La Nuit by Rabanne

Oh my God, just reading the notes made me fall in love. I feel it’s pure sin in that bottle, locked away like a demon begging to get out and possess whoever wears it. I haven’t had the luck to smell it, but I’m sure I’d want to own it. Paco Rabanne perfumes nowadays leave a lot to be desired. I really hope I can get my hands on it.

Ma chérie Sophie. A mysterious French lady sent me a vintage remainder of LA NUIT EAU DE PARFUM by PACO RABANNE. Not content with that, she also sent me remnants of Eau de Calandre, Must de Cartier, Signoricci by Nina Ricci, Gloria by Cacharel, and Opium by Yves Saint Laurent. I can’t reveal her identity; she demanded absolute anonymity. I hope this isn’t the only time I get access to her vintage treasures, in perfect condition and found by a love professed for Madrid and my name. Whims of fate. Letter from a stranger. The woman in the painting. L’Année dernière à Marienbad. LA NUIT by PACO RABANNE is a return to the universe of forgotten scents. A return to CHANEL No. 5, JOYA, YOUTH DEW, CINNABAR, OPIUM, to the group of THE POTENTS. Its opening leaves me breathless; it’s a slap of power. It’s a chypre, floral, aldehydic, animal, spicy. The opening is so intense I perceive that animal pandemonium: algalia, leather, oakmoss, and patchouli. It never results in aggression; it’s a fleshy, lustful animalism, yet haughty. It’s not a sordid eroticism, but one of red silk and black leather. Classic soapy effluvia appear within that deep aura. The flowers and citrus aren’t diaphanous but encrusted in a wild ensemble. We know there are flowers and citrus, but they are of a thick, mysterious nature like LA NUIT that has devoured the world. Like my dear Sophie who has revealed mysteries to me. Bonne Nuit, ma chérie Sophie. À bientôt.

My friend’s mother had a bottle of La Nuit and, with cunning, would spray a little on me in the bathroom. At ten years old, I preferred adult perfumes over colognes. It was ultra-sexual, furious, and arrogant, yet classy. The yellow liquid promised nothing good and delivered. It’s a dry fragrance like crystal, scandalous and animal, ultra-sexual. I imagine a naked woman in furs or a man by the fire, Conan the Barbarian style. The pure, unadorned Art Deco bottle contrasted beautifully with the interior. As it settled, the potent opening gave way to a wonderful aroma with civet, jasmine, woods, leather, and sweet honey. It’s one of the best I’ve tried, just like the Gentleman by Givenchy, which I’ve worn since I was eighteen without getting tired of it. Everything I love about La Nuit is in Gentleman: the insolent opening and that animal, wild, calm, warm, and balsamic dry-down. They smell of skin, pure animal essence, fresh sweat, and life. I adore them.

I used this perfume in my first year of college and I’ll never forget it, a very peculiar and beautiful scent. It’s a shame that perfumes like this are no longer in circulation; a real pity.