29
Top Review
"...dark, smokey, lustful sound."
At first, I found the fragrances by Antonio Gardoni overrated. Everyone raved about 'Maai', but not me. Somehow, I couldn't find a proper connection, and 'Mem' and 'O/E' didn't excite me either.
However, after some time, my sense of smell must have found some kind of key, and I gained access and was convinced.
'Douleur!' completely knocked me out, though. I crawled back inch by inch until I learned to withstand the scent, to appreciate it, and eventually even to love it.
'Tyrannosaurus Rex' was initially a bit of an adjustment as well, but I didn't have to search long for the key to understanding this unruly work; it was simply there, so familiar was the Gardoni DNA to me by then.
'Lita' is now perhaps the most accessible scent from the man from Brescia, at least that's how I feel today, without being able to guarantee that I would have felt the same before getting to know all the others.
First of all, 'Lita' is a very dark scent. Fresh citrus sprightliness is nowhere to be found in it. The floral bouquet of gardenia, ylang-ylang, champaca, and jasmine doesn't really contribute to any brightness either. But similar to 'T-Rex', it operates noticeably and clearly in the background, cloaked in earthy-woody, rather brown tones or notes.
In the foreground, coriander seed, sandalwood, tobacco, patchouli, myrrh, and incense shake hands throughout the entire scent journey. This axis is seamlessly intertwined, amalgamated into a dense aromatic aroma with initially spicy, later also smoky nuances, shaping the entire scent journey without surprising turns.
This aroma is underpinned and supported by three accords that overlap and lose little presence over time: starting with a bitter-green accent of bergamot, cypress, and vetiver, followed by the aforementioned floral quartet, culminating in the soft, sweet-balsamic fullness of benzoin, vanilla, and tonka. Serving as a framework for these three accords, which give depth, richness, and volume to the dark main theme, is a typical, albeit hardly recognizable chypre structure from Antonio Gardoni, always with a hint of civet added. Just enough that you can only barely smell it out, but enough to create a sensual-erotic spin.
Here, I always envision the bald perfumer with his massive black beard, like a medieval alchemist, sitting at night (he supposedly composes his scents only when it gets dark) before his only sparsely candlelit fragrance organ, making it roar powerfully with many pulled registers, while a civet cat purrs against his legs.
Just an image...
However, it leads me to the musical background of the scent, although I can't really say what 'Lita' has to do with the pop duo named DUO, as well as the similarly titled album that has just been released. The music of the two - they are not only a duo professionally but also a couple privately - is nice, sometimes cheerful, occasionally a bit melancholic, but dark? No, at least not in my perception.
Antonio describes it this way: “Using Duo’s music for inspiration, I wanted to produce something that echoed their dark, smokey, lustful sound.”
Okay, if one perceives the music that way, then his scent fits perfectly.
Allegedly, the covers of the vinyl editions have been perfumed with the scent, so that the discerning buyer is initially confronted with a kind of fragrant overture when unpacking, before the actual listening pleasure begins. A beautiful merging of different sensory impressions, which, as I said, unfortunately doesn't quite work for me, but that's okay.
Fortunately, 'Lita' also functions quite autonomously, without any sound accompaniment.
I find the letters in the typical 70s design that adorn both the album and the scent quite nice. At least for the latter, they fit well, because if a decade stood as a godfather for 'Lita', it was definitely this one. Between 'Halston Z-14' and 'Yatagan', it would fit quite well, were it not a thoroughly modern scent. However, its habitus is quite 70s-like.
By the way, anyone familiar with 'T-Rex' might find 'Lita' a bit familiar. The charred, burnt facets also reappear here, as the two seem to be kindred spirits. 'Lita' is somewhat of a cousin, or better: a nephew of the dino, albeit a nephew with manners and spared from the bloodthirsty outbursts of the uncle. Because exactly what 'Lita' lacks are those metallic hints that reliably trigger blood associations in the 'T-Rex' din.
In 'Lita', it doesn't roar quite so wildly anymore; everything, despite many exciting contrasts, remains somewhat considerate of a nurturing coexistence. This makes the scent more wearable than 'T-Rex', friendlier, but unfortunately also less exciting.
Nevertheless, the Bogue bottle will probably empty faster than the one from Zoologist, as there is always something about exciting scents: they tend to overwhelm me, and occasionally also others whom I confront with them.
As I said: for me, 'Lita' is the most accessible of all previous Gardoni scents and probably the most tolerable for my environment - although this test is still pending due to lockdown conditions.
But hopefully soon there will be a life with fewer masks and without perfume-hostile distance regulations, and 'Lita' will be able to prove itself.
I'm looking forward to it.
However, after some time, my sense of smell must have found some kind of key, and I gained access and was convinced.
