Krigler- Cosy Cedar Wood

I don't know who formed the notion that dry wood perfumes are masculine and do not belong in a woman's wardrobe. Why are bitter green perfumes or warm and very dry ones automatically labelled as manly? Seriously, I am and have always been as girly as they come, but I'm more likely to covet and wear cedar and cypress than magnolia and rose. And considering skin chemistry, my nearest and dearest should be thankful for that.

Krigler is one of those little NYC secrets, though the brand was actually born in Europe around the turn of the (20th) century. The house's archives include around 200 scents created over the span of one hundred years, but the perfumery as we know it today was reopened and reinvented in the NY Plaza Hotel in 2009. Cosy Cedar Wood was created in 1972 as a perfume for men. It's a straight-laced kind of thing. Dry, smooth and completely devoid of sweetness or darkness. But Krigler still managed to hide a little surprise there. Just as I thought I figured it all out and that Cosy Cedar Wood is all about warmth, spice and the inside of a long cabin in the woods, there's a second element, prickly-but-not-quite green, a whiff of  incense and an almost conifer-like sharpness. Maybe someone opened a window and let the night air in.

It's the cypress and the rosemary that are a bit too sharp for my taste and take away from the smooth and dry feel of the perfume. It's not unpleasant and actually ends up smelling really nice on my skin, but I prefer the incredible comfort of the dry sauna (such a favorite winter treat) I get from the first hour or so of the scent. All in all, Krigler's Cosy Cedar Wood is, indeed, cozy, woody and incredibly nice. It smells well-bred and a little country club in the best possible way. It's not the kind of perfume that would make most weak at the knees but it's attractive and nicely done.The sillage is polite and longevity is excellent (a couple of drops last most of the day and longer than that on clothes).

Notes: Cedar wood from India, lemon, ylang-ylang, fig, cypress, rosemary, vetiver, nutmeg and incense.

Cosy Cedar Wood ($145, 1.7oz) is available from krigler.com where you can also order samples, as well as the small boutique in the Plaza (which is where I obtained my sample).

Image: Spinnerin 1967 from myvintagevogue.com.

Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin

Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin provides the eleventy seventh proof that perfume has no gender. Well, perhaps the eleventy sixth, because since it came out in 2000 there have been more scents of this nature, but still. You can't peek under a perfume's tail to determine its sex and labels don't mean much (as is sometimes the case with kittens, as shown by my cat Peter, whom we adopted as a female).

The feminine perfumes from Lolita Lempicka are not bad, but I don't enjoy them as I feel they're trying too hard to be cute.  Au Masculin, which is an oriental gourmand like just about everything else I've smelled from this brand has a flair. The bitter greens and dry wood balance the candy and licorice and provide some interesting twists as the perfume develops on skin. It has some melancholy moments courtesy of the violet notes but also a lot of joie de vivre when you just take the sweetness and booze and go out dancing with it.

Those who find Douce Amere (Serge Lutens) too much, too thick and heavy, might enjoy Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin- the tender green leaves and violet flowers keep the candy and vanilla more manageable. The anise in Au Masculin has a cool almost minty facet which might be the only concession made here to traditional masculine perfumes, but it's still sweet and powdery enough to satisfy. I doubt anyone smelling a passing woman wearing this Lolita Lempicka perfume would give it a second thought as far as gender-bending goes. If anything, I have no doubt some men find it too much for their taste.

Notes: Green Accords, Ivy Green, Absinthe, Aniseed Water, Violet Flower, Violet Wood, Cashmere Wood, Cedar Wood, Vetiver, Citrus, Olive Wood.

Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin can be found online at around $30 for 100ml EDT.

Photo of Simone Signoret and Yves Montand by F. C. Gundlach, 1953

CB I Hate Perfume- 2nd Cumming

The first incarnation of Cumming (the original) was as far from the usual  big mass market company trying to bank on a Gaga-Bieberish idol by bottling the cheapest juice they can make and sending the celeb to hawk it on Letterman. Alan Cumming could not have found a better perfumer to create his signature anti-celebrity scent. The quirky and uncompromising Christopher Brosius of CB I Hate Perfume was the natural choice for the talented, freaky and ultra-sexy Cumming. The result was a boozey smoky fragrance, the kind you definitely don't take home to your mother.



