Style Edit: Henry Jacques’ Les Toupies, where crystal artistry meets nostalgia
The ‘spinning tops’ limited edition collection spans 3 chapters and 6 fragrances, with pairs of sculptural crystal flacons, each with finely drawn personas
The series takes its name, and the flacons their design, from memories of early childhood – specifically from the spinning top, that most whimsical of nursery toys. Artistic director Christophe Tollemer spent more than three years developing the project. His challenge was to make each flacon multifaceted yet symmetrical – with no single central point, yet a stable enough axis to hold the most precious perfume. Handmade by specialist artisans, the crystal is cut in complex planes and angles, faceted like gemstones, catching the light from every angle.
But what really distinguishes Les Toupies is the collection’s central conceit: every fragrance is conceived as one half of a pair. Three chapters introduce one couple each – similar in form but distinct in temperament.
The first, Mr H & Mrs Y, are signature scents reimagined in new vessels. They are, as Henry Jacques puts it, a love story as much as a life story. Mr H is cedar leaf, geranium, sandalwood and tobacco – rich, warm and entirely at ease with himself. Mrs Y answers in ylang-ylang, Damask rose, jasmine and iris – gentler, but with a quiet, unmistakable authority. When the two flacons are placed together, the curves of one seem to lean towards the other. It is, to borrow a term from dance, a conversation.
Chapter two introduces No 16 & No 81, a pair with sharper lines and a more architectural presence in comparison. Avant-garde where Mr H & Mrs Y are romantic, these are modern perfumes in every sense. No 81 opens with bergamot and grapefruit, deepening through layers of smoke, oud and sandalwood. No 16 anchors itself in Rose de Mai, one of the great pillars of classical perfumery, wrapping the note in gardenia, ylang-ylang and vetiver for a forward-looking poise.
The third and final couple – Fanfan & Galileo – takes the limited edition collection to its most rounded, exuberant forms. Masculine yet tender, Galileo layers lavender and Italian mandarin over patchouli, myrrh and tobacco. Softly arresting, Fanfan opens with saffron and Egyptian geranium, then drifts towards Damask rose before settling into leather and Moroccan cedarwood.
Les Toupies was conceived, according to Henry Jacques, as the beginning of a larger narrative – “a story that will weave together many characters, many lives, many great romances”. The three chapters are designed to read, for all their richness, like an opening act. With the maison continuing to explore the ritual of scent and its sculptural objects, one wonders where these tops might spin next.