Summer Harvest: Jardin du Poete by Eau d'Italie

By Tom You cannot put this on without smiling. Bertrand Duchafour is the nose behind this new scent, which Marina describes as "sumptuous, soulful, summery deliciousness". It's a summer salad of sweet oranges and tart grapefruit served with basil and dressed with pepper and a touch of sweet immortelle served to you in a garden smelling of hay, lily of the valley and sunshine-dappled roses.   It has surprising depth and richness for what could have been a fleeting scent, with a wonderful vetiver/musk drydown that kept my wrist near my nose all day. Best of all is the fact that when you turn the bottle over there's a big warning label on it cautioning one not to spray it on your self (or some such language) which says to me that they're saying "sc$#w you Perfume Police, I'm using the real deal" If that's the case then for that alone they deserve an award. $140 for 100ML at LuckyScent, where I sampled.

Jardin du Poete by Eau d'Italie

By Marina You probably know by now that if a fragrance compels me to cite Neruda, it is love. Well here we go: "Green was the silence, wet was the light, the month of June trembled like a butterfly..." Oh how well that describes the sumptuous, soulful, summery deliciousness of Bertrand Duchaufour's new scent for Eau d'Italie, Jardin du Poete. I usually like my green scents dry, sharp and coldly bitchy. This one is a departure for me; it is soft, juicy and quietly joyful, as if lit from within by a warm glow of happiness. It doesn't sparkle (sparkle is a four letter word), it delicately glimmers. I love the pulpy lusciousness of the orange note in the top, it is so realistic and ripe that it makes me want to bite into it greedily. What I also love is that the note, however, is not overly sweet. The presence of more acerbic grapefruit and gently piquant pepper keeps the sweetness in balance. Basil is one of my favorite green notes (and favorite herbs); often it smells spicy, particularly when used in masculine perfumes, but here it has a tinge of fresh, slightly cool, woody sweetness. Immortelle plays into that woody verdancy, at the same time lending the scent more body, fleshing it out, making it more comfortingly solid. Although this tender, indeed poetic composition does in fact, metaphorically speaking, "tremble like a butterfly", it wouldn't have been Douchafour's without a darker, drier, earthier base, thanks to cypress and vetiver. All in all, a beautiful, harmonious celebration of summer, a fitting offering to Apollo. Available at LAFCO New York and sirenuse.it.

Baume du Doge by Eau d'Italie: Perfume Review

Inspired by Venice, once legendary gateway to the Orient with all its exotic spices, Baume du Doge is, not surprisingly, a piquant creation, bursting with the golden tang of saffron and cardamom, smoldering with the crimson fire of cloves. It is - surprisingly- also a very earthy perfume. And yes, earthy is Duchaufour's forte, but, in my opinion, the raw quality of Baume du Doge surpasses anything else done by him so far. Saffron and, to a lesser degree, cardamom do have a very raw undertone in their spiciness, a dark, soil-like element that naturally contrasts the brightness of the spicy aromas. Nature is a gifted perfumer after all, and loves a good contrast. So really, the earthy aspect of Baume du Doge is only to be expected, especially if you take into account that the blend also includes the earthy-green-aniseedic fennel and earthy-balsamic myrrh. The latter, combined with sweet orange note in the top notes and vanilla in the base, lends a well-rounded, rich, opaque and creamy feeling to Baume de Doge, softens the sharpness of spices, tames the earthy element, bringing the fragrance to the almost-edible, patchouli-like territory and putting a finishing exotic touch on this understatedly oriental tapestry. The restrained exoticism displayed by Baume du Doge is characteristic to Duchafour's art as is the indescribable, indefinable oddness of the composition. Strangely beautiful or beautifully strange, it has a haunting quality, something that makes you want to keep re-sniffing and analyzing and wondering. A thinking person's perfume. Available at Lafco and Luckyscent, $130.00 for 100ml. Image source, krasivoefoto.ru

Perfume Review: Eau d'Italie Magnolia Romana

A single, pale-pink magnolia submerged in a vase full of clear water...aroma of a pale-green stem, of fragile petals, of water itself...a minimalist and touching image...a Japanise silk painting...this, to me, is Magnolia Romana, Bertrand Duchaufour's new creation for Eau d'Italie. The beginning of the perfume is fresh and slightly herbal, the scent of clean skin, of dew glistening on delicate blossoms, a translucent, elusive aroma. As the perfume develops, it becomes more substantial, as if materializing from the droplets of water and fresh air into a corporeal entity. It is tuberose and neroli that, in my opinion, breathe life into the almost-colorless blend, making it acquire a form that is far from voluptuous but is pleasantly smooth, creamy and soft. The watery-floral overtones of Magnolia Romana reminded me of Duchaufour's new creation for L'Artisan, Fleur de Liane, which also features a (perhaps even more) generous dose of magnolia. The flower seems to be the perfumer's new fascination, along with other floral and aquatic-ozonic notes. If this is the direction Duchaufour wants to explore, taking a break from his incenses and woods, I am all for it. If anyone can make watery scents wearable and interesting, it is Duchaufour...Disturbingly, I have been drawn to the watery florals myself lately, and wore a lot of Un Jardin Apres le Mousson, Fleur de Liane and Magnolia Romana this summer. The end of the world is upon us. Magnolia Romana is available at Luckyscent and Lafco, $120.00 for 100ml. Image source, pbase.com.