Archives 69 Etat Libre d'Orange 2011

Archives 69 gets a high grade for being daring and original. It opens with paprika/pimento contrasted with some mandarin. In the heart the most important notes appear: a blend of prickly camphor and fresh incense. Its prickly freshness challenges ones nose, like pepper does. Also in the heart there's a medium strong 'pink' orchid and a little sweet plum underneath. This is the magical phase of this fragrance. Heck: 9 out of 10! :) But only for the wonderful heart phase. Later, in the dry down I have to downgrade it to a 7.5, which is still good. After the plum and orchid have faded (much too soon), the airy, prickly camphor-incense mix stays strongly. It's lightened by some musk. There's a tiny dose of benzoin and patchouli in the base.

The heart gets a 9 for me because it accesses strange corners of my brain that I didn't expect. It made me think of a swimming pool (well, the good part of the swimming pool): all-pervading prickly chlorine (taking the place of the camphor) joined by sweet shampoo (orchid) and other clean pleasant body care products (plum). Yes it's a clean but strange fragrance.

Let me compare with another fragrance that has incense and that is a bit smoke-like: Comme des Garçons 2 Man. Well, Archives is stranger and more difficult to like. It is very unisex. Archives is the better fragrance, due to nuances. Try this if you like YSL Nu or Lush Breath of God. A challenge to wear. Cool stuff.