Warszawa : from Puredistance // Nose : Antoine Lie // Year : 2016 // Notes : Galbanum, grapefruit, violet leaf , jasmine absolute, broom absolute, orris butter, patchouli, vetiver, styrax, vetiver
The Low Down : A classy, beautifully blended floral perfume that will make you Queen of the ball.
It’s not often that perfume imagery brings Polish influences to the fore but Puredistance has entered into the fray with Warszawa, a fragrance that wears old school charm on its sleeve. The perfume, initially exclusive to Parfumeria Quality Missala store in Warsaw saw wider release late last year. Antoine Lie a perfumer who made a mark with Etat Libre D’Orange’s Secretions Magnifiques was tapped to make the perfume after previously successful collaborations on Black and White for Puredistance. You can probably see if you’ve clicked through to my thoughts on these fragrances that I’m quite a fan of these perfumes and the brand in general. The line has a classy, low-key feel and the perfumes always smell refined, thoughtful and considered.
Warszawa has a slow build in the manner of those teasingly slow musical tracks like – I’m thinking Spanish Sahara from the Foals and the great Viõrar Tel Til Loftárása from Sigur Ros (and there are many others of course) that take their time to grow to a crescendo then nicely ride it out until the conclusion. By chance, a musical composition also helped to inspire Warszawa – Chopin’s Nocturne 20 in C sharp minor, a lyrical, melancholic piece without the slow build of the other tracks I’ve referred to. You may know the piece as it was featured in Polanski’s The Pianist starring Adrien Brody and you can take a listen to it (see below).
The colour that Puredistance has paired with this perfume is a dark green. It’s a serious shade and a regal aura extends around Warszawa. The perfume is unabashedly floral with violet candy tones in the opening, coating the grapefruit and provides a suggestion that something wonderful is going to emerge cocoon like from its folds. The sweetness tones down and a really lovely floralcy emerges. Jasmine in particular but it’s very well blended with a cloud like texture that makes you wonder if you really are smelling what is listed in the notes. I detect something peachy in here too that gives a fruity shade to Warszawa. The transition is well done and the surprise is in the base and the fade out where the perfume is bolstered by patchouli and vetiver working their magic together. The longevity is good and can be smelt hours later. In Florence when I first fell for this perfume it was the one that I could still smell at the end of the evening.
If you think of a perfumed continuum – Black is at one end, White at the other and Warszawa slots in around the middle but nudging towards the White. Warszawa is filled with warmer colours, rather than lightness and feels more dense but not as fluffed up as White. Black is another world away, a much heavier masculine styled fragrance with rich leathered tones. Antoine Lie has created a wonderful scentscape for Puredistance full of range and each of these perfumes is bang on in creating a perfume with impact with different personnas.
There is an image of a dancer in a tutu at what looks like a very elegant gathering in 1952 that Puredistance sent me with the sample. Warszawa feels like a grand dame perfume, one to be worn out to a classical concert, opera or ballet rather than something more casual. At the very least it’s one of those perfumes that makes you feel more put together than usual. Like all Puredistance perfumes, Warszawa has a touch of elegance with an air of grace and a full skirt shimmying across the dance floor. Dance away.
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Read more about Warszawa : colognoisseur, the black narcissus, the scented hound // For where to purchase : Please check the Puredistance website for further details. The perfumes are available in 17.5ml perfume spray (175 Euro), 60ml (295 Euro) and 100ml (490 Euro) // Notes : Images : Puredistance // Disclaimer : Sample gratefully received from Puredistance. Opinions my own.
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Megan In Sainte Maxime 
Its a very beautiful scent Megan – i love your review and the way you have positioned it between black and White (which is another favourite of mine, along with Opardu). Puredistance have produced superb scents – my only issue is that they are very expensive (for my pocket anyhow). I would own these three in a heartbeat if i had the extra cash. I’m saving my little 2ml samples for ‘special days’ and happy little squirts just to remind me how wonderful they are. 🙂
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Hello there ✨ Their scents are superb but they are at the high end of the scale price wise. The good thing is that they are potent so a little goes a long way. I make sure those samples last too.
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Very evocative review – thanks Megan. I need a perfume that makes me ‘more put together’ 😉
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Hello there katieslat. Don’t we all! I’m always looking for something that makes me feel put together and more onto it! 😉
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Hello Megan, thanks for your review of Warszawa! I would like to add one detail: the lady in the tutu is my mother, Frieda Antonia. (Puredistance ANTONIA is named after her) On the images she is dancing in the Kurhaus Hotel in Scheveningen (near the Hague). Apart from being a ballet teacher, she also made paintings, jewelry and other accessories. Her wardrobe was immense, but always stylish. Without her permanent example of elegance, originality and creativity the Puredistance collection could never have grown so beautifully and in such a natural way. Thought I should let you know…. and thanks for selecting this picture. Jan Ewoud Vos.
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Hello Jan. Thanks so much for coming here and for the beautiful detail on the photo and your mother. Your fragrance Antonia is really gorgeous so it’s really lovely to know that she was the inspiration behind the perfume and indeed the whole line. Best, Megan
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