The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Kedra Hart composed Les Bohemes: Speakeasy for Opus Oils. The fragrance is built around a floral heart shaped by citrus and green pepper, with wisteria, rose, jasmine, lily, and orchid forming the central arrangement. Sandalwood gives the composition its smooth, weighty base, while the floral notes add color, softness, and a degree of tension. It is a fragrance for exploring the contrast between bright fruit-and-leaf notes and a fuller floral center, with each layer revealing another side of the scent as it settles.
The unusual part isn't the floral. It's how Speakeasy keeps that florals sharp enough to hold attention. Green mandarin and citrus contribute brightness, while green bell pepper introduces an aromatic edge around rose and orchid. Jasmine sambac adds white-flower warmth, lily brings softness, and sandalwood creates a low, smooth foundation. Wisteria broadens the floral character, while the green mandarin note reinforces the fruit-and-leaf tension. Together, these notes create a composition that balances freshness, floral density, peppery definition, and a soft woody base.
The evolution
It begins with citrus, mandarin orange, and green mandarin, followed by green bell pepper, which gives the opening a brisk, savory edge. As the opening settles, jasmine sambac, lily, rose, orchid, and wisteria come forward. Orchid supplies depth, rose brings color, and jasmine adds creamy warmth. Green pepper remains a useful interruption, preventing the white florals from melting into one soft mass. Later, sandalwood becomes the anchor, turning the floral heart into something smoother and more tactile. The composition continues with a warm floral character, while pepper provides definition and contrast through its wear.
Cultural impact
Speakeasy can be read as a fragrance shaped by the idea of a hidden bar: an atmosphere associated with secrecy, intimacy, and a certain theatrical elegance. The composition connects that mood with the materials of a floral perfume. Citrus and green mandarin introduce brightness, green bell pepper adds a savory aromatic note, and wisteria, rose, jasmine, lily, and orchid create a richly layered floral center. Sandalwood gives the whole arrangement a smooth base. It is a fragrance for exploring the tension between freshness, floral fullness, spice, and softness, without relying on imitation or spectacle alone.
The House
Opus OilsOpus Oils is a perfume atelier and custom fragrance studio operating from Hollywood, California. Founded by industry veteran Kedra Hart, the studio specializes in bespoke scent creation alongside a collection of original fragrances. The Jitterbug Perfume Parlour, located at 1703 North Kenmore Avenue, functions as the brand's appointment-only workshop where clients engage in hands-on fragrance design sessions. Hart's background includes development work at The Apothecary counter within Barneys New York in Beverly Hills, experience that shaped her approach to scent curation and formulation. The studio's portfolio spans multiple fragrance families, from dark gourmand compositions like Afraid of the Dark: Ode de Vampyre to tropical interpretations such as Island Girl: Tropique, which features Madagascar-sourced materials. Opus Oils positions itself within the custom fragrance segment, offering clients the opportunity to participate in constructing their own signatures through the studio's proprietary pre-blended base palette.
The Creator
Kedra HartHart bridges classical perfumery foundations with a distinctly Southern California sensibility. She favors high-quality naturals, drawn to the complexity and unpredictability they bring to a composition.
