Pearl

Pearl imagines a girl wandering through a gallery and stopping in front of Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring.

White peony and black pepper open the scent: the freshness of the flower meets a dry, peppery snap, giving it a light, brisk step. White rice follows with the soft, gentle sweetness of plump grain, and geranium adds a green-tinged floral brightness that keeps the pale texture from turning dull.

The base gathers sandalwood, musk and Haitian vetiver. The softness of rice melts into the smooth wood of sandalwood, bringing an old master painting and a present-day sensibility into one portrait, while the dry, earthy edge of vetiver quietly tightens the sweetness. Composed by Olivier Cresp.