Robbery is an incredibly violating experience -- someone has entered your safe haven and taken things precious to you. Thanks for this beautiful piece sharing your experience. So glad to see you were able to find another bottle of Gris Clair!
I have indeed - it had been high on my list and I ordered a sample pretty quickly after losing my first bottle of Gris Clair. It's definitely in the same family, but I feel it doesn't have the same sharp, ozonic bite as the original. I wouldn't pass up a bell jar bottle of it, though....
This was lovely and unexpected. I remembered that I used to read submissions to a literary magazine, 98.9% of which were truly terrible and even demotivating, but then that one time you find yourself reading the whole thing and you’re so engaged and inside it and just as you realize it’s about to conclude you think, hey, this is it. This is the real thing.
I’m glad you found a new bottle of the Gris Clair. I was worried that I may have had to start looking for it for you and when i found it I’d somehow need to convince you to set up a po box without telling you why…
Beautiful and sad, bitter and sweet. I’m glad you got a new bottle of Gris Clair. I have a friend who lives in a small village in Belgium and she was robbed of most of her perfume collection, including several discontinued perfumes. It was so shocking and unexpected.
Gris Clair…. was my “gateway drug”. The first perfume that ever felt like me/who I wanted to be. I was pretty upset to realize that it was discontinued, but I still have some left. It doesn’t feel like “me” anymore, so I don’t wear it very much, but it reminds me of the person I was then, and I still find the scent intoxicating. I’m glad you were able to find another bottle! What a wonderful piece.
i absolutely loved this piece. i know next to nothing about perfumes and it's been so interesting to read about your love for perfumes. the perfume almost transcends past the scent and represents something else entirely - acting adjacent to memory or identity. i wonder if you've read Perfume by Patrick Süskind? maybe it's been overreccomended online, but till this day its still one of my favourite works that i've ever read yet, and i don't even wear perfume. i can't imagine how the book might be able to resonate to someone like you!
So sorry to hear about the robbery! For Gris Clair, it was relaunched in their Les Eaux de Politesse before COvid and after this collection went down, they repackaged it in their bell bottles collection. As you mentioned, all batches are different but it should still be the same formulation as the original. Anyway, happy to read you managed to find a replacement!
What a detailed description of loss & love. Thank you for sharing your pain & anguish.
I wish you joy in your replacement bottles.
May those thieves suffer at the hands of the perfume gods forever.
Robbery is an incredibly violating experience -- someone has entered your safe haven and taken things precious to you. Thanks for this beautiful piece sharing your experience. So glad to see you were able to find another bottle of Gris Clair!
I’m so sorry that this happened, but so appreciate your elegy for Gris Clair (and other scents). You are my absolute favorite perfume writer.
I love this so much. My heart almost burst when I read how you could find your Gris Clair again.
Have you ever tried Serge Luten’s Encense et lavande? It’s similar to Gris Clair—I remember liking it better, in fact, and it is still available.
I have indeed - it had been high on my list and I ordered a sample pretty quickly after losing my first bottle of Gris Clair. It's definitely in the same family, but I feel it doesn't have the same sharp, ozonic bite as the original. I wouldn't pass up a bell jar bottle of it, though....
This was lovely and unexpected. I remembered that I used to read submissions to a literary magazine, 98.9% of which were truly terrible and even demotivating, but then that one time you find yourself reading the whole thing and you’re so engaged and inside it and just as you realize it’s about to conclude you think, hey, this is it. This is the real thing.
I’m glad you found a new bottle of the Gris Clair. I was worried that I may have had to start looking for it for you and when i found it I’d somehow need to convince you to set up a po box without telling you why…
I'm so happy you have it again! This one broke my heart a little
Beautiful and sad, bitter and sweet. I’m glad you got a new bottle of Gris Clair. I have a friend who lives in a small village in Belgium and she was robbed of most of her perfume collection, including several discontinued perfumes. It was so shocking and unexpected.
So beautifully written and so moving! Thank you for sharing!
This was beautiful.
Gris Clair…. was my “gateway drug”. The first perfume that ever felt like me/who I wanted to be. I was pretty upset to realize that it was discontinued, but I still have some left. It doesn’t feel like “me” anymore, so I don’t wear it very much, but it reminds me of the person I was then, and I still find the scent intoxicating. I’m glad you were able to find another bottle! What a wonderful piece.
This was great, thank you!
Although of course I feel awful for the robbery, I must say you’ve written a beautiful piece about it and how scent changes us.
i absolutely loved this piece. i know next to nothing about perfumes and it's been so interesting to read about your love for perfumes. the perfume almost transcends past the scent and represents something else entirely - acting adjacent to memory or identity. i wonder if you've read Perfume by Patrick Süskind? maybe it's been overreccomended online, but till this day its still one of my favourite works that i've ever read yet, and i don't even wear perfume. i can't imagine how the book might be able to resonate to someone like you!
So sorry to hear about the robbery! For Gris Clair, it was relaunched in their Les Eaux de Politesse before COvid and after this collection went down, they repackaged it in their bell bottles collection. As you mentioned, all batches are different but it should still be the same formulation as the original. Anyway, happy to read you managed to find a replacement!