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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Fracas

By Beth

I don’t know what I could say , feel or write about the Robert Piguets legendary Fraca’s that hasn’t already been experienced before.

Ah…I’ve thought of something. When I wear it, all that I want to be is completely naked , eating breakfast and chocolate in bed or perhaps topless in Provence , sipping a lemon presse and getting tanned in all of the right places. When it comes to Fracas I’m pretty sure these aren’t original thoughts and I know that none of them will come as any sort of surprise to those who know me well, especially the lusty man that I was smart enough to marry. I cherish food, perfume and passion equally with a fervor that some reserve solely for diamonds and pearls. Not this girl….gift me with truffles or tuberose on any given day and I will be properly enslaved !

Fraca’s IS the undisputed grande dame of the sexy white florals , completely sensual, captivatingly sexual and literally dripping with the sweet fleshy smell of the morning after a marvelous night with the naughtiest man / men ? Fracas is also the carnal and sardonic smell of the deep south, a little bit bordello richly spiced with a lot of exquisitely witchy savory voodoo. The intention of Fracas is obvious and that intention is trouble with a very swirly capital T. You cannot ignore her haunting call although you might hate yourself in the morning for heeding it (but only temporarily, I promise!)

When I was a child, my brother went to Tulane in New Orleans for medical school. I have never forgotten the flowers, jasmine vines and dripping wet gardenias in the courtyard outside of Brennans Restaurant, where their pungent aroma mixed with the chicory and cinnamon coffee was about as heady a scent as a precocious child like me could have asked for. I remember eating Banana’s Foster dripping with hot caramel and the flowering Jasmine climbing the wrought iron fences. I remember the candlelight and my mother’s flirtatious laughter. The sticky Tuberose that grew everywhere was as stunning as a full moon and totally narcotic and then there were the women, gorgeous hot house buds with slickly coral lips , caramel skin and curvaceous bodies that were a promise of something that took me years to understand.

Southern women just astonish me with their ability to entice and enchant. I’ve never met a man who didn’t just love them even if they love them in secret , but I’ve met lots of women who absolutely hated them although I’ve never understood why. Not me…..I’ve always wanted to be one because they literally smell of orange blossoms and chocolate. Their powers of seduction are legendary and who wouldn’t want some of that? I’m pretty sure that most of them own a bottle or ten of Fracas!

This is the sexiest fragrance that I wear and it makes me happy, happy, happy on a sunny day with my hair brushed out and a wispy pair of sandals. Nothing can perk me up faster on a terrible, moody day than a spritz or two , a black turtleneck and a velvety nude lipstick. When I spray it on I get an initial rush of orange blossom but that doesn’t linger at all although I wish that it did, orange blossom is a wonderful childhood memory for me. With me and Fracas it’s all about the Tuberose and Jasmine which stay with me until the very end of the day when it dries down to a soft layer of moss…to my vivid imagination that would be Spanish Moss dripping from gnarled old trees that my husband would spread a blanket under. At this point I can hear all of you thinking...”There she goes again........”

OsMoz describes Fracas as an “Intense, Glamorous, Haute Couture Tuberose”. My husband describes Fracas as “Bombshell in a Bottle” and always makes sure that I am never without it. He’s a smart man!

Fracas can be found online in many different places but I really enjoy buying it at a store in La Jolla, California that I’ve discovered called Alexander, Perfume and Cosmetics. They sweetly let me me sniff and spray to my hearts content and they specialize in hard to find fragrances! They can be found online at beautyandscents.com

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18 Comments:

Blogger Flora said...

Wow Beth, is it hot in here or is it just you! Gorgeous Southern imagery and everything you say is true. I once heard of someone who complained that gardenias grew like "weeds" in the South - I wish I had weeds like that! And tuberose - is there anything better on a summer evening?

I promised myself I would wear Fracas more often this past summer, and I did just that - and I sprayed it on my sheets for good measure. Recently I bought a very sexy top (for me anyway) in a hot shade of cerise and an interesting back cutout. Being me, all I could think of was which perfume I should wear with it. D'oh - Fracas of course!

2:16 AM EST  
Blogger Beth Schreibman Gehring said...

Hey there Flora,
Thank you....I was definitely feeling hot when I wrote this and I was wearing Fracas....which tends to bring out the well....more reckless side of my nature:) I'm truly glad that you enjoyed it!
i had a dear dear friend who died about 2 months ago who was a florist, but grew al of his own flowers. His farm was a magic place for me and his Gardenia bushes were Ginormous......and that was in Northeast Ohio. He alas took his secret with him:(
Fracas is definitely one of my "naked except for " fragrances and I'll bet it smells wonderful on you!

2:50 AM EST  
Blogger chayaruchama said...

You girls are KILLING me...
And I love it !

Beth loves to give us all attacks of the vapors ...!

Love to you BOTH.

10:15 AM EST  
Blogger elle said...

What a wonderful review!! It reminds me why I have Fracas in both edp and parfum form sitting in my closet and patiently waiting for the day to come when I will be able to wear and appreciate them as they so obviously deserve to be. Until that day comes, I happily wear trainer tuberose scents. :-) Today I'm basking in the cheerful butteriness of L'Artisan's Tuberose, but when I get home I think I will break out the Fracas and see if *maybe* the time is finally here when I can wear it w/out it completely wearing me.

