Animalique Byredo 2023

400 euros. That’s how much my brother and I made on a blisteringly hot summer day at our flea market stand, where we sold old junk all day long. The day was long, the sun relentless, and when we finally packed up in the evening, we laughed tears over my completely absurd sunburn. Between my ballerinas and the 7/8 leggings (don’t judge me, that was the fashion back then), a bright red line had formed - as if I were wearing bright red socks.

After we finally calmed down, we considered what to do with the money. The consideration lasted exactly 15 seconds when my brother exclaimed, “We’re flying to Milan for a weekend!”

Abracadabra - so be it.

And so, a few weeks later, we landed in a city that was chaotic and elegant at the same time. We strolled through narrow streets, were overwhelmed by the size of the cathedral, ate pizza with anchovies, and were especially amazed by the Milanese themselves.
Everyone was impeccably styled, young and old, despite the sweltering heat. We looked down at ourselves, at my sock tan and our sweaty shirts, and decided to refresh our wardrobe.

Soon after, I discovered a small shoe shop. A boutique. No, more than that - a leather workshop of the finest kind. My gaze was caught by a pair of cream-colored pumps in the window. Hypnotized, I stepped inside.

The shop smelled of freshly tanned leather, animalistic and slightly floral, probably from the treatments used, with a hint of vanilla, whose warm oil was trying to combat the animalic scent over a burning candle. An older gentleman greeted me with a knowing smile in broken English.
“Calf leather,” he said, carefully lifting the shoes out of the window. “I have only this one pair, try them on.”

I slipped them on and felt it immediately - they not only fit, they belonged to me. The leather was buttery soft, wrapping around my feet as if it were made for them. I took a few steps. Everything was perfect.
I nodded, the shoemaker nodded. “These will accompany you for a very, very long time.”
He was right.

Over 12 years later, on my wedding day, I stood in my wedding dress in front of the mirror and knew: it could only be these shoes. So many memories were attached to them by now, so many nights full of passion, travels, adventures, stories that life wrote.
As I walked down the aisle with my beloved brother by my side, I had (also because of them) a broad smile on my face. I love these shoes. I love their scent, which they have not lost over the years.

And that’s exactly how Animalique smells - like that little leather workshop in Milan. Like the moment I found them. My shoes.

Animalique smells different than the name suggests. Not raw or animalic, but like noble, finest suede. The softest leather notes, smoothly delicate, enveloped by gentle flowers and a quiet, caressing, woody vanilla that is not listed, but I perceive it.
Professional, yet whispering of effortless sensuality, perhaps even eroticism.
The longevity is good, not overwhelming. For the first 4 hours, this perfume is very noticeable, after that it flares up every now and then, allowing you to experience the scent anew and remember. Ah, there was something. It stays like that all day, which I find heavenly. If I had found this scent earlier, if it had existed earlier - I would have worn it to my wedding.

They are just shoes. But are they really just shoes?