I don't have a sample of the first Cumming, but I remember it quite clearly (as well as the husband's unfavorable reaction when I made him wear some). According to Christopher Brosius, all the notes in in 2nd Cumming are the ones Alan Cummings originally chose the first time they worked together. But since this perfume was created under Brosius' own label, they got to do it the way they truly intended. Sort of like the director's cut of the perfume. And the result is outstanding.

The opening of 2nd Cumming in its oil/absolute version is very recognizable as a CB I Hate Perfume creation. It's a little sweet, a little overwhelming and has that earthy Brosiusade feel to it. If you're new to the line, this is the time to relax, do something else and let the magic potion start working. And it does. When all the elements come alive on skin, 2nd Cumming is a thick and dark brew of fire, pine and leather. My skin intensifies the leather and puts out the smoke, ending up in a sweet and incredibly sexy skin scent. There's not much of a sillage, so despite Cumming's bold character and in-your-face performance, this is actually a very intimate perfume.

2nd Cumming is officially labeled as a masculine perfume. I'm not going to dispute it as I understand most women might not necessarily enjoy this wild ride. I, however, do, and according to my husband it smells better on me than it is on him. Men who enjoy a blend of notes such as the one listed here (Bergamot, Black Pepper, Scotch Pine, Malt Whiskey, Cigar, Heather, Douglas Fir, Rubber, Worn Leather, Highland Mud, Burnt Rubber, Peat Fire and White Truffle) would be quite happy with this dirty little creature.

I saw Alan Cumming on stage in the unorthodox Broadway adaptation of Threepenny Opera in 2006. Here's a clip I found of him and Cyndi Lauper who played Jenny:



2nd Cumming ($69, 15ml perfume absolute) by CB I Hate Perfume is sold on cbihateperfume.com and in the Williamsburg, Brooklyn, gallery. Samples are available for purchase ($15, 2ml). All profits from this scent are donated to various charities.

Photos: alancumming.com

Creed- Tabarome Prive ("Vintage Tabarome")

The original Tabarome perfume from Creed was created in 1875. As far as I know it was kept in production continuously for more than 130 years. Then the last decade happened, bringing with it the dwindling of some natural raw materials, not to mention IFRA. Also, let's face it, despite what some of my favorite Basenotes members think (sorry, guys), Creed is no longer what it used to be.

Tabarome Prive (aka Tabarome Private Collection or informally "vintage Tabarome") was last seen on the shelves of authorized Creed distributors around 2006. It was then pulled in to the mysterious Vault only to make a brief appearance last year, which according to Creed official blog:

"Once it is gone, Vintage Tabarome will be completely unavailable. The CREED family stated this week in France it has no plans to create more Vintage Tabarome because several of its natural components are simply too difficult to source, despite the family’s extensive and longstanding network of growers, farmers and cultivators worldwide. Rather than use “substitute” ingredients yielding an inferior product, the family prefers to defer all production of Vintage Tabarome. It is a decision that places quality and artistry above all other considerations."

Which leaves us with Tabarome Millesime, a new(er) and hardly related perfume, but let's not talk about that generic masculine. Tonight's focus is on Tabarome Prive.

There's something about this original Creed creation, but not necessarily in the way the house describes it. I don't think of Vintage Tabarome as

(the) ultimate statement of clubby luxury and quality. Its aroma wafted in England’s House of Lords as its primary clientele was those holding knighthoods and high office, including several Prime Ministers.

For me, Tabarome Prive is a surprisingly understated and elegant dry and crisp (sort of) masculine chypre that feels and smells a lot more modern and wearable than Winston Churchill's world as described above. The tobacco is not that of a stinky cigar in a stuffy room full of old leather furniture, but a sun-dried, almost fresh tobacco leaf. The bitter citrus notes in the opening lend Tabarome Prive an almost herbal quality that while not "clean" is still quite office-friendly (but would be just as welcome on a date).

I love the dryness of this perfume. It's a little woody, somewhat peppery, tinged with dark green and just a little leather. At their best, Creed perfumes lend their wearers a distinguished, well-dressed and impeccably groomed image. Tabarome Prive is most certainly exactly that. Surprisingly (or not), I feel very comfortable wearing it. It doesn't smell on me like a "men's cologne", but rather like a classic green chypre, and what's better than that? It's an all year-all weather perfume that can never go wrong. And apparently can not come back, though never say never.

