Or Noir by Pascal Morabito c1980

Or Noir by Parfums Pascal Morabito c1980. In USA in 1981. It was composed by perfumer Sébastien Martin.

Pascal Morabito never liked perfume and always asked the young women he was dating not to wear any fragrance when they went out with him. "But, girls like to be perfumed, you know, and finally, one told me that if I wanted to continue to go out with her I had better find - or make - some perfume that she could wear.". He answered that ultimatum and the creation of Or Noir resulted in marriage to that girlfriend, Carol, as well as the beginning of another successful business venture.

The name Or Noir came about because Morabito loved "black and gold together".

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It is classified as a soft floral fragrance for women. It begins with a fresh aldehydic top, followed by a radiant precious floral heart, resting on a feminine sensual woody base.

A floral mélange of violet, jasmine, rose and ylang ylang, Tonga spices and fruit essences -tangerine, blackcurrant, with Mysore sandalwood to ensure a long lasting scent.

• Top notes: tangerine, blackcurrant, aldehydes, bergamot, neroli, mandarin, clary sage
• Middle notes: narcissus, gardenia, ylang ylang, violet, jasmine, lily of the valley, may rose, lilac, orris
• Base notes: patchouli, vanilla, Tonga clove, cedar, vetiver, Mysore sandalwood, musk, amber, oakmoss

 

  

 

Bottle:

He believed that the container should be especially important as the juice, because he said "I am a jeweler, and it would not be appropriate simply to have some kind of crystal bottle. I felt the bottle should be like a piece of jewelry."

Pascal Morabito envisioned the bottle to resemble one of his greatest achievements, the thinnest electronic watch ever made, which debuted in 1976. It was this slim, geometric shape that inspired his bottle for Or Noir.

The sumptuous flacon features four onyx beads inset on 24 kt gold plated brass framed crystal, the square bottle fitted with a porthole to see the juice inside. Each bottle was signed and numbered, the purchaser received a golden card, listing the bottle number, that entitled the bearer to buy refills of the perfume at $75 a half ounce. Each limited edition flacon retailed for $295 per half ounce of parfum in 1981, by 1982, this price had gone down to $250, due to the fact that "it's easier to import now." said Patricia Toll, manager of the American branch of Reflets de Paris in Beverly Hills. She said it was the shop's most expensive perfume and revealed that "It's bought mostly by men as gifts for women."

Morabito stated that in Paris, 1980, he started out with 1000 bottles, and surprisingly, they were "gone in a month." At the end of the year, he sold 3,500 bottles at 1000 francs for one half ounce. He credits most of that success to the bottle itself, which he calls a "collector's item."

The perfume was available in limited quantities in his shops exclusively, until Saks Fifth Avenue persuaded him to agree to distribution in their states side stores. As a result, only 200 bottles were available in the USA in 1981.

  

Officiel de la couture et de la mode de Paris - Issues 782-784, 1993:

"Pascal Morabito's "Or Noir" is more than a large, flowery, fruity, woody fragrance. His "Prestige" bottle, art object created by the jeweler himself, will seduce you (about 400 to 990 F.)"

Or Noir was available in the following:

• 0.25 oz Parfum Splash
• 0.5 oz Parfum Splash (originally retailed for $295 in 1981)
• 1 oz Parfum Splash 

• 2 oz Eau de Toilette Splash
• 3 oz Eau de Toilette Splash
• 4 oz Eau de Toilette Spray

• 1.6 oz Eau de Toilette Spray
• 2 oz Eau de Toilette Spray
• 3.3 oz Eau de Toilette Spray

• 2 oz Eau de Parfum Splash

Marketing - Volume 17, 1984:

"French company Pascal Morabito has introduced Or Black for men and Or Noir for women to the UK, with prices starting at £70 for 100ml eau de toilette of Or Black and £115 for a half ounce of Or Noir."

Officiel de la couture et de la mode de Paris - Issues 782-784, 1993:

"Collectible: Perfect balance between heady notes and fresh accords. Or Noir by Pascal Morabito is more than a "great flowery, fruity, woody perfume." Its "Prestige" bottle, an art object created by the jeweler himself, will seduce you (around 400 to 990 F)."

 

Fate of the Fragrance:

Discontinued around 1993/1994.

Or Noir was reformulated and relaunched sometime in 2014.