Description
French luxury fashion house ROCHAS opens a new episode in the story of its iconic scents with the addition of its newest fragrance, Les Cascades de ROCHAS Songe d’Iris, launching this Spring as second fragrance within Les Cascades collection.
After the successful launch in 2012 of Les Cascades de ROCHAS Eclat d’Agrumes – an energizing citrus explosion with blends of spices – ROCHAS introduces Les Cascades de ROCHAS Songe d’Iris– a fresh and serene, floral scent inspired by the tranquility and freshness of calm water.
“When Nicolas Manounas created Eau de ROCHAS in 1970 he had the idea of a fresh, mineral fragrance, taking energy from the water falling down the hills of a Greek source: the Apollo fountain in Delphes.“says Jean-Michel Duriez, perfumer and in-house nose at ROCHAS. “We took this idea to create the collection of Les Cascades. Water can be energizing, bubbling, sparkling, the inspiration of Eclat d’Agrumes; it can also be quiet and calm. Songe d’Iris explores this aspect of serene freshness.”
Ambassador Olivia Palermo – who continues her partnership with the Maison for Les Cascades de ROCHAS – embodies what Rochas stands for. Stylish, confident and Fashion-savvy, she is a woman with her own style and mindset. “Songe d’Iris is about capturing that special serene moment, whether hiding in a corner in Paris or just walking around. It’s almost as if life slows down for a moment and complete serenity envelopes you.” Says Olivia.
THE WOMAN
Les Cascades de ROCHAS Songe d’Iris was created for the young, urban woman with an individual, modern lifestyle. She is confident and brings to life the spirit of Parisian chic with a touch of audacity.
THE INSPIRATION
I created Songe d’Iris thinking about moments of serenity when women want to refresh their mind and body. Songe d’Iris is an invitation to calm the mood, as if you were suddenly walking in a Japanese garden in the middle of the city. Parisian fountains have this effect sometimes. I tried to capture this relaxing feeling in a fragrance.
THE SCENT
Jean-Michel Duriez explains “when I composed Songe d’Iris I wanted to create a serene feeling of freshness with iris and water lily. I wanted the fragrance to be like a small drop of water gently rolling on skin, all in softness and quietness. There is a delicious fig milk accord that balances the floral heart notes in a gourmand way. Water Lily is not a perfume material; in this fragrance it comes like a daydream, a subtle illusion, floating on water. I recreated it with an accord of white aqueous flowers.
Iris has been used in perfumery for a long time; its roots are cut and dried for many years before being processed so that their refined fragrance subtly blossoms.
We source the iris in south west of France where they grow in the middle of pine tree forests.
In Songe d’Iris I used the “resinoide” that has a delicious chocolate note. It blends so well with the fig milk accord and support the aqueous floral facets.
Songe d’Iris is like a daydream fragrance, it floats in a sea of tranquility in the middle of Paris …”
THE NOSE
The scent was created by ROCHAS perfumer, Jean-Michel Duriez, one of the few in-house noses in the world. While addressing to the modern woman and respecting the Maisons’ heritage, he now presents his fourth creation for the House of ROCHAS.
“As a perfumer, I constantly try to innovate, finding inspiration in my daily life, building on everything I see around me. My lab, where I have all of my ingredients, is a real treasure of smells, which enables me to create lots of scents, testing and trying many combinations. This requires a lot of patience, especially when it comes to creating a collection such as Les Cascades, which captures all aspect of freshness in life and bring them to life in a perfume. Freshness is an endless subject and this is why I love working on Les Cascades Collections” states Jean-Michel Duriez.
THE DESIGN
Mixing the modern and elegant lines of the bottle with the signature ROCHAS crystal-like sphere cap adds a touch of modernity.
The box evokes the inspiration of the fragrance with a message from in-house nose Jean-Michel Duriez. “This fragrance of white flowers and water irises gently touches the skin like a small drop, in all freshness and serenity”.
The shades of blue used for the design of the box and the juice evoke the serenity of water lilies floating in calm water and express the freshness of the ingredients found in the fragrance.
THE MAISON
ROCHAS opened in 1925 under the leadership of Marcel Rochas, a visionary who had an innovative approach to women’s fashion and drew inspiration from his Parisian lifestyle. He sublimated women’s femininity through both Fashion and Fragrance and created Femme in 1945 as a wedding gift to his wife Helene, who took over ROCHAS upon his passing.
Continuing its innovative presence, the house released the first Eau fragrance on the market in 1970, Eau de ROCHAS. Still an iconic scent, it has been joined more recently by Eau de ROCHAS Fraîche and Eau de Sensuelle.
A true French Maison, ROCHAS re-launched its ready-to-wear fashion range in 2009 under the guidance of Creative Director, Marco Zanini. Leading Fashion and Fragrance with the joint insights from Marco and Jean-Michel, Les Cascades Songe d’Iris de ROCHAS embodies the Maison’s modern approach. Les Cascades de Rochas Songe d’Iris was launched in 2013.
cnl444InsuffBooni – :
Review No. 2 – and so quickly after my first review, because it may help others decide.
I thought this was a lovely fresh, smooth and powdery fragrance, but dismayed that it had no longevity.
Apologies, but I have recently discovered it has no longevity on me. I am visiting my daughter in Singapore, she wore it yesterday morning, and I could still smell it on her skin at dinner last night.
