First is the first fragrance by Van Cleef & Arpels, composed in 1976 by Jean-Claude Ellena, then 28 years old. The house counts it among the very first jeweler’s fragrances. Its aldehydes crown a generous bouquet of jasmine, rose, tuberose, carnation and iris, set on a base of oakmoss, amber and sandalwood.
For Samantha Scriven, at ÇaFleureBon, First is a major work of the twentieth century, the closest thing she has to a signature scent.
Olfastory’s review
Samantha Scriven, ÇaFleureBon, September 2020
On September 5, 2020, Samantha Scriven recounts a first try that left her cold: the fragrance seemed too powerful, too floral. Months later, on a snowy morning, a trail of jasmine, rose, powder and amber won her over.
She praises Jean-Claude Ellena’s skill at blending: a very crowded bouquet that is never overdone, archly sophisticated aldehydes and a warm amber that embraces like an old friend.
She has not smelled the 1976 version, prefers the eau de parfum and sees First as a modern classic, a major work of the twentieth century that belongs on every perfume lover’s shelf; it is, she says, the closest thing she has to a signature scent.