Antonio Alessandria Fleurs et Flammes (2017) + Floral Fireworks Draw

Antonio Alessandria for CaFleureBon©

How is it possible that the phenomenally talented Antonio Alessandria is not yet a household name in niche perfumery? In a few short years, he has shown himself to be a master storyteller in fragrance, taking the wearer through mind’s eye journeys marked by a rare specificity and unabashed beauty. I reviewed the evocative, literary Gattopardo, his newest, only a few weeks ago (Fara is still in the works).

Flower fireworks, photos by Sarah Illenberger©

But I couldn’t wait to introduce you to Fleurs et Flammes, a fiery, flowery composition with a yearning heart. It is quite simply one of the most stunning florals I’ve come across for a long while.

The Melodrama of Melting fashion editorial, photo by L Ramachandran, Solis magazine, 2017©

Built around carnation but by no means a soliflore, Antonio Alessandria Fleurs et Flammes is an olfactory merging of memory and dream. Alessandria’s recollections of the progress of a July festival day guides the composition. It starts with the stemmy green of fresh cut flowers and fernlike foliage gathered from the village market on a hot morning. There is a veritable sense of sunny heat in the opening: the spicy top notes of carnation mingling with the pungent bite of galbanum and citrus give the effect of the morning cool burning off.

Photo by Steven Klein for Vogue, April 2018©

In the second stage, which travels in quickly, a lush, almost creamy rose turns up alongside the carnation. It feels as if Antonio Alessandria Fleurs et Flammes has moved indoors for a bit: the floral and plant notes hush, and as deeper, quieter. The carnation is continuing to open, its lactonic qualities spreading out like cream in parallel to a second milky note, the flower’s innate warmth expands.

Fireworks over Turin, photo by Atemporale Design, Flickr

 Antonio Alessandria Fleurs et Flammes is beautiful from the moment it begins. But now, the truly magical part of the fragrance bursts open: Alessandria recreates the experience of fireworks with a pop of fizz from aldehydes, a flinty note that subtly suggests gunpowder, and the unmistakable smell of burning candles. In his marketing copy, Alessandria relates that in his little boy imagination, the market flowers “turned into flames and the pungent smell of fireworks was merged with the scent of flowers kept in the shade while the sun was burning outside.” Astonishingly, that is precisely what happens in Fleur et Flammes’ development now. 

Children playing in Italy, photo Bored Panda©

As Fleurs et Flammes wends towards dry-down, the flowers, greenery, candle wax and mineral notes meld softly like the soft-focus edges of an older memory – and its reminiscent aromas rekindle one of mine: standing in an old piazza in Venice on a brilliantly sunny late May day; the rushy splash of an ancient fountain beside me, two little boys playing and laughing, the sun a wash of gold on the faded stone walls. It was a moment of perfect happiness, and I am wearing it on my wrist right now.

Notes: Bergamot, citrus, summer fruits, galbanum, green and mineral notes, carnation, rose, lily, white flowers, soft woods, almond milk effect, musk.

Disclaimer: Sample of Fleur et Flammes provided kindly by Antonio Alessandria at Esxence. My opinions are my own.

-Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor

Antonio Alessandria Fleurs et Flammes courtesy of Antonio©

We have an 8 ml bottle of Antonio Fleurs et Flammes for TWO registered readers in the U.S., Canada or Europe. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what appeals to you about Fleurs et Flammes based on Lauryn’s review, and what childhood memory you would like turned into perfume. If you think another Antonio Alessandria Perfume sounds appealing please let us know. Draw closes July 1, 2018.

Follow us on Instagram @cafleurebon and @antonio_alessandria_parfums

We announce the winners only on our site and on our Facebook page, so like Cafleurebon and use our blog feed … or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

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31 comments

  • Rae Lynn says:

    You got me with: “It is quite simply one of the most stunning florals I’ve come across for a long while.” I love the idea of creating an entire day with the unfolding of the perfume. I remember a screened in porch that would be covered in a passionflower vine every summer. Underneath it were red geranium plants. Along with fresh cut grass and an inflated pool, it would make a fabulous scent memory. I live in the US.

  • Jen says:

    I am a sucker for Carnation, it was my grandmother’s favourite flower. I have many fond memories of weekends spent with her.
    The movement from floral into a gunpowder/candle intrigues me. I can almost imagine the smell and I’d love to see how close I am.
    One of my favourite memories from childhood was swinging on a swing on a hot day, you can smell in the air the electricity of a coming thunderstorm, but in that moment it was sticky hot and I was eating a grape popsicle and enjoying the feeling of weightlessness as I moved in the air. It just evokes such a feeling of being carefree, a feeling I have much nostalgia for.
    I am a registered reader in Canada.

