The power of scents is in its evocative nature. A whiff could transport one back in time to a specific memory. Or at the very least, conjure up personal thoughts and images relating to a scent. Hedi Slimane has grown to be a master of this, expanding his repertoire of capturing the zeitgeist through fashion, with Celine’s first haute parfumerie collection that was launched in 2019.
The creative, artistic and image director of Celine continues the established dialogue between the house’s fashion and perfumes with a new creation — Slimane’s eleventh — that once again takes root from a personal memory.
Bois Dormant recalls the time that Slimane, at the age of 19, was searching for secondhand suits along London’s famed Savile Row. It was one of the moments that helped put him on his own journey of self-discovery and cemented his passion for timeless elegance. But more than that, the intention is that Bois Dormant evokes a feeling of one’s coming-of-age — of self-awareness and the beginnings of an identity.
Crafted around a woody body, Bois Dormant is delicate and powdery with a warm lightness that brings to mind the hug of a double-breasted blazer, thanks to notes of cedar and vetiver. Add to that layers of velvety smooth bergamot and juniper for an audio-inspired accent inspired by the subtle sounds of a first-press vinyl record.
It’s fitting then that Bois Dormant is the daytime accompaniment to the evening Black Tie perfume, a scent that’s also inspired by tailoring but slightly headier in formulation. If the latter is an expectedly more formal scent, Bois Dormant serves as the introduction to the kind of discreet luxury that a couture house embodies.
And if memory serves us right, Celine’s right up that alley.
The Bois Dormant eau de parfum is now available in Celine boutiques and online at celine.com.
