Lullaby

It was January 2000 when, at the age of 15, my mother asked me to buy an extra birthday present for my father. As the choice fell on a new perfume and my mother could hardly smell anything due to a chronic illness, the choice was delegated to me. Although, like so many teenagers, I was constantly annoyed and argumentative, I was very happy about this task. After all, it gave me the opportunity to expand my existing interest in fragrances and possibly find an alternative to my beloved Culture by Tabac (1996) Eau de Toilette.
So I made my way to the only perfumery in town, which, in order to stay afloat financially, still had sunbeds in its back rooms.

When I arrived, I sniffed my way through the range. The sales clerk watched me suspiciously throughout. After a few minutes, she approached me and asked what I was looking for. I told her my father's age and that he was more of the sporty jeans type, similar to a dating agency, and also mentioned "gift" and my mother's budget. With the real chance of selling something and applying her specialist knowledge, the saleswoman's face visibly brightened. With words like: "Young man, come with me! I've got just the thing. We've just brought it in. Something very special!", I was led to a Ted Lapidus advertising display. The lady took the bottle, sprayed it onto a fragrance strip and handed it to me. I took a rather skeptical sniff, after all, I had never heard of Ted Lapidus before. But my skepticism immediately gave way to a wow moment. "Dude, how good is that?" were probably my thoughts at the time. The scent smelled completely different to the fragrances I had known before. A spicy, slightly sweet freshness that somehow seemed noble tingled in my nose and wouldn't let me go. While the nice specialist was still explaining the individual fragrance notes, my decision to buy the fragrance had already been made. The birthday present was found.

It has to be said that my father likes to use aftershave and perfume, but hasn't really developed a passion for them. So he was delighted with his gift and uses the perfume regularly. At the same time, I secretly used it, probably to the same extent, until it ran out at some point. It wasn't to be a repeat purchase, as the fragrance unfortunately didn't find its way from the display to the shelf. That was okay for Dad, while I mourned this perfume, which was so unique to me, for years until it was eventually forgotten.

Almost 20 years later, thanks to Parfumo, I remembered it again and decided to give my old love another chance. But this turned out to be not so easy. Not only was Ted nowhere to be found on the usual sites on the Internet, there were hardly any hits on Google. The similarity in name to Lapidus pour Homme Eau de Toilette is probably partly responsible for this.

When I finally found it and the parcel arrived from France, I was as excited as a child at Christmas. Many questions ran through my mind. Does it smell the same as before? What did it even smell like before? What if I don't like it anymore?
The first thing I did was pick up the bottle and examine it. Phew, nothing had changed here! It was the same heavy, high-quality bottle as back then. Now I took off the silver cap and sprayed it. Breathe a sigh of relief, the sprayer works. A decent mist settles over my wrist, which I bring to my nose after a few moments.
"Oh my God, that's him!" I burst out. He smelled exactly like I remembered.

But what does it actually smell like? The scent is difficult to pin down. What Apicius describes as chaotic is kind of right. After spraying it on, a complex mix of fresh, citrusy and spicy notes emerges, which are difficult to identify and separate from the overall picture. I'll give it a try anyway. Lemon? Of course. Ginger, caraway, nutmeg? That could be it. Cinnamon? Not even a hint. In the drydown, musk and amber remain together with a slightly spicy sweetness. Ted smells classy and elegant to me, opulent and dignified at the same time. I would describe it somehow as "sparkling" or "tingling". It somehow feels like it fits more into the Sisley portfolio than Ted Lapidus.

For me, a fragrance love story has found a happy ending after many years. It is therefore not surprising that I wore Ted to the wedding. For fear of losing it again, I stashed it away as a precaution.