Our take
What does Rose Velours smell like?
Van Cleef & Arpels added Rose Velours to its Collection Extraordinaire in June 2013. Antoine Maisondieu, who had already composed Muguet Blanc for the same line, created it. The opening is just two notes. Italian bergamot keeps things crisp and violet leaf adds a green, slightly damp edge. Then the rose arrives, thick and round. Honey makes it a little sticky, like a petal warmed in the sun. Iris stays in the background and brings the powdery touch that earns the name. Think of velvet fabric rather than a freshly cut flower. The base is light for a rose of this kind. Ambroxan gives a mineral lift, benzoin a resinous warmth and cedar a dry line underneath. Next to Frédéric Malle's Portrait of a Lady, Rose Velours feels much tamer. There's no wall of patchouli and no incense, only a rose that stays close to the skin.
When to wear it
An evening rose for autumn and winter that also works on a cool spring day. Go for three sprays on the neck and wrists, since it stays fairly quiet.
It belongs to the Floral family. Rose Velours is one of 20 creations by Van Cleef & Arpels in our encyclopedia.