A Fragrance for You, and Only You

By Nia Elizabeth Shepherd

FOR PARISIENNES looking for bijoux that are even more precious and personal than a Trinity ring or a solitaire diamond, Cartier has the answer. To celebrate its new six-story flagship on Rue de la Paix, the French jeweler has introduced a customized fragrance called Bespoke.

Cartier's resident "nose," Mathilde Laurent, left, will meet with clients at least four times in the store's Salon des Parfums. Over the course of two or three hours, Laurent will grill clients about why they like to wear perfume, what their favorite childhood fragrances were and which ingredients they use when cooking. In subsequent appointments, clients are given three prototypes from which to choose, and then Laurent adds the final touches to the fragrance. The process can take anywhere from six months to three years, depending on the client, and costs $72,600. The finished product arrives in a Baccarat crystal bottle, above left, stamped with Cartier's 13 Rue de la Paix insignia.

Ironically, Laurent, who has worked as a perfumer for 11 years, does not wear any fragrance. "I want to stay clean," she says. "If you want to work well with fragrances, you have to have a fresh nose."