How do you reinvent an icon? How do you revisit the trail of a historic fragrance that Christian Dior himself launched in 1947, shortly after his inaugural collection, and named after his adored sister, Catherine^*? Rising to the challenge, Francis Kurkdjian, Creative Director of Parfums Christian Dior, honours with brio a Miss so celebrated that she might have become intimidating. The perfumer thus imagined a Pop statement intensely dedicated to audacious youth and femininity, like an antidote to the blues.

And what a composition! While the jasmine heart stays true to the original, this new version reveals itself like a gesture of stunning intensity, in an unprecedented concentration for Miss Dior. Sambac jasmine unfolds with wild luxuriance, while the base is shaded with a darker sensuality thanks to the grace of oak wood. Decidedly gourmand top notes mix syrupy blackberry jam with elderflower. With this explosive elixir, Essence boldly asserts itself as an ultra-contemporary olfactory manifesto.

But let’s go back to 1947, when Miss Dior made its debut. On a freezing February 12^th, the mansion at 30 Avenue Montaigne welcomed a collection that not only set a trend – the New Look, so named for the enthusiastic exclamation of the American journalist Carmel Snow – but also truly revolutionized women’s postwar wardrobes. And although the fragrance was not yet completely finished (it would not launch officially until December of that year), the petites mains discreetly spritzed it throughout the House’s iconic salons, where fashion editors from the most prestigious magazines would take their places on Monsieur Dior’s beloved medallion chairs. Did the perfume take hold like an enchanting philter? One can only imagine…