Business or Adventure? - Terre d'Hermès Review + Summer Anticipations

This week I went swimming for the first time this year. Though the water was prickly-cold in the way that makes you want to keep treading water just to fight for warmth, it still marked a moment. Paired with the beaming sunlight and frantic games of both basketball and volleyball being played shortly before and after this swimming day, it announced that summer has arrived. With the turning of the season, potential energy is activated. Along with new produce in the farmer's market, new seasonal wardrobe, and new seasonal activities, a new rotation of fragrances is probably welcome as well! With that, it seems like a good time to write about my newest full bottle pickup.

Terre d'Hermès Eau de Toilette is a fragrance that probably needs no introduction. This classic from 2006 keeps it relatively simple but some unique notes, combinations, and balance make it feel totally its own and totally timeless. It's a vetiver fragrance, but the surrounding elements just extend that center in all different directions - the cold green resin of cedar, that smoky firework smell of flintstone, the crisp acidity of grapefruit zest. It's both grounded and reaching out for something more.

It totally makes sense why Terre is considered a quintessential office fragrance. It's safe, striking, not too weird, fresh, not too youthful, and doesn't make any particularly bold statements besides "I'm clean and put together and maybe even mature." That said, there's something just under the surface urging to break out like that old stereotype of an office worker guy who would just run away and life off the grid in the woods if he could. Behind the office-friendly exterior, it almost tells the story of a hunting trip: The cedar reminds one of pushing the green, sticky needles of a coniferous tree out of your way as you trudge through the forest. The woody profile evokes crouching behind a fallen tree as you aim your rifle at your prey. The flintstone is the wafting white smoke after you make the perfect killshot. Even the name of the fragrance calls to one from the outside world.

The scent profile also tells a tale of two seasons: for many, Terre is considered a quintessential winter fragrance with its woodiness and association with winter citrus and deciduous forests. Plus, it just creates this sensation of cold stone. But don't the freshness of the citrus and the brightness of the profile feel perfect for the summer too? And doesn't the coldness of it just refresh you in this season? It's almost as if in the winter, it longs for summer and in the summer, it prepares for winter. For me, in this moment as I picked it up last month, it represents a preparation for summer and all the activities it brings. Disc golf, tennis, hiking, the farmer's market, Terre pushes me to make the most of this fleeting time while reminding me that it will wane back into winter sooner than I think.

Holding these dualities of scenery and season together, I think Terre d'Hermès could be said to represent potential energy. Much like the explosive gunpowder, flammable grasses and woods, the office worker ready to move into the woods, and the forward propulsion of its seasonality, Terre is ready to explode at any minute. But, for the moment, we are safe. This propulsion gives it immediacy and energy. It demands attention, because who knows what it is capable of? And who knows what can be achieved when you wear this? Who knows what adventures can be had?

Thanks for reading my article, I hope you enjoyed it. Be sure to check out my last article about my three month progress report on this hobby. If by any chance you are also in the St. Louis area, I'll promote the community I created on here for local fragrance enthusiasts as well.