La Fin du Monde Etat Libre d'Orange 2013
1
La Fin du Monde
The End of the World. Is this a reference to the apocalypse, or to the more romantic notion of explorers of old pushing beyond the known horizon? The bottle, with its radioactive hazard symbol, and the press release, suggest the former. This must be another ELdO joke, but I can't say I'm in on the punchline. This perfume smells beautiful. A little bit of smoke, a little bit of pepper, a little bit of seed spices, all nestled on a bed of iris that sits on a frame of fresh and breathable vetiver and woods. Effortlessly light and diffusive and swooning, the seeds spices and pepper twinkling at moments like stars in the night sky, perhaps what this fragrance is trying to tell us is that when the world ends all will be beautiful again? I have no idea.
The peculiar narrative aside, there are two other things that are striking about this fragrance. One is that, given the narrative, this fragrance is decidedly feminine in nature. Maybe that's a clue to ELdO's idea of the end of the world - that women will save it, or be all that's left? The second striking feature is just how calm, quiet, and close this perfume is. ELdO is no stranger to - and is perfectly capable - of making big and loud fragrances, which you would think would tee-them-up with a title like "The End of the World." But they've taken a very deliberate pass. This perfume is very quiet, very subtle, it speaks in whispers and caresses, not booms or bangs or shouts. If this is what the end of the world smells like, bring it on. I am perplexed by it, compelled and allured by it, but I have no idea if I'd want to wear it again.
The peculiar narrative aside, there are two other things that are striking about this fragrance. One is that, given the narrative, this fragrance is decidedly feminine in nature. Maybe that's a clue to ELdO's idea of the end of the world - that women will save it, or be all that's left? The second striking feature is just how calm, quiet, and close this perfume is. ELdO is no stranger to - and is perfectly capable - of making big and loud fragrances, which you would think would tee-them-up with a title like "The End of the World." But they've taken a very deliberate pass. This perfume is very quiet, very subtle, it speaks in whispers and caresses, not booms or bangs or shouts. If this is what the end of the world smells like, bring it on. I am perplexed by it, compelled and allured by it, but I have no idea if I'd want to wear it again.