Top Notes 
Violet leaf
Bergamot
Grapefruit
Heart Notes 
Lavender
Cardamom
White thyme
Ginger
Base Notes 
Bourbon vanilla
Musk
Patchouli
06/19/2014
jtd
484 Reviews
jtd
Top Review
12
daily-wear
Perfumer Stéphanie Bakouche, 2007
I'm all for dismissing gender entirely in perfume. Or at least fucking with it. It’s been noted that men and women relate differently to their fragrances if they wear only one ("The One"). For women it's The Signature Perfume. For men it's merely Old Faithful. The implication is that women are notable for their desire to be noticed, to stand out while men are simply creatures of habit; that women want a screamer like Dior Poison and men will wear only [insert brand] eau de cologne. This set of assumptions is both limiting and false. Still, Old Faithful does point to an odd set of circumstances that has lead to some outstanding men's fragrances. (See The Masculine Chypre.)
There are loads of women's perfumes that I can imagine as The One. Clinique Aromatics Elixir. Lauder Private Collection. Robert Piguet Futur. Cuir de Lancome. Amouage Jubilation 25. Parfums de Nicolai Odalisque. There are also all the Edmond Roudnitska unisex perfumes (unisex by public acclamation if not by marketing): Dior Eau Sauvage, Diorella, Frederic Malle Parfum de Thérèse. These perfumes, while gorgeous and complex, are conceptually easy for women to wear.
The One for men, and there are surprisingly many of them, have a more complicated set of goals to fulfill. They need to meet the needs of the male ego. They must balance individuality with group affiliation and the need to be noticed with the inability to ask for help. They balance the complications and fragility of masculinity on the fulcrum of beauty. (See Masculine Fragrances for Men.)
The relationship of The One to beauty is complex for men. The fragrance must be attractive from all angles, from start to finish yet not imply femininity or homosexuality. And despite my vocabulary, it must never be referred to as either perfume or beautiful. (Cologne and handsome will suffice.) Its beauty must be recognized instantaneously yet appreciated over the course of years. These perfumes tend to become classics over the years even if they were initially unconventional. They lead the way. Examples are Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel, Aramis by Aramis (granted, a version of the 'feminine' Gres Cabochard), Old Spice, Guerlain Habit Rouge, Caron Pour un Homme, Chanel Antaeus. Many if not most of the 20th century French men's chypres (Chanel, Givenchy, Rochas...) and fougères (Hermes, Azzaro, Paco Rabanne...) make the grade.
To my mind there are really only three. They are flawless, unmatched and I would happily wear any of them forever. Guerlain Vetiver, Knize Ten, Andy Tauer l'Air du Desert Marocain. Well, make that four. I’ve been wearing Parfum MDCI Invasion Barbare.
Invasion Barbare's apparent simplicity belies it's breathtaking beauty. It alludes to other genres, the fougère, the oriental, even the woody floral, but smells original. Its grapefruit and bergamot notes harmonize with lavender and give lift. The cedar and violet leaf notes add a pitched, quietly hissy quality. A daily-wear perfume in addition to its other tasks, must also be comfortable, a quality typically associated with warmth and a roundedness. Invasion Barbare nixes this expectation and stays crisp 12 hours later.
An odd aromatherapeutic property of lavender is that it is both stimulating and sedative. Invasion Barbare functions similarly and suits all the tones and moods of a day. It is graceful. Is there really any other criterion for a perfume you’d wear every day?
I'm all for dismissing gender entirely in perfume. Or at least fucking with it. It’s been noted that men and women relate differently to their fragrances if they wear only one ("The One"). For women it's The Signature Perfume. For men it's merely Old Faithful. The implication is that women are notable for their desire to be noticed, to stand out while men are simply creatures of habit; that women want a screamer like Dior Poison and men will wear only [insert brand] eau de cologne. This set of assumptions is both limiting and false. Still, Old Faithful does point to an odd set of circumstances that has lead to some outstanding men's fragrances. (See The Masculine Chypre.)
There are loads of women's perfumes that I can imagine as The One. Clinique Aromatics Elixir. Lauder Private Collection. Robert Piguet Futur. Cuir de Lancome. Amouage Jubilation 25. Parfums de Nicolai Odalisque. There are also all the Edmond Roudnitska unisex perfumes (unisex by public acclamation if not by marketing): Dior Eau Sauvage, Diorella, Frederic Malle Parfum de Thérèse. These perfumes, while gorgeous and complex, are conceptually easy for women to wear.
The One for men, and there are surprisingly many of them, have a more complicated set of goals to fulfill. They need to meet the needs of the male ego. They must balance individuality with group affiliation and the need to be noticed with the inability to ask for help. They balance the complications and fragility of masculinity on the fulcrum of beauty. (See Masculine Fragrances for Men.)
The relationship of The One to beauty is complex for men. The fragrance must be attractive from all angles, from start to finish yet not imply femininity or homosexuality. And despite my vocabulary, it must never be referred to as either perfume or beautiful. (Cologne and handsome will suffice.) Its beauty must be recognized instantaneously yet appreciated over the course of years. These perfumes tend to become classics over the years even if they were initially unconventional. They lead the way. Examples are Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel, Aramis by Aramis (granted, a version of the 'feminine' Gres Cabochard), Old Spice, Guerlain Habit Rouge, Caron Pour un Homme, Chanel Antaeus. Many if not most of the 20th century French men's chypres (Chanel, Givenchy, Rochas...) and fougères (Hermes, Azzaro, Paco Rabanne...) make the grade.
To my mind there are really only three. They are flawless, unmatched and I would happily wear any of them forever. Guerlain Vetiver, Knize Ten, Andy Tauer l'Air du Desert Marocain. Well, make that four. I’ve been wearing Parfum MDCI Invasion Barbare.
Invasion Barbare's apparent simplicity belies it's breathtaking beauty. It alludes to other genres, the fougère, the oriental, even the woody floral, but smells original. Its grapefruit and bergamot notes harmonize with lavender and give lift. The cedar and violet leaf notes add a pitched, quietly hissy quality. A daily-wear perfume in addition to its other tasks, must also be comfortable, a quality typically associated with warmth and a roundedness. Invasion Barbare nixes this expectation and stays crisp 12 hours later.
An odd aromatherapeutic property of lavender is that it is both stimulating and sedative. Invasion Barbare functions similarly and suits all the tones and moods of a day. It is graceful. Is there really any other criterion for a perfume you’d wear every day?
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