Poppy Blossom

Coach, which started out as a luggage store, is now selling perfume (and handbags, purses, wallets and other leather paraphernalia - minus shoes). So far, I think it's become quite successful. I bought several years ago the Coach signature scent, but I found it too sweet. I remember finding Coach Poppy Blossom, but for some reason, I remained unimpressed.

Recently, I went to my favorite perfume store Sephora (where they give samples of scents for the undecided, or the searching), and got a tiny flask (worth about ten sprays) to test. It usually takes several minutes for the scent to release its notes, and even longer for the middle and base notes to come out. Many current perfumes lose their scent within a few hours, but the good ones persist for days.

I asked a shop assistant (a man, unusual for stores these days) what he thought of the perfume. He started a conversation by saying that he recognized the New York Public Library's pin I was wearing on my coat lapel (a logo of the library's lion head). "I worked there for a while last year," he said. "Oh really, what section?" "In the Judaica section, in the Dorot." "Yes, I'm aware of it, but I haven't visited that section... Are you Israeli?"

I asked him his national origin because he had a peculiar name (to me), and a clear Israeli accent.

"No, I'm Moroccan. But I speak fluent Hebrew." he answered.

This didn't ring true (or honest). He did not have an Arab accent. I figured then that he must be one of the many ethnic Arabs who live (or lived) in Israel.

"Do you speak Arabic?" I asked him.

"Yes."

"Are you Muslim?" I finally asked.

"Yes."

Then I thanked him and left.

In any case, he had no idea about the perfume I was asking him, as is the case with most of the staff I ask for assistance at Sephora. What do these people have to do all day but stand around? A smart manager would have them go through all the perfumes, section by section, and study all the basic information about them. And the smart employees would go home online and read up more on the collections.

Which is what I did.

Poppy Blossom was disconnected from the Coach line for a while, but it is back as a limited edition in some of its stores, and Fragrantica and the Bay also carry the line. It is a modest $45 for 30ml.

I have to add, though, there is no poppy flower notes in the perfume, despite the name. It seems like a branding strategy, where the collection's bottles come with cloth poppy flowers for hair or dress decoration: Orange/red flower for the original Poppy Blossom), green for the Poppy Citrine Blossom, and violet/red for the Poppy Freesia Blossom.

The "Poppy" seems to be the name of the woman this perfume was designed for. But what kind of woman is called "Poppy?"

Here are the notes for the Poppy Blossom:

Top: Lychee, Strawberry, Orange, Freesia
Middle: Lily-of-the-valley, Rose, Tubrose, Gardenia, Jasmine
Base: Pralin, Vanilla, Musk, Woody notes

It has the lily-of-the-valley that I wrote about here.

The scent does last several days. Its final notes are a light combination of the floral and fruit, with the floral dominating slightly.

It is the perfect scent for late spring and summer.

Osmoz says this about the perfume:

Description: Poppy Blossom by Coach begins with fruity notes of mandarin, strawberry and lychee. The heart is a bunch of muguet, centifolia rose, tuberose, jasmine and gardenia. The warm and gourmand dry-down mixes praline, vanilla, blond woods and white musks.
At a glance: A playful and optimistic scent
History: After Poppy, and Poppy Flower, a citrusy and sparkling fragrance, Coach introduces Poppy Blossom, a more floral and fruity scent. According to the brand, the perfume combines the vivacious energy of Coach Poppy and the floral femininity of Poppy Flower. The fragrance embodies a whimsical, modern and sophisticated woman with an exhilarating personality.
Bottle: Poppy’s signature flacon is reinterpreted with a red poppy-like ribbon and a golden juice.

The era of the individual perfumer is over. Although Karyn Khoury is attributed as Poppy Blossom's creator, she worked with a large team of perfumers to make the scent. She says about the process:

...We spent many hours with Reed Krakoff (Coach’s executive creative director) and his team, listening to their vision of the brand and customer.

[...]

The result is a beautifully blended fragrance with great presence, signature and diffusion, which represents modern beauty, elegance and charm.

But, the "nose" of the original Poppy is Celine Barel, who has a modest collection of perfumes, including one nice one she designed for Jessica Simpson (modern pop star).

This original bottle has no corresponding flower, and is a darker bottle with a chocolate brown ribbon, perhaps referencing that "modern woman," with notes which include light and stronger elements, such as cucumber, gardenia, jasmine, and "decadent" marshmallow.

This site describes this dichotomy best with:

Poppy Blossom combines the vivacious energy of Poppy with the floral femininity of Poppy Flower. This luminous and warm fragrance is inspired by the modern beauty of the Poppy Woman.

But, as I said earlier, if left to its own qualities, Poppy Blossom is light, fresh, fruity and floral, and is perfect for spring and summer.
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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