Diptyque - Orphéon
As a tribute to a nightclub located right next to the first diptyque boutique, the fragrance celebrates the place where the founders sealed their friendship. The club was their living room, their nightly meeting place, an office outside their small domain. Here they invited their allies, here they shared their latest discoveries and tested their creations, here sketches were born, here ideas flowed freely.
Orphéon is an olfactory dreamscape, dominated by cedar, vetiver, and patchouli. In four words: fresh, floral, sensual, woody. And, as always, free from any gender roles.
As diptyque aficionados know, it all began exactly sixty years ago in the Latin Quarter, the vibrant heart of Paris's artistic and intellectual nightlife. The post-war era was practically over, the student revolt of May 1968 still lay ahead: a peaceful buzz reigned. Everyone discussed with everyone else, talking about politics and freedom, but also about culture and innovation—a significant exchange. Philosophers enjoyed superstar status (Sartre, Aron, Althusser). Godard, Rohmer, and Rivette revolutionized French cinema. Jazz was everywhere, and designers' ready-to-wear collections took over the streets.
These were the years in which the founding trio came together. A stroke of genius in many respects. Their friendship became a kind of creative triad of enthusiasm, imagination, and desire – six hands putting their inexhaustible stream of ideas into action. Creativity pulsed in their fingers and hearts. "Driven by the desire to create something real," is how Christiane would later describe these impulses. An idea became a sketch, a memory became inspiration, details piled up and complemented each other, their talents mutually reinforcing. Brotherhood, spontaneity, modernity. A work in progress. The early sixties were also the great era of cafés: Boulevard Saint-Germain and the surrounding neighborhood were dotted with such meeting places, which Boris Vian called "archipels." Some only opened when the others closed: the Rose Rouge, the Caveau de la Huchette, the Tabou, the Montana, and the Mephisto, where you might run into Albert Camus and Roger Vadim. The Orphéon: half club, half living room, a cult spot on a corner between a shop with two display windows and the Rue de Pointoise.
The Italian sculptor and Parisian by choice, Gianpaolo Pagni, also designed his drawings for Orphéon in a narrative style: On the front, a stylized interpretation of the fabric patterns that mark diptyque's graphic origins is positioned in the center of the oval. An optical effect of offset forms captured in rays of light is reflected in the only remaining relic of the Orphéon club: a column with stroboscopic facets, which now occupies a central place in the boutique at 34 Boulevard Saint Germain. A touch of party flair from bygone days. On the back, a historical motif makes a comeback: in three shades of gray, three different, overlapping profiles—a symbol of Desmond, Christiane, and Yves and their fruitful collaboration, which has since made a name for itself worldwide. As always with diptyque—and has been for 60 years—Orphéon is thus a work in three acts: Maison, Perfumer, Illustrator.
Orphéon Eau de Parfum combines many notes reminiscent of the interior of a bar: fine wooden furniture, cocktails and cigarette smoke, well-dressed and perfumed patrons, and women wearing makeup. The overall olfactory experience of this fragrance evokes a radiant memory of the best and most positive aspects of Parisian nightlife in Saint-Germain.
© Out of love for fragrance ( hb )