11:46 AM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

love the review, and of course I love the scent.

Southern women are something aren't they? I hope that modern life hasn't strangled the life out of that. I was watching a clip on YouTube of Dinah Shore doing her talk show in the 70's and she had it in spades: the way she looked at her guest as if there weren't a more handsome, fascinating person in the whole world..

I will have to check out that store next time I'm in La Jolla!

12:50 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Beth -

Beautiful writing and wonderful imagery, but don't forget that us guys like to wear Fracas too. On me the white floral notes subside after about an hour and my skin is left projecting subtle gusts of what you deliciously describe as the "sweet fleshy smell of the morning after a marvelous night".

I agree totally with your assessment regarding Southern Women - my relatives are from Charleston, SC....I have always loved the charming civility of the South, particularly the "women folk" (as my great uncle would call them...).

Again, nice writing-

Marko

1:15 PM EST  
Blogger Melissa said...

Hey from Mobile, AL! Love your post. I'm a little new at FRACAS. My mother actually got me started. I always thought is was a bit cloying, but on Mom it's Heaven. We both had dentist appointments at the same time today & as I sat with her in the waiting room, that wonderful scent kept trailing to my nose. She tells me it always gets her compliments. As for Southern women, my brother who is now in Cleveland is hopelessly missing them. Poor boy!

3:18 PM EST  
Blogger Beth Schreibman Gehring said...

Chaya,

The vapors are my specialty:) and I love you too!
I'm so glad that you enjoyed it!

9:46 PM EST  
Blogger Beth Schreibman Gehring said...

Elle,
Thank you so much! I am so glad that you really enjoyed the review! I don't think that you should be patient..Fracas is ALL about impulse and getting carried away in the moment.....Break it out and enjoy it, dress in black and add a wonderful lipstick and nothing else and I promise you that you'll feel it:)

9:51 PM EST  
Blogger Beth Schreibman Gehring said...

Hey Tom,
I'm so glad that you loved the review! My last experience with Southern women is that they've still got it....I love them..simply love them and I agree with you about Dinah Shore..The Bill Clinton of the Belle world, no wonder he got into so damn much trouble:)

9:54 PM EST  
Blogger Beth Schreibman Gehring said...

Marko,
:))))))))))))))!
Thats about all I can say! I'm glad that you really enjoyed the review and I won't forget..I've never smelled Fracas on a man but I bet it's marvelous. I am going to try a bit on my husband and see what it's like! Thank's for the inspiration:) That might be fodder for another review!

9:57 PM EST  
Blogger Beth Schreibman Gehring said...

Hey Melissa,
Thanks for the really great words! I'm glad that you enjoyed the review! How lucky for you to have a mother with such great taste:) And as for your brother.. My homebase is Cleveland so I can really appreciate what he's going through....Sadly, the women here are pretty bland:) I just don't get it!

10:01 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The first time I tried Fracas it was lust - I remember opening my eyes very wide and thinking 'I must have this...' It really does smell of sex, which, given that flowers are basically genitals on stalks, is hardly surprising really :)
Beth, I really enjoyed your review. Unfortunately I don't find myself with opportunities to wear my adored Fracas very often (cold climate, cold citizenry) but I guess I should just spray it on for my own pleasure a little more often!!

6:47 AM EST  
Blogger indieperfumes said...

Beautiful imagery! I have not been that much of a fan, esp. of tuberose in anything, but now you have convinced me to revisit the intense white flowers like tuberose and gardenia -- tho I am pretty sure I might wear them only to sleep in -- in NYC which is not all that conducive
to the spirit of white flowers.

9:16 AM EST  
Blogger Beth Schreibman Gehring said...

Hello Mimi,
Thank you so much for your warm words...I'm so glad that you enjoyed my reveiw of our shared pleasure! Your thoughts about flowers made me laugh out loud.....I am a passionate lover of Georgia O'keefe and adore her paintings....floral genitalia displayed with total abandon:)
I suggest that in a cold climate, a warm bath with candles , a snifter of Amaretto or some other sweetness and a cuddly duvet would give you a perfect excuse!
Enjoy and Thanks again!

11:19 AM EST  
Blogger Beth Schreibman Gehring said...

Lucy,
Thank you so much for your words! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the review! I think that you should indeed revisit the white florals....and I love Fracas so much that I think that even in New York you could create quite a stir with it. Fracas for all of it's elegance has an incredibly bohemian soul! You could though also save it to create a cocoon in.....a Fracas cocoon, now there's a blissful thought:)

11:29 AM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

B.,

Given the weather, I know what fragarance you're wearing with that black turtleneck. Every woman in this climate needs a bottle of Fracas with her UV therapy.

I scrolled down and immediately recognized the photo of Brennan's courtyard before reading further...made me cry being one of my old "haunts".

Welcome Home Again,

B2

11:30 AM EST  
Blogger Beth Schreibman Gehring said...

B2,

I left my bottle in Southern California :( However, I am going out today to find some more....I am in complete agreement though...Fracas and light therapy plus a good vitamin D supplement would go along way towards banishing the winter blues!
Yes...I love Brennans..we should make it a girl trip:)

See you very soon:)

11:44 AM EST  

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