Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire

Dare we say that we were rather underwhelmed with the original Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire fragrance launched a few years ago? But then along comes house perfumer Thierry Wasser with his newest remixing of the juice, which takes that LBD and gives it just the je ne sais quoi that it needed.

Thanks to a dose of the brand’s Guerlinade: “a radiant breeze of Tonka bean, vanilla, iris and patchouli” according to the company’s PR desk—in case you always wondered what that signature essence was and were afraid to ask—this is a spritz with guts and grace. So marrying with that Guerlinade are top notes of almond, berries and bergamot; a heart of black cherry, patchouli and rose overdose; and a base of dark licorice and black lapsang tea leaves. It’s smoky and sweet, young-minded but with a definite (and much appreciated) point of view.

Renowned illustrators, Olivier Kuntzel and Florence Deygas, animate the perfume in its accompanying campaign with a breezily drawn and cheeky LBD-wearing Parisienne. The commercial for the scent and this saucy femme, also featuring Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Were Made for Walking soundtrack, is irresistible.

Remember those gorgeous graphics in the Pink Panther? And more recently, the drawn characters in the opening sequence of Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me if You Can? They’re the brilliant work of these artists.

La Petite Robe Noire is out on the market now and is surging, according to a Guerlain spokesperson, at the number-one sales position in France.

Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire EDP, $90 (50 ml), www.guerlain.com; at Guerlain stores and counters in Canada beginning September 15, 2012.

Click to view the terrifically original commercial in The Whale & The Rose’s INSPIRATION gallery.