Une fleur de Cassie (UFDC) might be the most difficult perfume I have come across so far. I love me some skanky beasts and heavy chypres but UFDC took me by surprise as it is completely different to what I had imagined. In my mind it would be evocative of old Caron's in their full glory, (silly, I know) and a film noir perfume to be worn by daring personalities. Needless to say my imagination was also fed by the fact that it was very hard to come by during some time last year, due to the fact that it was being reformulated, something that Malle himself has confirmed. When I finally got a sample after supplies became available again I was a little underwhelmed. Is this what I was waiting for? This is the fragrance that was on top of my wish list for so long? I quickly buried my sample until a month ago when I decided to give it some proper testing. The first time I got vanilla and lots of rose, but I believe that heat or slightly warm temperatures allow this perfume to bloom and show its true face. That's when I started to fall in love. My skin amplifies animalic or dirty notes, and UFDC has them in abundance. I get a faint bergamot opening, more herbal than crisp and fresh, followed by a very sensual 'barnyard' smell. The smell of horses, animals and hay. It doesn't smell as scary as it might sound but it is highly animalic and very evocative of my childhood in a way, when I would visit the zoo. It might not be what Ropion intended but the smell is there and it lasts for a good 30 minutes or so, intertwined with the bergamot which appears in and out to give a touch of freshness. Slowly the flowers start to show. I get jasmine and rose, and a pollen powdery smell which I guess is the mimosa. They don't feel in your face, more like highly refined essential oils that give glow and smoothness to the fragrance without overpowering anything else. It keeps the barnyard aspect but now I see the film noir persona I was hoping for, and I can clearly relate it to the 30s and 40s, imagining that this is what the elegant women of the decade would wear. UFDC remains pretty linear on my skin, with slight variations as to the opening 30 minutes. Along the 10+ hours it lasts on my skin (the longest lasting Malle I've tried) I get a floral animalic oriental. Sometimes more rose, others more powder, always full animal with hints of bergamot. Stunning. It's on top of my buy list, as I think this is one of the hidden gems of the collection and one of the best creations of D. Ropion. If you like vintages and chypres and orientals of yore, give it a lot of skin time. You may not fall in love like I did but I believe you will discover a gem of modern perfumery.