Cary Grant (in the photo above, not sure of the source) is associated with another Creed classic, Green Irish Tweed. I can just as easily picture him wearing Tabarome Prive.

Knize- Knize Ten

Knize Ten has been around since the mid 1920s, a fact that places it immediately as a contemporary to some of the greatest perfume classics of all times. It definitely deserves the company, especially as I suspect it fared a lot better than many of them. Still, I never encountered the original or any of the vintage/older iterations of Knize Ten and my samples came from the first batch that reached Luckyscent last December. It smells yet wonderfully related to the best leather perfumes of the past and anchored in their dark and rich world.

Knize Ten illustrates to me the meaning of an ambery leather, two notes that sometimes feel mutually exclusive. It has both butch toughness but also a sweet roundness and a hint of soft powder that paints the perfume in other shades other than black. Maybe a cognac color.  Knize Ten has notes nuances that are familiar from other favorite leather perfumes. Orris, musk, bitter herbs and spices- they form a kaleidoscope of scents, making me think of everything from Cuir Ottoman to Etro Gomma. Of course, the house of Knize released this masterpiece (a co-creation by François Coty and Vincent Roubert, the latter is of Fath's Iris Gris fame) decades before Uncle Serge dreamed of Cuir Mauresque, which makes the leather-lover appreciate this one even more.

Thomas at Pere de Pierre finds Knize Ten demanding and difficult to wear. I don't know, for me this is a very warm and welcoming perfume. It's labeled as a masculine, but I don't find it any more so than Azuree, Bandit or Cabochard or any of the other leather perfumes I mentioned above. Then again, I'm a woman who wears Lonestar Memories, Duro and every vetiver perfume known to men, so don't take my word for it. I feel like rolling on a cashmere blanket saturated with it, just so I can smell like it for as long as I can. There's something about leather and iris that makes the combination irresistible to me- I just can't get enough.

Knize Ten ($70, 50 ml EDT)  is available from Luckyscent together with other Knize perfumes.

Photo of actress/dancer/artist Tilly Losch from The Roaring Twenties blog.

Maxim's Pour Homme

Once upon a time you could walk into an upscale specialty or fashion store and find one or two good perfumes carrying the designer or brand's name. Of course, you can still do it today- step into Michael Kors flagship store and sniff his Snookified Very Hollywood.  But that's not what we're talking about here.

Fashion designer Pierre Cardin bought Maxim's an iconic Parisian restaurant dating from the late 19th century. Cardin created an Art Nouveau museum on three floors of the building and installed a turn of the century style cabaret. Maxim's store offers deli products, souvenirs and, of course, perfume.  Maxim's Pour Homme, the masculine version of the brand's fragrance was launched in 1988.

Maxim's Pour Homme is a beautiful and elegant floral chypre with an assertive leather base. The strong lavender note in the opening is astringent and richer than what one might expect. It doesn't scream "men's cologne" though it hints on impeccable grooming. Maxim's feels somewhat formal- it's dry and tailored, gives a distinguished feeling before warming up on the skin into an almost honeyed ambery heart. But it's the base that wins me over- leather and oakmoss, a hint of green and smoke, somewhat animalic like a perfume from another era.

I have a splash bottle that I found at an antique warehouse. I've found dabbing not very satisfying in terms of longevity- a couple of hours at most. But decanting into a spray vial and spritzing with abandon makes things a lot more fun and actually intensifies the leather chypre base to a Bandit level, only with a softer floral heart. Needless to say, Por Homme or not, I wear my Maxim's with great joy.

The usual sources claim Maxim's Pour Homme has been discontinued, but some online digging shows it is still made and very much available for sale- 35 euros (50ml EDT) on Maxim's website (laboutiquemaxims.com). It's harder to come by here in the US, but the husband just spotted it on the shelves of Jacqueline Parfumerie in San Francisco (415-981-0858). Of course, I can't vouch for the formula's integrity in light of IFRA and its restrictions on the use of oakmoss and everything that's good and fun, so if any of you tested Maxim's lately, please comment and tell us how it fared.

