A classically trained ballerina, a French pastry chef, an independent perfumer: Odette Fontaine is all three, and she combines all her passions and inspirations in her hand-crafted fragrances. The mood-boards she creates for her work as Odette Parfum Company are dreamy photo-collages of toe shoes and tutus, kittens and lavishly decorated cakes, lipstick and feathers.
However, Odette’s fragrances aren’t just frou-frou fantasy: they are grounded in the same discipline and well-honed technique that she has brought to her past as a dancer and her work in pâtisserie. Just like dancers posed en pointe, her perfumes may seem ethereal and effortless, but they could not exist without a firm foundation in skill and practice.
Odette favors certain signature notes that recur like musical motifs in her perfumery: vanilla, tonka bean, rose, musk. Each of her fragrances tells a story of something she knows deeply, whether it’s a dessert, a dance step, or a scene in a famous ballet. She draws from her personal experiences of her family’s French background, time spent in Paris with a special lover, backstage dressing rooms just before dance performances. In each of her perfumes, she recalls and captures sensory impressions: the textures of satin and velvet, the tastes of honey and whipped cream, the sounds of classical ballet scores and quickly stepping feet.
Romantic, sweet, and casually elegant, Odette Parfum Co.’s scents are special treats for you to wear and savor. They are perfumes that cling to the skin and encourage us to dream, to remember, and to slow down and experience the moment. As Odette herself says, each of her fragrances “invites you to share a bit of yourself with those around you through scent, to leave your trace, to invite someone closer, or simply to envelop yourself in warmth.”