by the trends passing by.
“This Is Her”, the perfume to cheer us up, does not represent the clothes of the brand Zadig & Voltaire, as no perfume ever does. Perfumes are always standalone fashion statements. “This Is Her” brings an easy-going elegance to our life and reminds of endless summer in Southern countries and the old adage: everything will be alright!