'Douleur!' completely knocked me out, though. I crawled back inch by inch until I learned to withstand the scent, to appreciate it, and eventually even to love it.
'Tyrannosaurus Rex' was initially a bit of an adjustment as well, but I didn't have to search long for the key to understanding this unruly work; it was simply there, so familiar was the Gardoni DNA to me by then.
'Lita' is now perhaps the most accessible scent from the man from Brescia, at least that's how I feel today, without being able to guarantee that I would have felt the same before getting to know all the others.
First of all, 'Lita' is a very dark scent. Fresh citrus sprightliness is nowhere to be found in it. The floral bouquet of gardenia, ylang-ylang, champaca, and jasmine doesn't really contribute to any brightness either. But similar to 'T-Rex', it operates noticeably and clearly in the background, cloaked in earthy-woody, rather brown tones or notes.
In the foreground, coriander seed, sandalwood, tobacco, patchouli, myrrh, and incense shake hands throughout the entire scent journey. This axis is seamlessly intertwined, amalgamated into a dense aromatic aroma with initially spicy, later also smoky nuances, shaping the entire scent journey without surprising turns.
This aroma is underpinned and supported by three accords that overlap and lose little presence over time: starting with a bitter-green accent of bergamot, cypress, and vetiver, followed by the aforementioned floral quartet, culminating in the soft, sweet-balsamic fullness of benzoin, vanilla, and tonka. Serving as a framework for these three accords, which give depth, richness, and volume to the dark main theme, is a typical, albeit hardly recognizable chypre structure from Antonio Gardoni, always with a hint of civet added. Just enough that you can only barely smell it out, but enough to create a sensual-erotic spin.
Here, I always envision the bald perfumer with his massive black beard, like a medieval alchemist, sitting at night (he supposedly composes his scents only when it gets dark) before his only sparsely candlelit fragrance organ, making it roar powerfully with many pulled registers, while a civet cat purrs against his legs.
Just an image...
However, it leads me to the musical background of the scent, although I can't really say what 'Lita' has to do with the pop duo named DUO, as well as the similarly titled album that has just been released. The music of the two - they are not only a duo professionally but also a couple privately - is nice, sometimes cheerful, occasionally a bit melancholic, but dark? No, at least not in my perception.
Antonio describes it this way: “Using Duo’s music for inspiration, I wanted to produce something that echoed their dark, smokey, lustful sound.”
Okay, if one perceives the music that way, then his scent fits perfectly.
Allegedly, the covers of the vinyl editions have been perfumed with the scent, so that the discerning buyer is initially confronted with a kind of fragrant overture when unpacking, before the actual listening pleasure begins. A beautiful merging of different sensory impressions, which, as I said, unfortunately doesn't quite work for me, but that's okay.
Fortunately, 'Lita' also functions quite autonomously, without any sound accompaniment.
I find the letters in the typical 70s design that adorn both the album and the scent quite nice. At least for the latter, they fit well, because if a decade stood as a godfather for 'Lita', it was definitely this one. Between 'Halston Z-14' and 'Yatagan', it would fit quite well, were it not a thoroughly modern scent. However, its habitus is quite 70s-like.
By the way, anyone familiar with 'T-Rex' might find 'Lita' a bit familiar. The charred, burnt facets also reappear here, as the two seem to be kindred spirits. 'Lita' is somewhat of a cousin, or better: a nephew of the dino, albeit a nephew with manners and spared from the bloodthirsty outbursts of the uncle. Because exactly what 'Lita' lacks are those metallic hints that reliably trigger blood associations in the 'T-Rex' din.
In 'Lita', it doesn't roar quite so wildly anymore; everything, despite many exciting contrasts, remains somewhat considerate of a nurturing coexistence. This makes the scent more wearable than 'T-Rex', friendlier, but unfortunately also less exciting.
Nevertheless, the Bogue bottle will probably empty faster than the one from Zoologist, as there is always something about exciting scents: they tend to overwhelm me, and occasionally also others whom I confront with them.
As I said: for me, 'Lita' is the most accessible of all previous Gardoni scents and probably the most tolerable for my environment - although this test is still pending due to lockdown conditions.
But hopefully soon there will be a life with fewer masks and without perfume-hostile distance regulations, and 'Lita' will be able to prove itself.
I'm looking forward to it.
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10 Comments
There aren't many scents that I want to explore like this. At first, I was almost disappointed because of its subtlety, but I found it to be crafted fantastically. Now, it's slowly but surely making its way onto my shopping list.
Your comment is, as always, very detailed, lively, and strongly advocates for Mr. Gardoni's scents!
Unfortunately, I haven't had access to Douleur 1 and 2 yet; they're just too intense for me.
P.S. I heard that the fragrance Allegretto 7.2 will be available in Europe by mid-year at the latest!