Pivoine Suzhou Armani Prive

by: Serguey Borisov

The Armani Prive collection, established as an exclusive line of fragrances (in contrast to the more popular Giorgio Armani and Emporio Armani fragrances), was replenished by a new fragrance. Pivoine Suzho Armani Prive is dedicated to Paeonia suffruticosa, and the Chinese city of Suzhou—the ancient capital of Chinese silk, “Eastern Venice,” famous for its ancient gardens.

Previously, fashion designers and trendsetters created perfumes to express the Haute Couture spirit: Chanel №5, Miss Dior, L'Interdit, Succes Fou, and Cabochard were created for that reason...

Today, the spirit of Haute Couture can be found only in exclusive fragrance collections such as Armani Prive. Each Armani Prive fragrance is like a perfectly tailored couture gown. Armani Prive is a line composed of four different collections, each with its own style and inspiration.

So, Les Editions Couture is produced in very limited editions. These fragrances are associated with annual Armani Pret-a-Porter Spring/Summer collections (Le Femme Bleue, Le Femme Nacre, Nuances, Ombre & Lumiere). La Collection features legendary perfume ingredients (for example, Cuir Amethyste or Encens Satin). Armani Prive was started with the line.

Les Mille et Une Nuits collection gives us the luxury and splendor of oriental flavors (eg, Oud Royal and Myrrhe Imperiale). Light and refreshing Les Eaux fragrances are hymns to Mother Nature, named after mythical gardens. New peony fragrance Pivoine Suzhou is just the latest in Les Eaux collection where Vetiver Babylone, Rose Alexandrie, Figuier Eden, Cedre Olympe and Orange Alhambra were released previously.

Gardens in the lower Yangtze River have existed for the last 26 centuries. The classical Suzhou gardens are ancient masterpieces of landscaping, such as “The Humble Administrator`s Garden,” “The Master of the Nets Garden,” “The Lion Grove Garden” and “The Lingering Garden,” which are World Heritage Sites under UNESCO protection since 2000.

The Humble Administrator's Garden

Lion Grove Garden

Lingering Garden

The historical connection between Italy and China provides Marco Polo, who called Zhouzhuang, a suburb of Suzhou, the Venice of the East—and Giorgio Armani himself, using Chinese silk embroidery and local masters in his Couture, providing a modern connection.

Peony flower (mudan) is one of the most popular symbols of China. Lotus, chrysanthemum, winter plum, osmanthus, azalea, tea or orchid could possibly argue with peony for a symbolic birthright, but from 1903, when the peony flower became a national symbol, and till now Chinese people recognize the primacy of the peony tree in many ways.

Peony tree, Paeonia suffruticosa, (unlike the narrow-leaved peony, peony and thirty other species) is considered in China to be “the most beautiful woman in the country with a heavenly aroma.” Peony flowers are associated with the name of one of the four Great Beauties of China, whose beauty made fish sink, entices birds to fall, eclipses the moon and shames flowers:

"According to legend, Yang Guifei was admiring the peony flowers and grieved about his fate in the garden. As soon as she touched the flowers, flowers rolled up, and their stems inclined downwards. One of the maids saw that and told to one of the emperor's wives that Yang Guifei is so beautiful that flowers decline in embarrassment."

Peony tree has been cultivated in China for two thousand years, and most of the peony tree varieties are from China. There are some peony trees, known for their blooms from the Ming Dynasty (14th-16th centuries) and Sun Dynasty (10th-13th centuries). As the Chinese people say, “Peony is a witness of happiness.” Peony flowers are the bridal gift for marriage proposal, and peony is a staple at weddings, for happiness, peace, prosperity and health. Peony is the most important flower in feng shui. It is believed that a blooming peony attracts wealth, so it is good to plant it next to the house. The greatest strength belongs to peonies with white flowers.

