Wander Through the Parks Miller Harris 2018

Strolling through London’s parks is generally a great idea. However, they didn’t provide much refreshment during the recent heat. In the Kensington Gardens, located to the west of Hyde Park, the grass had turned in places into a yellow meadow that resembled a dry savannah.

Holland Park, a mere half-mile west of Hyde Park, has fared no better in recent weeks. Pictures certainly convey an impression of how beautiful it apparently is when something wet occasionally falls from above. Everything seemed much cuter. It’s also more relaxed and quieter; obviously, the area is hardly frequented by tourists - which may be because there are no palaces or memorial sites for Saint Diana located there. It’s a pity that we only got to know this place literally at the last moment and only in part, namely on the day of our departure and under gradually increasing time pressure.

The fragrance is in a hurry as well. Upon spraying, grapefruit and blackcurrant compete to prick the senses, followed by a (initially) hint of fig. Both are quickly overgrown by wonderfully juicy, non-herbaceous green. Nettle fits in perfectly - I can attest to that, as we have plenty of it in our garden. The prickly fruity opening has given way to a pleasant acidity. A successful start.

That the refreshing nettle soon retreats in favor of the less original fig may be logical: which English gardener tolerates nettles? From an aromatic perspective, this is unfortunate, as now, after about an hour, ‘Wander Through The Parks’ has already become a bit lackluster. The fine, sharp acidity has largely succumbed to a sense of generic laboratory fruit, and the initially clear structure blurs into a diffuse fruit-green mush over the course of the morning, gradually supported by a woody base.

The possibly honorable attempts by (aha - I wouldn’t have figured that out on my own) violet leaf and cashmeran to give it some edge unfortunately only lead to a certain bitterness lending the fruit a hint of rot by the afternoon. Ultimately, even that is smothered by the viscous mass - in this case, mercifully. I can no longer discern any subtleties from the now balsamic-creamy puree after the fifth hour. The end presents clean musk.

Conclusion: Holland Park even gets a 9.0 in yellow, while the fragrance remains a good bit below that.

PS: The sample came from the Miller-Harris store in Covent Garden. Next door are shops from Penhaligon’s and Atelier Cologne. A few steps up the street and twice around the corner lies the formidable Bloom Perfumery.