Notes from Maxim's website-
Top Note: Bergamot, Lavender, Carnation
Heart Notes: Jasmine, Cedar, Sandalwood, Amber
Base Note: Oakmoss, Musk, Leather

Photo: laboutiquemaxims.com

Yves Saint Laurent L'Homme

There's a whole genre of modern men's "cologne" that completely baffles me. They usually come from major designer fashion labels and they all smell the same. They sell like hot cakes, you smell them n the well-scrubbed necks of young men in urban bars and lounges, as well as on suburban dads toting their offspring and the weekend groceries in and out their 4Runners. They all smell like an unidentifiable citrus, watery violet leaf and a very fake woody vanilla that is supposed to translate to "yummy" but never does. I doubt I could ever tell them apart in a lineup.

Yves Saint Laurent L'Homme is one of them. What I mostly get from it is an aquatic-ozonic opening and the artificial sweet violet leaf thing. It smells like a watered-down, faded by countless laundry cycles  perfume my father* might have worn at some point decades ago- a zombie, frankensteined version of Grey Flannel, Furyo and   Acqua di Gio, and that is as bad as it sounds.

The dry-down, once the ozonic notes go away is easier on my stomach. I understand why men who don't know any better and their partners who themselves tend to wear and buy whatever is marketed most heavily at the moment would buy this. After all, it's an Yves Saint Laurent, it smells familiar and the bottle is cool. I just wish they did know (and smell) better.

Dane of Pere de Pierre don't always agree about specific fragrances (though it often seems like we share the attitude). In the case of YSL L'Homme, we're fully on the same page. His review is here.

*My dad nowadays happily sprays himself with Uncle Serge's Gris Clair.

Yves Saint Laurent L'Homme ($43, 1.3oz) is available at Sephora and most department stores. I've had several samples lying around that came free from various stores.

2006 YSL L'Homme ads starring Olivier Martinez from couleurparfum.com

Yohji Yamamoto- Yohji Homme

The discontinuation of Yohji Homme by Yohji Yamamoto is one of those weird mysteries of the perfume world. Or maybe it simply didn't sell enough, but honestly, I don't get it- doesn't everyone like a good sort-of masculine gourmand scent? With stuff like A*Men (Mugler) and the Lolita Lempicka one being major crowd pleasers and New Haarlem, Maurice Roucel's creation for Bond, the more exclusive alternative, being considered among the best of its kind, why didn't Yohji Homme become a cult favorite until after it vanished from shelves and acquired an ugly price tag?

The thing about this 1999 Yohji Yamamoto creation is that it's a lot more refined than the other scents in this group. Yes, it's loaded with coffee, chocolate and licorice, but it doesn't hit you on the head with sweetness and is more balanced thanks to a distinct spicy and almost floral heart (I swear I smell carnations, but it might be that gingerbread clove facet). It goes down smoothly and as far as women wearing it, I think it's easier than many others because it lacks that lavender and green fougere accord that often accompanies anise.

The sandalwood-amber drydown (the sandalwood, by the way, smells like the good stuff, which is another perk of using older bottles) makes Yohji Homme an excellent his, hers and a cashmere sweater perfume. It's friendly and cuddly but also smells quite refined and expensive. I love wearing it with a very NYC all-black ensemble just as much as I like sniffing it on a well-groomed and carefully dressed man. Yohji Homme is fun, edible and sexy without losing its urban edge. Too bad the general public didn't get its charm on time.

Yohji Homme 1999 perfume ad: couleurparfum.com

Guerlain Arsène Lupin Dandy

Jean-Paul Guerlain created his two Arsène Lupin men's perfumes, Dandy and Voyou, as an homage to the Gentleman Thief Arsène Lupin, who is a French literary hero. While Voyou didn't move me much and I have yet to explore it beyond the first unmemorable testing, Dandy is a spectacular perfume. I don't know about the French fictional burglar, but this is something I could imagine on Cary Grant in his To Catch A Thief role as John Robie. Between his suits and romancing Grace Kelly in the French Riviera, the elegance and sleekness of Dandy couldn't have been a better match.

