Maison d’Orsay was originally founded in Paris in 1830 by Count Alfred d’Orsay. D’Orsay was known at the time to have been passionate, artistic, and flamboyant. He was an influential icon of the nineteenth century. He sought pleasure at all cost, which resulted in large debts and romantic affairs. In 2015, Amélie Huynh gave Maison d’Orsay a new lease of life, redesigning an olfactory line to honour the brand’s heritage.
French for ‘lost at heart’, this is a fragrance of longing a forbidden love, like that of the love between Count d’Orsay and Lady Blessington. Between the first glance and the moment star-crossed lovers can lay together, there is an interval that seems to last an eternity. This fragrance hides its truth from the undiscerning, opening with orange blossom, iris, and freshly cleaned sheets. It rushes into a heated base of ambroxan, moss and cashmeran. Each drop is a guilty pleasure, conveniently above all suspicions.
To be or not to be a Dandy, why choose? Absolute freedom is being able to change your mind. G.A. is a fragrance of calm elegance with an air of nonchalance. Sunshine spiced with cardamom radiates from the skin. Refreshing grapefruit and a splash of black tea with orange blossom soften into elegant leather accord.
French for ‘I look like I am’, this fragrance is simple, fresh, delicate, and woody. J.R. invites tête-à-tête (face to face) – up close and personal. Notes of clementine, narcissus and musk invite tenderness. J.R. is not desperate to seduce, entertain or engage in vanity. It exemplifies restraint, reassurance, and reliance. This fragrance delivers on its promise of a delicacy and serenity.
Meaning ‘up to you’ in French, this fragrance evokes feelings of a simple yet passionate love. For the external world, perhaps they perceive a scandal – they talk and place bets with their sharp grapefruit tang. Within the lovers’ cocoon there’s the velvety softness of magnolia. One, terrifically vetiver, and the other, comforting patchouli.
Meaning ‘we are lovers’, this fragrance is one of nakedness, evoking the sensual intimacy of skin touching skin. Black pepper, cedar and sandalwood blend with palo santo for a pulsating, instinctual embrace. M.D. transforms friends, partners, spouses, into lovers.
Meaning ‘on your lips’, this fragrance evokes the divine sensation of surrendering your lips to another. The velvety softness of the first few seconds are akin to a tender kiss. Wrapped in the silky notes of iris combined with a luminous jasmine blend, the fragrance melts into a stunning swirl of sensual woods. An intense and addictive trail for him and her, like the imprint of a kiss on the lips.
Meaning ‘a rose of paradise’, this fragrance is a taste of ethereal bliss on the lips of another. Absolute romanticism: it is both floral and woody. On the air, notes of pink pepper mixed with Turkish rose are diffused. At the fifth aurora borealis, we fall tenderly into a space-time rift where musk and sandalwood lull us into a tender sleep.
French for ‘to want to be elsewhere’, this fragrance is an evolution of D’Orsay’s 1915 perfume, Tilleul, reimagined by Olivia Giacobetti. In its tiny, sweet voice, ‘Vouloir être ailleurs’ transports us back to heady, carefree times. Linden flower, honey and freshly cut hay take us back to our formative years. Almost adults yet cradled by the perfumes of our childhood. Little did we know then, that in just a few days, we would be grown up for good. A radiant interlude.
Historically, D’Orsay fragrance house had published nearly fifty perfumes that were distributed across the globe, in boutiques in Paris, London, and New York. At the time, the D’Orsay fragrances were highly artistic and forward-thinking, as they were inspired by love and desire, and were designed to be shared by couples. Alfred d’Orsay’s very first fragrance was an ode to his forbidden love of Lady Marguerite Blessington – a love story of illicit desire and intimacy.
When Amélie Huynh took over Maison d’Orsay in 2015, she spearheaded a new olfactory line to honour the brand’s heritage. The fragrances are based on Alfred d’Orsay’s original line-up, reimagined by prestigious perfumers such as Olivia Giacobetti, Mark Buxton, Karine Chevalier, Bertrand Duchaufour, Fanny Bal, and Vincent Ricord.
“Everything we do references the romantic sensibility of Count d’Orsay – from the illicit affair to the sense of carnal desire.“
— Amélie Huynh, founder
Each fragrance is composed as a declaration of love, exploring its many facets. They are genderless and can be worn by couples, just as the originals by Alfred d’Orsday. Each scent explores duality in some sense, which is a concept echoed throughout the brand. In homage to the lost correspondences between Alfred and Marguerite, each perfume name is composed like a love letter and signed with initials – these initials referring to a secret identity that will never be revealed.
D’Orsay have two boutiques in Paris and one in Tokyo. Each boutique has been meticulously designed to capture the sense of mystique, passion, and eloquence of Count d’Orsay, with sleek woods and brass fittings, with cabinets of multiple drawers in which secret scents are carefully locked away like hidden treasures.
All of the production takes place in France, with fragrances made between Paris and Provencal perfume capital, Grasse. The bottles, caps, and spray mechanisms are also produced in France.
