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Post by Portia
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Heya APJ,
Azar is off this month taking some time to get stuff done, she’ll be back in June.
So I thought it might be fun to continue her style of looking at something vintage and little talked about… Some fragrances instantly become hits, some take a little longer and many never ever reach such exalted heights. Then there is another group that become very famous in one continent or country but the rest of the world remains immune to. Today we are looking at such a one.
Capricci by Nina Ricci 1960
Capricci by Francis Fabron
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot
Heart: Rosemary, tuberose, gardenia, orris root, jasmine, hyacinth, ylang-ylang, lily-of-the-valley, geranium, rose, narcissus
Base: Sandalwood, musk, benzoin, oakmoss, vetiver
Capricci was a small hit in Europe and sold there for decades but it was in Asia that it became a bit of a blockbuster apparently. Not in the same way that L’Air du Temps did but considering how much Capricci there is for sale on eBay with three different Asian scripts on their back stickers I hazard the guess that it was quite popular.
Aldehydes, citrus and a floral bouquet open Capricci. Even after all these years my EdT is crisp, fresh and has that sparkling/oily fizz of soda pop and metal cans. A very pretty, youthful fragrance that could easily have been given to a young girl of the 1960s as a less strident, more feminine, early awakening scent. Nowadays it smells slightly dated but still not old, does that make sense? As if a perfumer has tried to recreate the glamour of yesterdays fragrance with a modern palette.
I can see why Capricci was less popular in America, though it is a lilting and ladylike scent there is the unmistakable Frenchness lurking underneath the sparkling flowers. A lived in feeling that doesn’t point to dirtiness as such but does have a light animals undertone. Less BIG and more animal than L’Air du Temps, a tiger in a clipped hedge next to a cottage garden. Add that to its less in-your-face attack style of scent and you may get an understanding. I am surprised that Capricci became an Asian hit though. It seems a bit too raunchy (not the word I want but the closest in my vocabulary) and intimate in the first hour to fit my profile of what Asia buys.
Capricci wears to a very pretty bouquet with a hint of dried grass and woodsiness. After the first hour it sits very close to the body but still offers a waft in sillage. Imagine a 1980s blockbuster turned down almost to mute, a barely there scent. As if it’s still on your scarf from last week, just perceptible.
So I’ve come back to add that I get a distinctly Arpege vibe from Capricci.
I’m a fan,
Portia xxx
Capricci GIVEAWAY
WHAT CAN YOU WIN?
This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x Capricci by Nina Ricci sample from my bottle
P&H Worldwide
HOW DO YOU WIN?
Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged. Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible. I must be able to check that you follow so if you have an email address on your gravatar that’s different to your follow address then please email me (portia underscore turbo @ yahoo dot com dot au) so I know.
You must tell me how you follow APJ
and
Please tell us a fragrance that never became really popular that you love, or a favourite Nina Ricci fragrance.
HOUSEKEEPING
Entries Close Thursday 5th May 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Sunday 8th May 2016 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.