Now, don't get me wrong- this Guerlain creation from last fall is as modern as it comes. It doesn't smell like anything from 1952, and despite the promise for an "oriental leather", the leather note is decidedly subtle. The opening notes are quite aromatic and peppery. It's almost misleading in a way and doesn't even hint on being a Guerlain. Only when the deeper and darker notes join the party and things become more about woody and incense can I get the connection. There's a super elegant violet leaf thread that makes me think of older masculine Guerlains, such as Mouchoir de Monsieur. Dandy is much easier to wear, though, and feels less powdery (I think the husband described MdM as "stuffy" when I made him try it) and tinged with something green .

The dry-down is all warmth, incense and mellow leather. I get why it's marketed as a masculine, but honestly, Guerlain could have easily labeled it as unisex, shared or whatever. It's not macho in any way and would appeal to many a woman. I can't get enough of Dandy and doubt anyone would raise an eyebrow at a woman wearing it. Kind of like sneaking into Cary Grant's closet and borrowing a shirt, a scarf and his fragrance, then pairing them with skinny jeans or a little black dress.

Guerlain Arsène Lupin Dandy ($235, 2.5oz) is available from Bergdorf Goodman and Guerlain boutiques around the world.

Images:
The New Mayfair Edwardians by Norman Parkinson, 1950
Cary Grant in To Catch A Thief, 1950, imdb.com

Ask The Husband: 5 Masculine Black Tie Perfumes

Composing yesterday's little list of perfumes I'd wear with an evening gown was a lot easier than making The Blond come up with his choice of five black tie masculine perfumes. The result is interesting, though. Not necessarily the ones I would have chosen for him, but I'm not the one who needs to deal with the bow tie.

In no particular order:

1. Mazzolari Lui- Sweet dark patchouli. Not very articulate of me, but: yum!
Why the husband likes it: You'll know when he enters the room.

2. Neil Morris Gotham- Urban and animalic.
Why the husband likes it: It's sophisticated and unusual. No one is going to smell like him.

3. MPG Route du Vetiver- A surprising choice as this is such a raw and untamed vetiver, which might be the point.
Why the husband likes it: It's very different from his polite vetivers (Tom Ford, Guerlain, Lubin) and his "let's take the boardroom" Vetiver Extraordinaire.

4. Tom Ford Private Blend Japon Noir- Dapper and stylish without losing an ounce of sensuality.
Why the husband likes it: It's warm and friendly, makes him feel like he's ready to work the room.

5. By Kilian Pure Oud- Of course. I nearly put this one on my own list.
Why the husband likes it: It smells like a million dollar in the opposite possible way to Donald Trump.

Photo of Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr in 1953's Dream Wife from happythoughtsdarling.wordpress.com

Jean Paul Gaultier- Le Mâle

Earlier tonight my husband caught a whiff of Le Mâle- I was wearing it once again just before typing this review (I always do this. Somehow I can't write about Dreck du Jour while marinating in MKK or Shalimar. The adjective don't flow right). All he said was: "What's that? It's very familiar". Of course it is. Just about everyone and their brother-in-law have had a bottle of Jean Paul Gaultier's first masculine perfume, Le Mâle, at some point in the last 15 years, and most of them still do. You smell it everywhere- stores, subway cars, clubs. And why not? Le Male is such a friendly and easy to wear scent.

One of the secrets to the popularity of this Jean Paul Gaultier and Francis Kurkdjian creation is that it smells so clean while being one of those loud high voltage masculines you just can't ignore. It has a strong lavender-herbal-neroli opening that takes you right back to traditional barbershops and to well-groomed men of yore who had Yardley products and Brilliantine in their bathroom cabinets. On his Le Male review for NST, Kevin suggest the origin and true nature of Gaultier's fantasy sailors. He's probably right, considering the designer's aesthetics and other work. But my personal association with the image has always been the singing and dancing sailors from the 1949 Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra movie On The Town.

But Le Male is not just a clean herbal cologne. It dries down to a sweet wood and amber snuggly base. That's probably the part that prompts men and women to get closer, sniff and linger there, right at neck level. It's sexy, but despite the tattooed sailors, it's more of an All-American wholesome kind of sexy. Or maybe I just got confused by the dancing sailors.

Jean Paul Gaultier Le Mâle ($42, 1.3oz EDT) is available from many department stores as well as from Sephora.

1996 Le Male ad featuring model David Fumero- couleurparfum.com
Photos from the On The Town set by Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1949 - life.com