A PETIT FRACAS

Photographs: Monty Coles, www.montycoles.com, www.theloupe.org
Words: Janice Breen Burns, jbb@voxfrock.com.au

Voxfrock still has the seven white paper fingerlings handed to guests at the launch of Petit Fracas last week. From one, the Petit Fracas top notes of bergamot and mandarin are faint but still there, the heart notes of tuberose and gardenia and base note of sandalwood softened, but also undeniably present.

The six other fingerlings are still heavily perfumed with Bandit and Fracas – remarkable, gorgeous, near-unctuous perfumes commissioned by French designer Robert Piguet from legendary perfumer Germaine Cellier in 1944 and 1948 respectively – and with Visa, Notes, Oud and Mademoiselle Piguet, all later fragrances by the same house.

Fanned together now, the little papers are a lovely olfactory shamozzle. They are also a souvenier of that memorable event in the underground trove of beautiful objects known simply as Christine.
On this night, Melbourne fashion doyenne and owner of the trove, Christine Barro, invited 50-odd CCOs (Carefully Chosen Ones; her delicate aversion to “A-lists” top heavy with The Vacuous, The Socially Frantic, The Strident Namedropper et. al, is not trumpetted, but well known) to a soiree introduction of Petit Fracas, the grandaughter of Mme. Cellier’s revolutionary original Fracas.

Mr. Joe Garces, creative director and CEO of Robert Piguet Parfums, flew from New York to do the honors with Ms. Barro. He is an unremarkable chap at first glance; could be mistaken for an accountant or GP were it not for his jolly demeanor – soon revealed – and the impeccable cut of his jib.

Fashion doyenne Ms. Christine Barro and Mr. Joe Garces, creative director and CEO, Robert Piguet Parfums, New York.

Mr. Garces took his time to explain his latest homage to Mme. Cellier’s genius, and six other perfumes besides. Petit Fracas is a creation of perfumer Aurélien Guichard who is also “caretaker” of the contemporary formulation of Fracas.

Stylist Emily Ward tackles a fragrant trinity of fingerlings

Mr. Garces rattled good-naturedly on, unbothered as CCOs sniffed their little papers, sipped Mumm and peppered his delivery with occasional, intrusive bickers about which scent was preferable, which feminine or masculine (the Robert Piguet collection is not gendered), what was that top, heart or base note.

Model Anthea Crebbin launches a cloud of Petit Fracas into the already heavily laden atmosphere of Christine

They swapped papers, sniffed bottles and pulse points, sparred on their knowledge of such counter-intuitive elements as civet (a glandular secretion from the civet cat said to resemble “essence of armpit”) and tuber rose (a fleshy, nose-filling note of decay), in the perfumer’s art.

John Betts and Robert Buckinghame compare top, heart and base notes

And, all the while, as they sniffed and swapped and fluttered their little papers, veteren photographer Monty Coles slipped between them, capturing those fleeting split-seconds when scent fires olfactory nerve fires synapses fires crystalline memory.

Fairfax Postcode 3000 columnist Suzanne “The Countess” Carbone, mixes appraises both Bandit and Mumm bubbly

Later, the heady trail of those seven perfumes followed guests to a post-soiree-soiree in the warm, chaotic beauty of the Barros’ – Christine and bon vivant husband and co-host Peter – city apartment.

Melbourne’s most gracious co-host Peter Barro nuts out the mystery of Fracas with flute and friend.

Mr. Garces, particularly, was delighted by the night. With flattened New York vowels, he explained why he picked Christine, of all the swank destinations on offer, to introduce such a vital perfume in the Robert Piguet repertoire to Australia; “This,” he said, gesturing around the exotic cabinets, racks and shelves of jewelry, accessories and fashion curated by the doyenne herself, from around the world; “Is mwy kwinda stwore.”