The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
In 2007, Nina Ricci released a collector's bottle, a prestige edition of the original Nina, launched just a year prior. Jacques Cavallier Belletrud and Olivier Polge, the same hands behind the 2006 composition, returned to refine what had already worked. The brief wasn't invention. It was elevation. A finer flacon, a tighter composition, a moment for collectors and devotees who wanted something more permanent than a seasonal flank.
What makes this edition worth knowing is the praline-to-apple pairing at its center. Green apple gives it a crispness that keeps the sweetness honest, not synthetic, not heavy. The praline sits beneath it like a base note from the start, never quite revealing itself but always present. Peony and datura add that slightly intoxicating floral depth that separates a prestige edition from a standard one. It's the difference between a composer and an arranger, same notes, different intention.
The evolution
The opening is all lemon and lime, sharp, bright, the kind of citrus that reads like morning light on bare skin. Within twenty minutes, the green apple arrives and the praline follows close behind, softening the edges into something rounder and more intimate. The peony doesn't announce itself, it builds quietly beneath the fruit, adding a white floral warmth that shifts the whole composition from fresh to feminine. By the third hour, the apple blossom and white cedar take over, settling into a skin-close drydown that musk anchors for another two to three hours. On fabric, it lasts longer. On skin, it becomes intimate faster.
Cultural impact
Nina Prestige Edition sits within a house known for romantic, feminine fragrances, L'Air du Temps being the cornerstone since 1948. This 2007 collector's edition appealed to a specific type of wearer: someone who wanted heritage and refinement in a finer flacon. It didn't try to compete with the louder florals of the era. It simply held its ground and waited for the right person to find it.
