Night Flight in 1933: Confidence, charisma, and cat to the kitty cat cat cat OW

This is fierce. This is actually my favorite fragrance f Dolce Vita.

Transcendent, untouchable, the greatest, a chypriental? Floral chypre? Bitter green chypre?

NO! It’s 1955 Vol de Nuit (VdN) EXTRAIT, 1933’s biggest influence. Aside from…nevermind. IYKYK…RIP and rep the pink triangle.

So what do the third reich and VdN have in common?

Nothing.

The French resistance to Germany after H*tler’s rise to power was dismissed by many, and miss Coco Chanel was seen as a traitor…despite making Cuir de Russie and being kissy kissy with Igor Stravinsky. She liked the Russians and made a fragrance inspired by the smell of rectified birch tar that they used to waterproof their boots. Art is always a resistance to power, and VdN represents celebration, resistance, and the French spirit.

I am not a Francophone, but the “Night Flight” celebration of an aviation success was beautiful. The fragrance was dark and so was the future. An omen of things to come. The darkness of VdN is countered by its incredible nuance and shift in character. The darkness of the flight is heightened when you think about the use of planes in WWII. Depressing !

One moment— straight galbanum and nothing else, then a Guerlinade, then Narcissus and violet, then Iris, then then then then…

As with all Guerlain extraits (and some parfums), the level of complexity is so off the chain that reviewing it is an exercise of futility. Alas………..

The esníf:

Top (dom): GREEN GALBANUM SAY “HELLLOOIOOOOOHUEIEIEI!!!!!!” And it’s incredible.

Top (sub): burst of florals and Guerlinade. This is where things get tricky. The presentation in the top notes post-galbanum is a shield of the swirl of Guerlinade, Narcissus, and Iris/Violet to come.

Heart (ventricle 1): I have 80 characters left

Heart: (ventricle 2): I have 58 characters left

Base (subfloor): tar-like moss and patchouli with a beautiful inky richness. It isn’t bitter and it isn’t sweet— it’s beguiling

Basement: moss

Video has the full review, which I will add to this later but the SOTD posts have a 2,000 character limit >:(