Pierre Guillaume
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The cardamom strikes immediately with peppery brightness, almost sharp against skin—Guatemala's citrusy undertones make this more vivid than standard cardamom, creating an almost herbal opening that threatens to overshadow the florals entirely. Within moments you sense the iris waiting beneath, already dusted with powder.
The iris nectar blooms softly, honeyed and slightly indolic, whilst fig and oud weave underneath like supporting strings in a composition. Here the fragrance's complexity becomes apparent—the oud provides a woody backbone that prevents the fig honey from becoming cloying, and the cardamom's initial sharpness mellows into spiced warmth. This phase is where Iris Taizo feels most balanced and compelling.
Mexican vanilla and amber create a warm, slightly resinous base that's more reminiscent of aged cedar and leather than traditional sweetness. The iris becomes increasingly powdery and abstract, the oud deepens further, and the whole composition settles into something earthy and contemplative—intimate rather than projecting, best appreciated by leaning in close.
Iris Taizo is a fragrance for those who appreciate iris's dusty, almost chalky sophistication but want it dressed in warmer fabrics. Pierre Guillaume has constructed something deliberately baroque here—the cardamom arrival is sharp and slightly mentholic, immediately announcing this won't be a quiet, powdery iris soliflore. Instead, the iris nectar in the heart arrives honeyed and slightly fermented, as though the flower's waxy petals have been macerated in fig preserve and dark oud resin. The oud isn't the animalic, funky kind; it's woody and almost dry, grounding the sweetness that wants to take flight.
What emerges is a scent of deliberate contradiction: simultaneously creamy and astringent, floral yet earthy. The fig honey creates a viscous middle ground, preventing the iris from becoming too austere whilst the oud stops the sweetness from veering into dessert territory. Mexican vanilla and amber in the base don't so much sweeten as they deepen—they're warmer than bright, more akin to aged wood than vanilla pod.
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3.9/5 (282)