CIRE TRUDON ‘Olim’— Maison Trudon has extended its expertise in the craft of luxury scent, unveiling a unisex line of stand-alone fragrances. Though firmly rooted in the brand’s centuries-old heritage, Trudon perfumes introduce a subtly subversive note to its customary themes of religion, royalty and revolution. Neither feminine nor masculine, these scents achieve an olefactory complexity that hints at a character rather than a gender. Olim, for instance, is full of a sense of history, conjuring the vanity and emotion of a royal era by combining powdery notes with decadent spices like pink peppercorns and clove, and ancient, resinous base notes of benzoin, myrrh and musk, to hint at courtly opulence. Olim is Latin for “once”, and it’s intended to recall the laws and registers delivered to the King’s court during the 13th and 14th centuries. The pomp of its rich base and heart notes lies beneath a lighter, more elegant veil of bergamot, lavender and anise. In this way, it conjures history, but also comments on it. TRUDON Available at WORLD
LUBIN ‘Epidor’—Originally created in 1912 by the famed French perfume house of Lubin, Epidor’s joyous scent has carried itself through history with poise and savoir vivre. The perfume’s symbolism is based on ears of wheat, an emblem of wealth and fertility since ancient times. With its golden packaging and generous use of tonka bean, Epidor evokes summer and harvest time in the French countryside, and the joyous celebration of nature’s bounty. After musky head notes of cedarwood, vanilla and sandalwood, there is a softer oral accord of violet, jasmine and orange blossom swirling into a mood of gentle summer reverie. LUBIN Available at WORLD
PENHALIGON’S— Iconic British perfumers Penhaligon’s has launched two new additions to its beloved Portraits, a collection of fine perfumes created as an ode to a family of fictional (but no less entertaining) British aristocrats. Ladies and gentlemen, may we introduce The Duke and Duchess Rose. After The Tragedy of Lord George (that’s the perfume’s name) and The Revenge of Lady Blanche (his wife), two new characters are ready to make your acquaintance. The Coveted Duchess Rose is the pampered heiress to Lord George and Lady Blanche, a romantic creature with a heart of roses, headstrong mandarin notes and a base of musky wood. She’s married the eccentric Duke Nelson in the hope of escaping a stifling life, but Much Ado About the Duke is a gin-soaked, sexually ambivalent mix of peppery orals and leathery, wood notes. Heartbreak seems to be on the horizon for the handsomely packaged pair. Adorned with a gleaming gold-toned hound’s or fox’s head, these two new scents, and the characters they are crafted around, are a delightful sequel of olefactory fiction, a story rich with luxury and intrigue.
Duchess Rose —There is much more to be discovered beyond the iconic purity of English roses, with their oral tones. An exuberant and energetic zest for life is suggested through zesty mandarin, and while pastel pink rose sits squarely at this fragrance’s romantic heart, the sensual character of ambrox disrupts the air of innocence, adding a self-assured confidence to the perfume.
The Duke — Unconventional and eccentric, sparkling notes of aromatic spiced gin and delicate florals suggest dandyism, alongside smoky, leathery notes of the hunt, with a surprising touch of cumin. An enchanting, contradictory perfume that is alluringly ambiguous. PEHNALIGONS Available at WORLD
Words—Caroline Waldegrave | Illustrations—Anieszka Banks