Hosoda Eishi titled "The Chinese beauty Yang Guifei" /
and the modern statue of Hua-Qing-Chi-Yang-Gui-Fei, photo by Alex Kwok

Peony, the emperor of flowers is a symbol of aristocracy and high position. In ancient times, officials and nobility wore ceremonial dress and went to the park to enjoy flowering peonies' beauty, with a special ceremony. Only a very handsome, slender monk with a pale face had the right to water peonies in the imperial gardens. A beautiful girl in special clothes looked after the flowers, washing their leaves. Today, you can find whole gardens planted with peonies alone, with a wide selection of species and varieties in China.

Pivoine Suzhou Armani Prive fragrance's creation was entrusted to Mane perfumers,Cecile Matton and Julie Masse:

"Our goal was to recreate the scent of peony, one of the most venerated flowers in Asia. The flower is a symbol of femininity and beauty. We wanted to create an Asian peony in Giorgio Armani style—austere laconic fragrance that reflects a magnificent tenderness of this multilayered flower.
 Peony has fresh green, slightly fruity aroma with rose notes. But the flower is so delicate that it can not give any essential oil or absolute for perfumers. So we have to recreate its aroma using chords of other flowers. As a result, we have decided to transfer the texture of the flower bud: the variety of the finest petals that form a dense, but weightless structure. Peony in this fragrance is similar to multi-layer chiffon: clear, radiant, sensual."

Cecile Matton:
"My mother has a small garden where she grows many different flowers, including peony. It’s such a luxury—to have their piece of nature near Paris. I do not know how she did it, but its peonies are incredibly large and have a fairly strong, but delicate aroma. This is one of my favorite garden flowers. It seems so fragile, but at the same time large and resilient."

Julie Masse:
"I grew up in Japan, so I had my special vision of the flower perfume. I wanted to convey the incredible feel of the petals to the skin. Peony is a flower of paradox: it is incredibly delicate, but at the same time strong and solid."

Cecile Matton:
"Then we played with contrasting notes to give the style of Armani to the fragrance. It has a contrast between the woody and floral notes, it makes the perfume more structured. We used Orcanox ™, which combines woody strength and musky tenderness. The material has a sensual musk character and helps achieve the effect of multi-layered petals. Finally, we added to the composition a raspberry note obtained by using Jungle Essence™ technology—an innovative Mane technology to extract flavors from fruits, berries and all raw materials. It allows you to get a juicy fruit chord, a little powdery, which is perfectly recreates the subtle fruity notes of peony and make it modern."

A fresh, transparent, and slightly tangy start, with clear fruity sweet notes of raspberry and Peruvian pink pepper berries, smells a little like prosecco and rose-smelling Sylvaner. The sweetness of sparkling wine and fruity berry notes is enriched by mandarin. By the way, mandarin is the only fragrant note, which is responsible inPivoine Suzhou Armani Prive for the Italy-China link: mandarin came from southern China, and the best citrus oils for modern perfumery are produced in the Apennines.

I understand that the word “raspberry” could be the “red” safeword for hundreds of readers. The raspberry note, so popular in recent times, seems too safe and ordinary, childish and not-so-special, as before, at the time the popularity of L'Artisan Parfumeur Mure et Musc. Meanwhile, the aroma of raspberries is only slightly inferior to the complexity of jasmine (230 against 250 components) and a variety of raspberry perfume materials are used to create resistant and powdery-sweet rose and peony compositions, masculine colognes and feminine fruitchoulies, adding nuances in leather and gourmand perfumes, and even complementing oud and apple notes. Personally, I do not think raspberry is terrible in any way—in Pivoine Suzhou Armani Prive, it smells naïve, but pleasant and appropriate. Nice, easy-going and pink.

Pivoine Suzhou is decorated by a line of Chinese hieroglyphs outside the box. Liu Yuxi's poem, “Admiring the peony,” written in the 9th century, was chosen for the perfume:

“The herbaceous peony in front of the courtyard is enchanting but lacks harmony,
The lotus flower in the pond is immaculate but lacks emotions,
Only the true peony possesses that infinite beauty
When it blooms it moves the entire city.”

Armani Prive Pivoine Suzhou

Head notes: Green tangerine, Pink pepper, Raspberry;
Heart notes: Peony, Rose oil and absolute;
Base notes: Orcanox, Musks, Patchouli.