The iris does still seem to be missing in action though.
kizRetrerejek – :
It`s a scent that will always remind me of Nice, where I bought a bottle – I was on holiday, and ever since it gives me a reminiscent of the area and of summe . I was using it from day one, and every friend and relative around me fell in love with it as I got home. It`s based on Eau de Rochas as for the bergamot and watery notes, but the flowers and the fig give this fragrance a brand new young persona. I think it really stands out, and works magic in warm weather (not necessarily summer hot) and I just love the packaging! All-time favorite!
zepter13 – :
Such a shame that this lovely fresh and flowery fragrance has no staying power. Even layered with the matching body lotion, it’s gone by lunchtime.
I guess that’s why it’s called cascade…to describe the swift descent of any vestige of fragrance from one’s being.
er1w – :
On my skin this turns male’ish. Maybe the citrusnote that goes wrong with my skin chemistry. A nice scent – and a daring man would try it and I think – like it if you are into Iris notes.
Zagadum – :
Ce parfum ( plus proche d’une eau de cologne d’ailleurs ) sent réellement bon, un parfum d’été, frais mais très léger, sans tenue. Au bout d’une heure on ne le sent plus sur la peau.
Le nom est un peu mensonger, bien qu’il sente très bon, il ne sent en aucun cas l’iris ( iris d’eau en fait ils appellent ça ) .. C ‘est un parfum citronné et fleuri ( fleurs blanches )
Ne vous attendez pas a un parfum poudrée, il n’a rien a voir avec les iris poudrés..
Sillage 2/10
Odeur 8/10 il sent vraiment très bon
Tenu 1/10 il s’évapore très vite et ne laisse sur la peau qu’une légère odeur de fleurs blanches.
Ce parfum aurait mérité plus de tenue et de caractère et surtout que l’on sentent vraiment de l’Iris !!
Greml-IN – :
I was lucky enough to get a box of this with the moisturiser for a tenner. It’s lovely, a hit of bergamot and then a beautiful flowery note that lasts and lasts. Funnily enough I have found that the moisturiser scent is more powerful and lasts longer. I only wish they’d make the perfume itself stronger. Lovely indeed.
oleg02 – :
Les Cascades de Rochas Songe d’Iris for me is like dry white wine during hot summer day. Not that it is smells like wine but it provides same feeling . This what comes to my mind at first while trying this fragrance. I hope you understand me right 🙂
I got EdT and it reminds me of Eau des Merveilles Hermes so very much! They do not share same ingredients, but somehow these two fragrances are similar ( for my nose).
Lasting power is 2 hours. It was 2 hours a go i have tried it and sure, the day is not over yet, but i can feel that it is very weak now.
Very lovely fragrance. Remarkable? No, but this kind of fragrance is one of those when one day you just need to wear this exact one!
fsdlg – :
I absolutely love Songe d’Iris! I didn’t expect to – I first received it as a sample of one of those endless new summer releases, and was about to put it away untried. But out of curiosity I did try it… and wow! An uplifting burst of citrus that slowly evolves into a soft, powdery, very womanly fragrance. It reminded me a little of Jean Patou Enjoy, but lighter and fresher, and it turns out it was made by the same nose, Jean-Michel Duriez.
I finished the sample in two days and stood, hands almost shaking, outside the store waiting for it to open to get my first full bottle. I am now well into my third, and this is perhaps my only complaint: it doesn’t last that well. You need to put on quite a lot to get any sillage and you need to refresh several times a day. It’s more of a cologne than of an EdT. Duriez wanted “the fragrance to be like a small drop of water gently rolling on skin, all in softness and quietness.” And he succeeded – on a warm summer’s day it is heaven!
carpinteyropmj – :
Despite its name, iris in Songe d’Iris seems more like a supporting role. Right from the beginning, it’s the bergamot ruling the whole composition until the end.
At first, the bergamot is dry, herbal, aromatic, even peppery, never really the juicy pulp, but more like citrus peel. It then gets softened when water lily surfaces. Fortunately, the water lily only contributes its floral sweetness. Its aquatic texture is instead replaced by a gauzy powderiness provided by iris. The overall effect actually has a sort of clean vibe reminescent of powdery laundry product feeling, but in the best way possible!
The sillage is moderate and the longevity is close to 9 hours. I don’t particularly recommend it as an iris-themed fragrance, but as an fresh aromatic fragrance for warmer seasons, I think it’s very lovely and easy to wear.
fby417speagoessenda – :
This is the epitome of a lovely daytime fragrance for spring. It’s fresh, aquatic in a not overly chemical way. The bergamot hit at the beginning tempers down to the powdery base. A fragrance that is both simple and sophisticated at the same time. I find it lingers on for hours. Bottle is nice, with a silver interior to the cap.
viking1985 – :
Lovely scent of fresh cut flowers after rain. Feels iris and water lily, I’m not a fan of iris, but it is a beautiful spring scent that truly relaxes the senses. More green, ozonic to me and I like it. Has a subtle powdery note that gives fullness. Quite sophisticated, yet so simple and pleasant freshness on the skin, almost like a dew.
ArmenBalu – :
Oh waow!! I do not get powdery or woodsy. Cascade Iris is very much like the original Eau de Rochas,the top notes are bright, luminous. citrusy, I expected a creamy, smooth scent, this is almost fizzy in the top notes. So far I do not detect much iris at all, mostly citrus, the scent is described as a gentle drop of water, well, more an energetic splash in my opinion!! then the scent quiets down, it becomes more like a skin scent, the fizziness gets more subtle, still very much like Eau de Rochas to me
Still no iris.
I am quite surprised by it, but overall I do like it, this is a faithful interpretation of the Rochas signature. Bright, like a waterfall, hence the name Cascade.
Very fresh. But where is the iris!?