15th October 1876 was the birth date of Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, known to the world as Mata Hari, a woman as exotic as the name suggests. Born to into a middle class Dutch family Zelle was born with a desire to break from the norm. Aged only 18 she answered an advertisement placed by a Dutch Army captain in Java, where she moved and became his bride. The marriage was not a success but it gave her the money and status she needed and soon she was mixing in much more elevated circles. The exotic dancer and courtesan was shot by the French in WWI, having spied for the Germans. Histoires de Parfums 1876 is a glamorous, complex and captivating scent, built around a centre of robust big florals; rose, violet and carnation. Exotic Bergamot and Litchi open this scent, which is liberally sprinkled with spices of Cumin and Cinnamon, on a rich base of Sandalwood and Musk. We dare you not to succumb to the charms of Mata Hari and 1876.
Fragrnce Notes
Top: Orange, Bergamot, Litchi
Middle: Rose, Iris, Violet, Cumin, Cinnamon, Carnation
Base: Sandalwood, Vetiver, Guaiacum, White Musk, Vanilla
Fragrance House
Histoires de Parfums is not what one might think, ’Histories’ of perfume, ‘Histoires’ translates as the ‘Stories' of Perfumes. That is what this range is all about; the stories. Histoires de Parfums is an olfactory library, a set of volumes telling the tales of famous characters in terms of fragrance rather than words. Histoires de Parfums is the brainchild of Gérald Ghislain, the ‘author’ – as he describes himself – who by employing his abundant imagination was able to bring his cast of characters alive, allowing them to jump out of the bottle rather than off the page, the measure of a great writer. Like all perfume houses selected by Roullier White, Histoires de Parfums maintains uses only the finest raw materials and good quality, heavyweight bottles, beautifully boxed. Born in the South of France and brought up in Morocco Gérald Ghislain, a graduate of the Institut Supérieur International du Parfum, grew up surrounded by exotic scents and with a Mediterranean passion for all that is good in life. This passion is evident in each of Ghislain’s Histoires de Parfums creations; each one is a work of art.
