Heaven Can Wait
a New Fragrance by
Jean-Claude Ellena
for Editions de Parfums
FREDERIC MALLE
On a hot summer July evening in Paris, I arrived at the private launch soiree for the new Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle: Heaven Can Wait.
The soiree was hosted in a very large, beautifully restored seventeenth-century quintessential Paris apartment. The floor-to-ceiling French door windows opened to a perfect postcard view of Place des Voges.
The impeccable architectural touches created the sense of a luxury boutique within a period apartment. I was taken by the stunning lacquer cubical kitchen and rooms incorporating exquisite, modern Japanese lacquer-inspired architectural touches.
The relaxed, inviting ambiance was elevated with copious amounts of excellent French champagne and a table of endless luxurious small bites, all while the air was lightly scented with the new fragrance Heaven Can Wait via the Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle diffusers.
Before I had the opportunity to chat with Jean-Claude Ellena and Frederic Malle, I took my time experiencing the new fragrance on my skin, the layers unfolded while I explored the small immersive rooms.
My favorite room was an enveloping visual and olfactory experience in which the walls were engulfed with the moving image campaign. The air was strategically filled with a slightly more intense diffusion of the new Fragrance adding to the full immersive experience. The moving images were a perfect depiction of what I felt when smelling the layers of the new fragrance on my skin.
The second room was a lively, crowded, artistic, interpretation of Jean-Claude Ellena’s lab of fragrance notes, vials, and notebooks. The soiree quickly diverted the lively vibes to focus on singer-songwriter Keren Ann’s intimate and amazing performance.
My first conversation was with the iconic perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena, his humble yet elegant manner of describing the process of creating this new fragrance was a subtle confirmation of his style as a Minimalist.
He started his process during covid and communicated with Frederic via the phone and FedExes back and forth. He continued to express that this new fragrance was uniquely different than his past fragrances for Frederic Malle in which he wanted fewer notes for a more sensual, embracing fragrance.
After chatting with Jean-Claude Ellena I had the pleasure of meeting one of my favorite fragrance icons Frederic Malle. He was kind, humble, and as authentic as they come, considering his iconic, successful status in the highly competitive business of Fragrance.
He lightly mentioned that he felt this one was of the best fragrances he has enjoyed creating alongside Jean-Claude Ellena. He elaborated on the minimalism of the fragrance and the long-distance communication during covid, which gave allowed time and pause for thought on what would make this fragrance unique.
I felt wearing the fragrance on a hot sultry summer night in Paris for over 6 hours was not only a metaphorically brilliant way to experience the complex, understated classical French fragrance but allowed all my senses to feel this fragrance in the most optimum backdrop.
Heaven Can Wait had a long silage in the heat, the warmer spice notes gently unfolded while the ambrette was prominent above the clove, pimento, Iris, and carrot seed.
Upon first applying Heaven Can Wait the spirited Vetiver was embracing and led me to want to keep smelling, knowing it’s best to let a fragrance settle into one’s skin for a full olfactory experience. The very subtle notes of peach and prune round it off.
I will admit this new fragrance will be a go-to for any occasion, it’s comforting, complexly noble, enticing, and quintessentially Parisian.
Jean-Claude Ellena
Jean-Claude, the iconic perfumer was born into a family of perfumers in Grasse. In his teenage years, he was introduced to the art of developing fragrances. Self-taught he defines his creations as a “poetry of memory” Everyday smells- wax floors, clean sheets, skin, an old sweater-are some of his great inspirations. His signature is simple, minimalistic, and modern.
As a disciple and close friend of the legendary Edmond Roudnitska (creator of “Le Parfum de Therese), Jean-Claude Ellena began his career with a minimalistic approach to perfumery.
Since then, he has developed this approach into his own distinctive style, which is continually informed by his elegant and quiet way of being and has been compared by his great contemporaries to watercolor sketches and chamber music. Jean-Claude says that a perfume must be like “a soft caress, nothing must shock, nothing must shout.”
Frederic Malle
“This is Jean-Claude Ellena’s exploration of warm spices — clove, carrot seed, ambrette — a new theme more symphonic than what he has done before and probably one of his masterpieces. I’m very proud to have participated in this development alongside Jean-Claude.”