Blog post by Gwen
Le b. – fresh and aquatic and sensual
Photo: perfumeniche
Just behind St. Eustace, on rue du Jour in the 1er arrondissement of Paris, there is a shop called Agnès b. Actually, there are Agnès b. shops at numbers 2, 3, and 6 rue du Jour—one for men (No. 3), one for women (No. 6), and one for kids (No. 2). In fact, there are a few Agnès b. shops in Paris, but the ones on rue du Jour are my favourite because they have the best selection.
Agnès b. is a French fashion designer based in Paris, so she gets the whole summer-in-the-city scenario. As a young woman, she worked as a junior editor at Elle Magazine, but she soon realized that she would rather design clothes than write about them. After studying design and fashion, she opened her first boutique in Les Halles in 1975. In 1987, she launched Le b. perfume. In 2007, it was updated by Olivia Giacobetti and relaunched
Over time, her business expanded to include menswear, children’s wear, maternity wear, leather goods, skincare and cosmetics. In 1987, she launched Le B. perfume. In 1987 Le b. was given an update by nose Olivia Giacobetti to mark its 20th anniversary.
Le b. was inspired by Agnès b.’s memories of summer vacations. It’s the smell of suitcases opened after a summer vacation by the sea that hold the scent of water, heady tropical flowers and the veil of linen dried by the sun or skin.
It opens fresh and green with a soft note of heady orange blossom and citrusy lemon leaf. Soon, a salty note from watermelon seeds appears, joined by a note of lush jasmine that links to the orange blossom at the top and gently bolsters the sultry summer sensuality of the fragrance. A note of clean linen - a nod to Le b.’s fashion house origins - balances the white flowers. The tone of the fragrance is soft and subtle so that as it blooms, it evokes thoughts and memories of summer on a tropical beach – the salty sea, exotic white flowers, and sun-warmed skin wafting through clean linen clothing.
Le b. dries down to a soft, aquatic feminine scent that stays close to the skin and draws people in with its delicate beauty.
Isn’t that what Olivia Giacobetti does best?
Check out Le b. in our Shop.