Like a regal presence, whose majestic profile is reflected in a green-cobalt mirror, on the Swiss shore of Lake Geneva, in Lausanne, the Beau-Rivage Palace hotel stands.

Opened in 1861 and considered as the quietest hotel in Europe, its ancient and romantic charme inspired the troubled love affair of great novel Belle du Seigneur by Albert Cohen (of  1968). Today, the prestigious Maison of selective perfumery La Parfumerie Moderne pays tribute to the luxurious hotel with Belles Rives, a fragrance created by the Perfumer Marc Antoine Corticchiato in collaboration with Philippe Neirinck, founder and artistic director of the brand.

Based on the theme of silence, through accords evoking cosy atmospheres surrounded by an aura of refinement and splendor, fragrance’s construction interlaces with the verses of Edmond Rostand (a playwright and French poet, known best for his play Cyrano de Bergerac) that have become and integral part of the inspiration:

“Toi qui viens partager notre lumière blonde
Et t’asseoir au festin des horizons changeants
N’entre qu’avec ton cœur, n’apporte rien du monde
Et ne raconte pas ce que disent les gens.”

From the iridescent light of sunrises and sunsets that tinges the body of water, reverberating on the white facade of the building, to the invitation to bring nothing more than the heart beyond the threshold, leaving the rest of the world outside and exhorting guests to discretion, each element fits perfectly in the olfactory evolution of Belles Rives.

The gold of calabrian bergamot blends with the warmth of myrrh, irradiated by the metallic glow of a tear of Somalian Incense that opens the door to the heart of the fragrance. In a whisper, the soft and powdery texture of iris butter becomes the protagonist and the narrator of a magnificence of which it captures every nuance: jasmin Sambac in the glittering of crystal chandeliers being reflected on the glossy marble and in the tinkling of silverware and fine porcelain, Chinese osmanthus in the warm golden light that filters through the large windows perfusing the lavish halls.
With grace, almost on a tiptoe, Belles Rives leads us through the carved boiseries, the soft velvet sofas, the silk brocade curtains, beyond the massive doors lined up along the wide corridors. As to convey the reassuring atmosphere and the austere beauty of the palace, a solid note of Texas Cedarwood marries Haitian Vetiver, reinforcing the rooted sense of quietude and serenity. The refined and discrete sensuality of cosmone musk enfolds the composition, conspiring with each element so that to make them breathe in unison, mild as a caress and delicate as a sigh. Only the murmur of waves or the voice of the wind between the branches seem to take us back to the outside world, while in this distant place, lost in a fairy dimension, time expands to infinity.. through tiny drops of perfume.

Belles Rives, presented at Pitti Fragranze 15th edition, will be available from October in selected perfumeries. For further details on the entire collection, you can read the story of La Parfumerie Moderne to this  LINK or visit the official web site of the Perfume House.