Amidst he waning days of winter, what is so comforting as the sight of a crocus peering through the snow? A drop of violet and green on a chiaroscuro landscape. You can almost smell spring’s freshness – and the ensuing bounty of blossoms that kickstarts the hormones and sends everyone into a frisky frenzy. Bring on the pagan rituals!
Snow might be falling but spring is in the air – and these three latest fragrance finds epitomize the eidos of the era with scents that are as reflective as they are anticipatory. Looking back is sometimes a means of looking forward – and the parfumeurs behind these fragrances have created elixirs that draw upon the reflections of Herodotus while gazing at the mystical towers now dotting desert landscapes in places like Dubai.
Deep, dark, and mysterious as winter, with the promise of spring’s profusion and light, these fragrances are perfect for the calendar year’s most wondrous transition.
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In ancient Greece, Sparta was the capital of Laconia, a region from which the words “laconic” and “spartan” derive. A region of strong men, sparse with words. The strong and silent type. The man of your dreams. Think Lawrence of Arabia crossing the desert, accompanied by Omar Sharif.
Or think of the concept behind the fourth fragrance from New York haberdasher, Odin. Inspired by the Jordanian desert and the shifting sands of history, Odin 04 Petrana explores the mesmerizing allure of travel with this multi-layered fragrance. You’re on camel back – and a light floral breeze washes over you: deep purple cassis and coriander, infused with the sharpness of pink pepper. Oasis? Omar? Mirage?
With Odin 04 Petrana, perfumer Jean Claude Delville (the man behind Banana Republic Classic (1995), Clinique Happy (1997), Marc Jacobs Gardenia Splash (2008), and numerous other well-loved fragrances), has created an evocative desertscape that beautifully captures the allure and mystery of the desert: its endless expanse punctuated by flowers of mesmerizing beauty.
The middle note of Odin 04 Petrana is a hypnotic twining of black iris and violet leaf absolute, suffused with garden heliotrope – and it is in this heart note that Petrana beats loudest. Its admonition: breathe deeply and fill your lungs – with life.
Later, when you have arrived at your destination and the desert sun has set, wild orris root takes over with the lingering earthiness of vetiver and white musk. The desert night is cool and your mind is a swirl of sensations. You read Herodotus by the light of an oil lamp. Tempus fugit – and 04 Petrana reminds you to inhale the moment.
PRICE: $110 / 100 ml / 3.4 fl. oz.
LINK: ODIN: 04 Petrana
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If you care about scent (and why else would you be reading this?), you’ve probably noticed the recent trend in oud. Oud? Literally, oud is the Arabic word for “wood,” but that definition alone doesn’t begin to explain the centuries-old fascination with this potent resin that forms in the heartwood of the agarwood, a conifer indigenous to southeast Asia. So important and powerful is oud to the nose, mind, and soul that it is referenced in one of the world’s oldest written texts, the Sanskrit Vedas.
Introduced on Valentine’s Day, 2011, Bond No. 9 New York Oud proved that Cupid comes in a bottle. Or so it was in this house. Maybe it’s the potency of New York Oud: a 30% concentration (instead of the 20% industry average) that insures sillage long through the day and night, and into the pillows, satin sheets, and tousled hair. As soon as he came in the door, as soon as we hugged, he said, “Umm. Yum. You smell good.” Now, really, how often does that happen?
The House of Bond has experience with ouds. Their first oud, Harrods Swarovski Limited Edition, was introduced in 2008 (and proved to be the London emporium’s best-selling fragrance) – and then, for their tenth anniversary last year, the house released Bond No. 9 Oud. With each re-interpretation of oud, Bond No. 9 has retained elements that evoke both the East and the West: the spice, the incense, the musk, the wood.
Bond No. 9 New York Oud opens with a beautifully balanced burst of red plum, honey-like saffron, and citrus. Almost immediately, you feel saturated and slightly woozy, as if you’ve sipped from a deeply complex Bordeaux. At the same time, there’s the sense of something warm slipped around your shoulders – a velvet mantle, perhaps, of deep crimson – as the fruity top notes meld into a mid-note bouquet of red roses and orris, with a touch of patchouli.
At this point, you’re about to sink to your knees. The creamy combination of patchouli and orris is arrestingly hypnotic, and particularly as it segues into a sensual dry-down of earthy musk, syrupy honey, and resinous vetiver. You’re supine at this point: as sated as Dorothy in the poppy field – and deep under the spell of Bond No. 9 New York Oud.
This is a highly androgynous fragrance, a mixture of downtown girls and Moroccan boys with Arabian nights and those who love all three.
As for the signature Bond No. 9 bottle, it’s done in a smoky, gunmetal gray with flecks of gold: a brilliant amalgam of New York twilight and the souk at dusk as smoky incense rises into that sky that bonds us all. Sink into the embrace of New York Oud – and you won’t soon let go.
PRICE: $310 / 100 ml
LINK: Bond no. 9 : New York Oud
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Often, at some point during a tropical vacation, there’s a moment when the ocean breeze mixes with the local flora – say, right around sunset when you’re walking across a manicured lawn, drink in hand, heading toward the yacht harbor – and the intoxicating scent that envelops you is the equivalent of harmonious bliss. This is your life – and everything is in balance. Joya’s Composition No. 1 perfectly evokes that moment.
Founded in 2004 with a line of candles and home fragrances, Joya (meaning jewel in Spanish) branched into fragrances in 2010 with two unisex perfume oil elixirs titled Composition No. 1 and Composition No. 6. Joya Founder Frederick Bouchardy, a 2010 finalist for the FGI Rising Star Award in the Beauty & Fragrancecategory, has described these two perfumes as unexpected mysteries. Composed of perfume oils, with no alcohol, the Joya fragrances are immediately responsive to a particular person’s body temperature.
Composition No. 1 opens with the crisp sparkle of Italian mandarin, Brazilian orange, and quince, a fruity bouquet that segues into a more floral heart note comprised of heliotrope petals, jasmine, camellia, and tuberose. This is where the fragrance bursts with the sense of possibility and all the promise of gloaming, as day passes into night.
This romantic, indulgent fragrance is delivered in a handcrafted, white porcelain bottle designed by ceramicist Sarah Cihat, with a stopper dipped in 22k gold. Looking something like a vessel designed by Picasso in his Cubist period, Cihat’s bottle for Composition No. 1 harks back to a golden epoch when perfume bottles were objets d’art.
Fragrance designer, Rayda Vega, is responsible for Composition No. 1’s structure, which has a dry down (or base note) comprised of creamy sandalwood, pale musk, and a hint of tonka bean. The floral heart dissipates as the sun disappears, making way for the seductive surprises of night.
Joya’s Composition No. 1 is as classic as it is modern – not unlike Noel Coward at his Jamaican home, Firefly.
PRICE: $112.00 / 2.5 fl oz (75 ml)
LINK: JOYA: Composition No. 1 Parfum
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