Here come more mini-reviews from Twitter, covering the period April to June 2015.
Modern Muse Chic from Estée Lauder (2014)*
Somewhat more intense rendition of original‘s transparent white florals. Not sure why we need it, really.
L’Ile Au Thé from Annick Goutal (Camille Goutal & Isabelle Doyen; 2015)*
Astonishing start – you can smell the tea AND the tea bag! Violet, lemon & bergamot pop up. Low-key. Charming.
L’Homme Ideal Cologne from Guerlain (Thierry Wasser; 2015)*
Emphasises more mainstream facets of the original (ie ‘freshness’ & cliched woods). Ideal? No. Cop out? Yes.
Aqua Allegoria Teazzurra from Guerlain (Thierry Wasser; 2015)*
Brace yourselves, it’s a marine tea! No masterpiece, but works surprisingly well. Sweetly floral. Breezy.
White Rose & Lemon Leaves from Jo Loves (2015)*
Intensely green, citrusy rose. As much about leaves as petals. Lacking details & contrasts. Diffident.
Copal Azur from Aedes De Venustas (Bertrand Duchaufour; 2014)*
Reportedly one of the brand’s most popular creations, but leaves me unmoved. Incense note is bright and alert. But the juxtaposition with marine element doesn’t convince. Result feels like a compromise: facile, simplistic and oddly detached.
New York Intense from Nicolaï (Patricia De Nicolaï; 2014)*
More brutal version of original. Orange, herbs & inky mosses writ large. Difficult not to see it as redundant.
Italian Bergamot from Ermenegildo Zegna (Pierre Negrin; 2012)*
Full of ‘clean cologne’ cliches. Synthetic citruses. Feeble herbs. Very much like a KFC hand-wipe, circa 1985.
Sicilian Mandarin from Ermenegildo Zegna (Harry Fremont; 2012)*
More lemon than mandarin. Where’s the sweetness? The joy? Excessively synthetic, all the way to unengaging drydown.
Haitian Vetiver from Ermenegildo Zegna (Marie Salamagne; 2012)*
Predictably, follows the Guerlain school of vetiverts. Places citruses on earthy roots. Decently done, but pointless.
Florentine Iris from Ermenegildo Zegna (Jacques Cavallier; 2012)*
Like others in this ‘exclusive’ range, safe & predictable. Hints of darkness of Amouage Opus V (also by Cavallier!), but they don’t last.
Javanese Patchouli from Ermenegildo Zegna (Frank Voelkl; 2012)*
Starts bold and chocolate-y. Then sinks into dull, sweaty soup. Couldn’t be more pedestrian if it tried.
Indonesian Oud from Ermenegildo Zegna (Jacques Cavallier; 2012)*
Promising start. Rose blends well with smoke & leather. Then synthetic sandalwood appears & we’re in cliche country.
Peruvian Ambrette from Ermenegildo Zegna (Richard Herpin; 2014)*
Rather shy and non-committal, but at least its central note is suitably woody/peppery/musky. Unlikely to offend.
Persolaise
* sample provided by brand
** sample obtained by the author
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So you really like this line from Zegna… Another batch of wonderful brief reviews!
Leathermountain, thanks very much for reading. And no, I wasn't overly impressed with the Zegnas.