1996 - Inez & Vinoodh Byredo 2013 Eau de Parfum

Yet another hipster amber-patchouli-vanillic scent with an faint leathery heart and a spicy floral whiff, most of all with that distinctive “niche texture” we’ve been so used to these years – thin, transparent, dusty, kind of cheaply synthetic, terribly reminding of so many other “artistic perfumes” (...) of recent times. Think of any amber and/or leather niche scent – this will easily be identical to them, and viceversa. Leather is again that synthetic suede note, amber is again basically ambroxan, and so on... juniper berries, ok, that's maybe less common. I don't get any iris out of this. Not tragic but tragically uninspired and without the slightest hint of something justifying its price.

4,5-5/10

I confess that i always had a peeve with the fragrance house Byredo. Not that its creations were bad, but the didn't seemed consistent with the position that their price put them I felt that there was lacking a clear nexus bettwen the very personal inspirations and the fragrances, that could been part of any other brand. Because of this i got surprised with 1996, born from the parternship bewteern the brand and photrographers duo Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.

The idea was born initially as a gift limited edition to the friends of the photrographers duo, one which was inspired in their favorite notes and the 'Kirsten, 1996', photography. I imagine that the reaction was quite positive and both the brand and photrographers saw that they had in their hands a product which could be commercial success.

As they describe, 1996 is really cozy, warm and doesn't seem exactly ultra modern neither old fashioned. If i was going to sum up, i would say that it's an iris creation in a good ambar and patchouli background. The iris here seems for me delicate, devoid of its violet nuances or its cold aroma. It's an iris accord that reminds me a lot of the carrot aroma, that texture of a carrot which is slightly sweet, earthy and, somehow, orange on its smell. It's an organic aroma delicious for me, which goes along with good mixture of patchouli and ambar - an ambar which gives more emphasiss on the vanilla part and that with patchouli ends producing a sensation of semisweet chocolate on skin. I like how the spices are used in this creation, giving a fresh spicy touch which is secondary and it's used to soften the base notes intensity. If you are looking for a good oriental iris, 1996 is a great choice.

Niche genre: smudged eyeliner musks. 1996 is crystals shop patchouli splashed with Chanel vanilla. Add a leather moto jacket, last night’s rouge, a spilt cocktail on a fur coat, and a single midnight cigarette and you’ve got 1996. It’s the scent of a rowdy, self-indulgent night out. Like you got dolled up to your ritziest and then closed out a basement rave. 1996 has the same dustiness and brandied woods as Bibliotheque and the same leather and smoke of Black Saffron, but feels more authentically “lived-in” than either. Heard someone on the internet say this smells like indie sleaze and it’s all I can see now. Longevity is uncharacteristically un-Byredolike.

Mental Snapshot: Skater skirt, hooflike heels. A sweaty dancefloor, glitter tears. Polaroids of modern muses. A self-mythologizing Lana lyric. The NYC skyline, hazed into a dapple of bokeh lights in the night.

tl;dr: my 2014 Tumblr feed

Love love love this fragrance. I disagree with the two reviews below.

The air is cold and the leaves are falling and it's time to bring out this underrated GEM from ByeByeRedo.

1996 is in the vien of something like Tempo (earthy patchouli) but wears drier, more ambery and much longer lasting. There is juniper up top giving it a little piney dry fruit but it only sticks around for the opening. It has also has this intriguing glossy magazine paper smell. I find a lot of the fragrances from this house have a plastic quality. Back to 1996...This is an art space patchouli bomb, but with dusty iris/orris and a subtle worn leather accord that is more fitting for an antique book shop or vintage furniture store. I have some ambers and patch scents but this one is super unique.

*Not a blind buy scent unless you really love a big patchouli/amber! I also heard it's been discontinued.

I tried it in Berlin and it is a really nice but not that special composition from Byredo.
It is hard to get and mostly it is sold out in Berlin. Created by Byredo as a gift for friends they decided to sell the Scent limited to the ordinary crowd.
Sillage was average and it ended up in the Base notes with something like a vanilla/Iris Sirup. The Drydown is deep, dark vanilla. A bit to much for me. Starting with pepper/juniper top notes I was so amazed and curious about this Limited 50 ml Version from Stockholm... I waited for stunning Middle Notes that would blast me away but no. Violet and Iris hidden behind the vanilla cloud. Not much leather to find here for my nose too.
I see Byredos Creation on a lady over 30. Mens could try it too but will be afraid of the creamy Vanilla ending. That sweet ending lasts for days on fabric and 24 hous on skin. Still I think it is so well rounded I give 80%. Around 120€ for 50ml You need to spend in Germany. 100ml is not available.