55-years ago, Diptyque was founded by three Friends – painter Desmond Knox-Leet, set designer Yves Coueslant and Christiane Gautrot, who was working in an architecture firm. To celebrate the milestone, the house decided to create a tribute line
55-years ago, Diptyque was founded by three friends – painter Desmond Knox-Leet, set designer Yves Coueslant, and Christiane Gautrot, who was working in an architecture firm. In just over half a century, the French company has grown from a supplier of fabrics, to a purveyor of scented candles, and later fragrance and accompanying olfactory products. To celebrate the milestone, the house decided to create a tribute line entitled 34 boulevard Saint Germain, the Paris street of the inaugural Diptyque boutique.
The collection is lead by a unisex fragrance, composed of 40 raw materials by nose Olivier Pescheux who has a longstanding history with the house. Pescheux worked in collaboration with Swiss fragrance chemist Roman Kaiser who developed the scent trek technology for Givaudan more than 30-years ago. 34 boulevard Saint Germain has a chypre – a concept characterised by the contrast between the fresh citrus accord and the woody-oakmoss fond – backbone and a base of woods and balms, with notes including blackcurrant, green fig leaves, rose pepper and citrus, Egyptian geranium and tuberose. I'm a personal fan of Philosykos (one of the best figs around) and Vetyverio – this new addition makes up my three favourites. I'm attracted to fresh, modern qualities and the 'at home' feeling that only Diptyque can evoke.
"What marks Diptyque's fragrance is the level of consideration to given to each element of the final product: the fragrance, the bottle, even the atomiser tube"
There have been countless tributes to commemorate brands' anniversaries over the years – cars, shoes, bags, books. What marks Diptyque's fragrance is the level of consideration given to each element of the final product. The magnetised stopper, executed in thick black Bakelite, features the iconic oval-shaped label reinvented and its black letters, drawn by founder Desmond Knox-Leet. The atomiser tubes for the eau de toilette are covered in a sheath as a nod to the brand's candle heritage. And the bottom of the glass bottle, with its glass droplets, are reminiscent of the paper weights the Saint Germain store once sold.
34 boulevard Saint Germain (eau de toilette) by Diptyque is priced £60 for 50ml and £85 for 100ml.
