In the October  95th edition of Vogue Paris, Catherine Deneueve is interviewed and talks of her love of perfume.

She is asked about her long time favourite – Guerlain‘s  L’Heure Bleu and what she wears today. While she doesn’t reveal the actual perfumes she instead talks about the houses she favours. Deneuve replies (with my rough translations) :

“Je ne le porte plus tellement. J’ai beaucoup de parfums de Frederic Malle, ou de Shiseido par Serge Lutens. Et ceux de Francis Kurkdjian.”

“I don’t wear it so often anymore.  I have many perfumes from Frederic Malle or Serge Lutens by Shisedo. And those of Francis Kurkdjian”

She is asked if her preferred perfumes are floral 

“Oui. Que ce soit l’iris, le magnolia our la rose … Mais l’orange, le citron, la fleur d’oranger aussi : j’aime beaucoup les agrumes.

“Yes whether it’s iris, magnolia or rose … But orange, lemon and orange blossom also. I like a lot of citrus.”

When asked if it’s difficult to change perfumes

“En effet, mais j’aime mettre un parfum nouveau pour un film. On ne le porte que pour un tournage, que pour un role, et il n’y a que les vêtements du film qui sont imprégnés par sa fragrance …”

“Yes of course but I like to put on a new perfume for a film. We wear it only for the filming, for a role, and it is only the film’s costumes that are impregnated by its fragrance.”

And her favourite flower in life

“Peut-être l’iris. il ya des iris vraiment extraordinaires : par leur forme, leur couleur, et puis ce parfum qui semble en contenir mille … Les pétales d’iris sont comme des ailes, très brillantes, tant satinées, tantot proche du velours.

“Maybe iris. There are really extraordinary irises : by their shape, their colour, and then that perfume that seems to contain thousands of them … The petals of the iris are like wings, very shiny, sometimes satin and sometimes close to velvet.”

Notes : Image of Catherine Deneuve by Inez & Vinoodh.  Interview by Arthur Dreyfus.