As a young boy in art class, Nabil Hayari was told by his teacher to draw whatever he wanted. As Hayari explains, “My friend drew trucks – and I drew gowns,” a harbinger of his career as a French couturier.
Hayari’s grandmother was a dressmaker with exemplary skills in embroidery and when Hayari launched his fragrance line in 2010 with a collection of three fragrances, the one named Broderie was inspired by embroidery and lace.
© Hayari
The third fragrance in the line, Goldy, is a powdery-woody scent that evokes the glamour of an evening in vintage couture. Created by Dorothée Piot, the nose behind Olfactive Studio‘s Chambre Noire as well as Amouage’s Memoir Woman, Goldy brilliantly captures the anticipation provoked by l’heure bleue and the promises of the night ahead.
© Taittinger
Imagine the famous Taittinger Champagne advertisement with an elegant swan-necked blonde in chignon, swathed in a variant of the Charles James tulip dress. Opera-length black gloves. Champagne on ice – and the air redolent with Goldy.
© Hayari
The fragrance opens with a blissful blast of balsam, an herbal rosemary note that segues nicely into a floral heart of white jasmine and orange blossom, complemented by the crisp wintry snap of narcissus.
Hayari’s inspiration can be sparked by anything “from a flower to a tree” – and with Goldy, the basenotes are a powdery wood bed of sandalwood and musk with a hint of cedar. The fragrance’s elegant balance of herbs, flora, and woods span the entirety of an evening from aperitif to post-prandial seduction, opera gloves flung casually across a fauteuil, flutes of Champagne atop the mantel.
© Hayari
A fragrance for fans of Hollywood glamour during its golden age, Goldy recalls an era when Liz and Lana, as well as Fred and Ginger, paraded across silver screens in white fox and white tails – and its appeal bridges all genders.
Hayari opened his couture house in 2009 and his fragrances reflect the drop-dead glamour and erotic femininity of his couture gowns, many of which have been chosen by celebrities for red carpet appearances. The perfume boxes of his fragrance line open like the petals of a flower – and each crystal-topped bottle is numbered.
With Goldy, Hayari captures l’art de vivre so celebrated by his couture.
