It is to his credit that Frederic Malle continues to make us wait a whole year between new releases: he could so easily have given in to the temptation to churn out a half-baked creation every few months or so. And funnily enough, the passage of time is alluded to in his latest piece of work, Heaven Can Wait, created by the man behind some of his most memorable scents, Jean-Claude Ellena. Here’s a link to my recent video review of it: Frederic Malle Heaven Can Wait review.
Pardon me if this sounds like name-dropping, but it just so happens that since broadcasting the video, I met Malle himself at an event in London. Needless to say, I had to ask him if my hunch was correct and if the classic perfume whose ghost can be detected in Heaven Can Wait is, indeed, Caron Poivre. He told me that my guess was wrong, and when I countered with Bellodgia, he smiled and said, “No, it’s not that one, either.” So, the mystery remains unsolved. But the fact remains that, with their latest creation, Malle and Ellena have given us one of their most truly heritage-respecting scents.
Yes, as the marketing blurb states, the iris, pepper and clove combine to form an embrace of scent. But despite its subtlety, there’s nothing chaste or platonic about this particular hug. Indeed, the earthiness in the base suggests heat, intimacy and an almost palpable sense of physicality. Ellena’s work has often been called bloodless (sometimes with good reason) but that couldn’t be further from the truth here. There’s quietly passionate life coursing through the veins of Heaven Can Wait, proving that even at this stage in his career, the master is capable of surprising us. Thank goodness Malle gave him the space – and the time – to make this slice of heaven worth the wait.
Persolaise
[Frederic Malle Heaven Can Wait review based on a sample provided by the brand in 2023.]
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Thank you for reviewing this! I think he might have had Eau d’Hermes in mind, could this be? I also really need to ask you, how do you find it compares to Eyes Closed Byredo? For some reason these two keep mixing up in my scent memory. I really enjoyed testing both.
Sorry to sound contrary, but it didn’t make me think of Eau D’Hermes or the Byredo at all.
Thanks very much for reading.
I wondered if it was a nod to Iris Gris, orris, peach, with carnation/clove, but with a lot more spices and sweetened up.
That’s possible, although Iris Gris has a much more prominent iris note.
Jean-Claude Ellena works with The Different Company as well.. but has done for some time no?
He did at the stary of the brand’s existence, but not lately.
Dear Persolaise, I was eager to smell the new Ellena’s work for Malle, even if I’m quite disappointed towards the brand because of reformulations of some of its masterworks. However, when I smelled the first time HCW, I was both pleased and disenchanted. Pleased, because to me it’s a great work I’m planning to buy; disenchanted because there’s nothing too new here from Ellena.
To me, in fact, the ghost fragrance behind Heaven Can Wait is Cuir d’Ange, the beautiful leather eau de toilette Ellena conceived for Hermessence range, with clove instead of the leather note.
Happy new year!
davide
Interesting — I wouldn’t have made a connection with Cuir.