  • lookingfeelingsmellinggreat says:

    Oh yes I shot a video with Antonio Alessandria last year at Pitti in Florence. I know the line from quick sniffs but would love to explore them more the next time I see them. I didn’t get a chance to stop by at Esxence as I was a bit scattered from being sick then completely didn’t make it to the show the last day. What a bummer. But great scents! 🙂

  • Diana D says:

    What a delicate, pretty fragrance. I’d love to have a fragrance be created for one of my most cherished childhood memories of vising my grandparents in upstate NY in the summer. The smells of wildflowers mixed with the smells of their vegetable gardens. I love the smell of tomato leaves because it always makes me think of their garden and all the jars of tomato sauce my grandma would make with them. And the wafting smell of wildflowers always invokes memories of their home and property. They have both since passed away, but my aunt still lives there. So, I still get to visit and relive those wonderful childhood memories.
    I live in the US.

  • Catanosmia says:

    I love carnation and galbanum but this sounds like something much more than the sum of its parts. One of my favorite childhood memories is tasting the nectar from the honeysuckle growing in my grandmothers backyard. That smell still can stop me dead in my tracks. Thanks for the draw. I’m in the US.

  • audesko1 says:

    This sounds like a fantastic floral scent. A favorite childhood memory is sitting on the grass lawn, smelling peonies and lilac bushes. Thank you for the chance to try. I live in the US.

  • INYA says:

    The article definitely lures me towards discovering this Italian brand. However, since I’m such a “visual” person, the pics won me over. Great job once again! As a child, during mass, I couldn’t get enough of the smoky incense. I’m constantly searching for another great frankincense/myrrh fragrance. After some research, Antonio Alessandria’s “Noir Obscur” is now on my wish list. USA

  • Claudia says:

    I find myself more drawn to florals these days. The bottles are beautiful. I had the chance to sample the three original fragrances from Antonio Alessandria a few years ago. So well done. My childhood memory is the smell of mown grass and hay in late summer and the beautiful poppies growing on the side of the hayfields. Some of my favorite florals are lilacs and roses. I adore tulips but to my nose tulips really do not have a scent. I am in the US and would love to be entered.

  • NiceVULady says:

    I love the smell of carnations and that in combination with rose sounds so beautiful. Loved the review, especially the line,”It is quite simply one of the most stunning florals I’ve come across for a long while.” That certianly makes one want to go out and get it immediately. I’m unfamiliar with this house, but would LOVE to sample this. Thanks for a gorgeous review and thank you for the draw. I’m in the USA

  • Richard Potter says:

    When, oh when, are his fragrances going to be carried in the US? I have been dying to try Gattopardo ( love the book and film ) and Fleurs er Flammes. Thank you for this giveaway. US.

  • Lillyhollowayblog says:

    You had me at carnations! I have been very curious about this line for ages. I hear Luca Turin has great things to say about Fleurs et Flammes which makes me even more curious. I live in the US.

  • James2473 says:

    Very nice review, Lauryn. This was my first exposure to anything by Antonio Alessandria, but he sounds like an amazing artist. I will definitely be exploring his other creations. What appeals to me most about Fleurs et Flammes, is how it goes from flowers to flames. I absolutely LOVE the creativity of that! One of my favorite childhood scent memories was the smell of exploring the woods near my home with friends on cool fall mornings. I’m located in the United States. Thank you for the giveaway!

  • Timea says:

    Very nice review. I have many good childhood memory. If I have to chose one, it could be a holiday when we were all together with those who are not with us anymore.
    This perfume sounds very good, I like the notes. Thank you for the chance. I live in Europe.

  • Vahagn says:

    I enjoyed this review!
    I’m intrigued by this perfume even read first sentences: if talated perfume-reviewer Lauryn said that this perfume is “most stunning florals I’ve come across for a long while”-that is enough for me!
    I want to test this perfume.
    One of my favorite childhood scent memories was the holidays by the sea with my and relatives.
    US

  • Southernboy says:

    Sounds like an amazing fragrance , great for the summer with all of aspects of the summers . From my childhood memorials was the smell fresh cut hay in the field and outdoor cookouts with fresh cut peaches. Live in the USA. Thank you Antonio Alessandria

  • Carol Webb says:

