Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Serge LutensL’Orpheline recently impressed me with the endearing way it linked distinctiveness and quietness. And now, a very similar vibe appears in Phillippe Romano’s 11 from Odin, the newest addition to the New York-based brand’s growing – and increasingly well-regarded – portfolio. I gather ‘semma’ – the non-numerical segment of this creation’s name – means ‘tobacco’ in a Native American language, and, appropriately enough, the sweet, smoky, hay-like earthiness of that little-used material is the primary focus here. It’s given a faintly powdery, retro feel – which is where the link with the Lutens comes in – thanks to the inclusion of violets and myrrh. But there are plenty of spices too – mainly pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves – as well as a tea facet which stops the whole from descending into Oriental cliches. Both fresh and serious, it calls to mind a politically correct, ‘western’, liberal view of The Other, be that a member of the ‘east’ or of the indigenous population of the USA: it’s fascinated with ‘exotic’ materials, but it exercises respect in its treatment of them, preferring to use them with a light touch. If it were a head shop, 11 would be the one that doesn’t look like any other head shop, choosing gleaming, sci-fi-inspired interior decor rather than the usual woods and velvets. But don’t worry: facade notwithstanding, its soul is rooted to the earth.

[Review based on a sample of eau de parfum provided by Odin in 2014.]
Persolaise

Discover more from

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

I love hearing from my readers, so please feel free to write a comment or ask a question.