The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Années Folles takes its name from the French term for the Roaring Twenties, that electric decade of jazz, liberation, and sensory excess between the wars. The fragrance captures the spirit of that era through a lavender-dominant structure that moves from herbal warmth in the opening through a floral-herbal heart and arrives at a powdery-amber base that lingers close to the skin. Marc-Antoine Corticchiato answered the call with a composition that breathes herbal freshness, delicate florals, and warm powdery tones. The drydown settles softly against the skin, never overwhelming the space around you.
The structural choice here is unusual: French lavender absolute appears in the top, heart, and base notes, threading through the entire pyramid rather than making a brief appearance and departing. This gives Années Folles an unusual coherence. The opening is herbal and warm from French thyme and nutmeg. The heart introduces geranium and vetiver, adding an aromatic complexity that's slightly dusty, slightly green. The base settles into benzoin's warm resin, tonka bean's sweet powder, and patchouli's earth. The result is a fragrance that's simultaneously intimate and confident, close to the skin, but impossible to ignore when you're close enough to smell it.
The evolution
The opening is cool and camphoraceous, the lavender asserts itself immediately, softened by the green-herbal lift of thyme and warmed by nutmeg's spice. There's a slight medicinal clarity to the start, the kind that makes you lean in. Within minutes, the geranium arrives with a dusty, slightly rose-like quality that tempers the lavender's sweetness. The vetiver adds a root-earth undertone that deepens the composition without heaviness. This middle phase is where Années Folles earns its fougère classification, the herbal-floral structure is unmistakable, but it's more aromatic and less soapy than the genre's clichés. The drydown takes its time. Benzoin and tonka bean bring a warm, powdery sweetness that softens the lavender's edge without replacing it. Patchouli anchors everything with a dry, earthy finish. The sillage stays moderate, this is not a fragrance that fills the room.
Cultural impact
Since its 2015 debut, Années Folles has drawn appreciation from those who value lavender as a central element rather than a background note. The fragrance occupies an unusual niche, aromatic enough to satisfy fans of the genre, but powdery and warm enough to attract those who typically find classic fougères too soapy. It stands apart from the broader fougère landscape by balancing lavender's boldness with complementary warmth.