    Great review, love that it is a stunning floral! Loved reading how it encompassed the events of a day. And I love the picture of the children playing! So fun. I could probably find a scent that reminds me of this childhood memory. My first thought was of being at the park because I loved playing there so much but I immediately thought of the rusty iron swings, how the chains would make your hands smell. lSo, not that. But picking berries with my mom. Outside, sunshine, cut grass, and the jammy sweetness of blackberries and black raspberries. How I used to absolutely groan helping my mom pick berries – and now that she is gone (and the berries are ripe for picking) I wish I could go back for one day and pick berries with her.
    I’m in the us, thanks for the draw and the memories of mom 🙂

  • Scentedwow1 says:

    Fleurs et Flammes does sound appealing and spring-summery. I love floral and green oriented perfumes for hotter season. And the carnation as a center of the composition sounds perfect! If i were to creat a perfume based on my childhood memories that would be a hay-note and white florals based perfume as a homage to the numerous summer days spent at my grandparents’.
    I’m in Switzerland.
    Thank you!

  • Alen says:

    The almond milk effect should be something really interesting in this juice. My favourite childhood scent memories is the smell of rum+raisins ice cream found on some big buckets of 2000ml. I wish i could go back a little to experience that scent, especially cause that type of ice cream is now discontinued. Thanks for this great draw.

  • SandiL says:

    OH Lauryn, you got me. Florals are a major part of my fragrance wardrobe in the heat and dry out here in the west. I do it to see the pollenators that are drawn to me as I stride the backroads which just so happen to be dirt! This one sounds like it would be a delightful finish to my floral wafting wardrobe for sure. I look forward to the success for Antonio Alessandria Perfume.

  • Larkin Small says:

    I love the idea of the feeling of sunny heat in a bottle. I’m in the USA and would adore winning this! I’d love the scent of sunwarmed dirt by the river to be bottled up. Going to the river was a wonderful treat in my childhood summertimes.

  • Old Herbaceous says:

    I love Lauryn’s description of the metamorphoses that this perfume goes through! And of course, florals are my thing, but I also love fireworks. If I could have a memory turned into a scent, it would be the scent of the South Carolina Lowcountry, a combination of magnolias, Spanish moss, marsh grass, seawater, and hot sand. I am in the USA.

  • Rebeccaf says:

    I love a scent that takes you back to a memory. I enjoy mineral and almond notes, both featured in this perfume. A childhood memory as a scent would be summer road trips with the smell of fresh air and hot asphalt. I’m in the USA.

  • jeremyn87 says:

    I like the description of the floral notes in the top and heart. Sounds kind of spicy and dry, which would smell wonderful if it evokes the scent of the flowers as they’re blooming.
    For childhood memories, probably the smell of some floral waters, with the leaves of the plant from which myrrh is extracted, and mint. Was common for those smells to mix when I was growing up

  • Lori Laws says:

    This sounds like a stunning floral scent and I love the combination of carnation and roses! I was intrigued with this comment “turned into flames and the pungent smell of fireworks was merged with the scent of flowers kept in the shade while the sun was burning outside.” I would like walking through my aunt’s garden turned into a fragrance. Typing this I can still smell it. Thanks for the draw and I live in the US!

  • Mbabetyw says:

    Explosive floral with carnation sounds beautiful. A childhood memory is the scent of lilacs in the spring in our garden
    USA

  • mariannep says:

    Carnation is such an underrated note in modern perfumery. The description of the transitions in the florals got me in. If I could wish for a childhood memory translated into perfume it would be the night sounds of swallows looking for their resting place for the night.

  • mariannep says:

    Carnation is such an underrated note in modern perfumery andvthe descrition of the florals drew me in. I wish I could translate the childhood memories of summer nights swallow flights into a scent. I live in Sweden.

  • doveskylark says:

    How interesting that Antonio Alessandria was able to create a stage in the perfume’s development that evokes fireworks! I’d love to smell the flinty and candle wax note.
    I would love to have the childhood memory of playing outside until dark on a summer evening turned into a perfume.
    I live in the USA.

  • perfumelover67 says:

    It sounds like it is an amazing floral perfume. Few carnation scenrs and it is satisfactory to see a perfumer like Antonio Allesandria create a perfume with such a beautiful note. I would love to see my childhood days spent in the ocean turned into a perfume. I live in the USA. Thanks for the draw.

  • Lauryn says:

    Thank you all so much for the comments! Carol, I too have fond memories of berry picking as a girl. My grandparents owned two summer camps in rural Pennsylvania that were lined with blueberry bushes. I would sit on my dad’s shoulder to get the big berries at the top. Poignant but happy memories.