Byredo
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Pink freesia arrives first, its peppery-sweet character immediately softened by a dewy rose that's more petal than perfume. There's a green snap underneath, almost cucumber-like, that stops the florals from reading too romantic or nostalgic. The overall effect is clean and cool, like stepping into a florist's cold room early in the morning.
Lily of the valley asserts itself with that characteristic metallic-green bite, its sharp edges playing beautifully against magnolia's creamy, lemon-tinged petals. The florals begin to coalesce into something more unified here, less a bouquet of distinct flowers and more a singular impression of whiteness and light. A subtle powderiness emerges—not makeup-counter powder, but the fine dust you'd find on a moth's wing.
The jasmine finally makes itself known, though it remains admirably restrained, adding a skin-like warmth rather than tropical heft. What remains is a soft, slightly soapy-clean floral veil that hovers close to the skin, more suggestion than statement. The freshness from the opening has mellowed into something gently sweet, like laundry dried in dappled shade.
Inflorescence captures that precise moment when spring tips into early summer—when the last pale freesias share garden space with the first unfurling magnolia blooms. Jérôme Epinette has orchestrated a study in floral translucency here, layering sheer petals upon sheer petals until they create something substantial without ever feeling heavy. The rose and freesia opening reads like watercolour rather than oil paint, their pink-tinged sweetness cut through with the verdant snap of lily of the valley's green stems. This isn't the manicured florals of a high-street perfume counter; there's an almost Scandinavian restraint to the composition, a coolness that keeps all that white floral opulence from toppling into headache territory.
What makes Inflorescence compelling is how the magnolia's waxy, slightly lemonic character weaves through the heart, adding structure to what could have been mere prettiness. The jasmine lurks in the base not as the indolic bombshell you might expect, but as a gentle amplifier, adding just enough warmth to keep the fragrance from floating away entirely. This is for those who've grown weary of loud florals but still crave petals—the art director with ink-stained fingers, the architect sketching in a sun-drenched studio. It's the olfactory equivalent of a white linen shirt: crisp, considered, and more complex than it first appears. Wear it when you want to smell expensive without announcing it, when the weather turns properly warm and heavier scents feel suffocating.
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3.7/5 (219)