Aaaah....Balenciaga. Something about how the name just rolls off your tongue as you say it is entrancing. The house's designer, Nicolas Ghesquiere, is as intriguing as his name suggests and has helped place Balenciaga at the forefront of fashion. In fact, it was Ghesquiere who decided to bring fragrance back to the house of Balenciaga after a 12 year absence.

Balenciaga Paris is the house's triumphant return to fragrance. Developed by perfumer Olivier Polge (you might know him from Burberry's The Beat, Dior's Pure Poison, Giorgio Armani's Code and Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb), the fragrance unfolds in a series of moments of April. Notes of violet, pepper and mossy wood evoke feelings of sunshine and calm.

The bottle is fascinating to me - especially coming from a house who is known for their hardware-laden handbags. Balenciaga Paris is contained in a simple, blown glass bottle, without any decoration aside from the curves and angles of the glass.  After the fragrance develops into a soft, sensual and definitely Spring scent, the bottle's simplicity becomes a statement - the fragrance doesn't need the pomp & circumstance of overly designed packaging.

Balenciaga Paris retails for $95 (1.7 oz) and $130 (2.5 oz) at fine retail stores nationwide.