Sira des Indes (2006)
by Jean Patou

Rich sweet floral, no matter the claims of gourmand accords, the opening is all classic Patou.

However, in the process of drydown, towards the middle and finish - I swear it's the aroma of an ice cream parlor. Not just the fragrance of ice cream alone .... it's the fragrance of the whole entire parlor: fruit, marshmallow whip, sparkling clean floors, over-working a/c, everything is there.

Vanilla is here, oh yes, but so definitely an ice cream vanilla - it's chilly! how can Patou convey temperature? I can only guess.
And the fruit....these are not the ripe, heavy bananas flecked with brown from the top of your kitchen counter, nor are these the classy caramelized delicacies found in a Bananas Foster. Instead these are quite indeed the fresh, perhaps even slightly green, chilled, subdued, bananas of an ice cream split. Other fruits mix in, with the florals still shouting quite loudly, making the banana even less prominent. But they are there.

Between the heavy floral notes, the icy cold fruit, chilly vanilla, and the hints of mildest white musk anchoring things, a more appropriate name for this fragrance would be "First Date at the Ben & Jerry's". Which is actually a compliment. A great summer scent, very fun.

It's a very fruity and flowery fragrance. The woman who wears it is young, optimistic, enthusiastic, joyful, energetic and dynamic. Yet she's sensitive and delicate. It's also a bit reminiscent of a candy shop, but that re-enforces the idea that this is appropriate for a young person. It's not bad, but a fragrance with such a wonderful name should have been more oriental, sensual and mysterious.

A generous BNer sent me a sample of this and I was on the computer ordering a full bottle before you could say Jean Michel Duriez. Just LOVE it. The berries pop out on me right away, followed by a hint - and only a hint - of banana milkshake. I definitely get the jasmine (which will make an appearance on my bod whenever it is present - in however small a quantity) and a not-too-sweet shimmery drydown of musky amber.

And interestingly, it lasts forever on my older, dryer skin!!

Until I had the dessert (Banana Sheera) I couldnt' really see the connection... But even though it has a reference to food, this is neither a typical modern gourmand nor one of those excessive fruity florals. Rather, it's a classic floriental, with a ripe fruity accord (I smell mostly cooked bananas, poached bosc pears and cardamom as the top notes), and with a shamelessly indolic heart of jasmine, champaca, narcissus and ylang ylang. The base is almost like a Guerlinade, with sandalwood and vanilla in almost as high a dose as Samsara, with a soft, musky powdery amber dryout. It's a refreshing thing to see a perfume that has a classical structure, yet with some new combination of notes. Tastefully done.

I don't like banana split in perfume
and the strawberry colour!!!!

Sira des Indes is completely different from what I expected it to be, and I enjoy it enough to be the proud owner of a large, beautiful bottle of it. I expected, from the notes, a rich gourmand like Serge Lutens Arabie, Keiko Mecheri Gourmandises, or even Angel, but Sira des Indes does not fall into this category for me. It's definitely pleasant smelling, and I'd surely like to taste something that smelled like it, but it's not oozing with spices, or sweetness, or vanillas, as is typical of scents known as being "gourmand." SdI reminds me of both Joy and EnJoy in its top-notes, and the base notes echo Joy, but I don't know why. SdI starts with a burst of citrusy-fruit that's very clean smelling, and it warms into a floral, ambery, woody scent. It's highly unusual, though. The notes don't sound as distinctive as the actual fragrance. It's exotic, very sexual, and it has a certain "dirtiness" I notice in Angelique Encens. SdI would be outstanding if it had better lasting power. Unfortunately, on me, the lasting power is lousy. I spray on enough to asphixiate a small village, and it still fades very quickly. An interesting aspect of its staying-power is that it smells more like it comes from my skin rather than something applied to my skin, but I wish it had sillage. I will enjoy this often, and I really look forward to seeing what it does on my skin in hot weather.