Téo Cabanel - Oha

Picture: December roses
Photo: Mr Parfumista (c)

Oha from the venerable house of Téo Cabanel is an old school styled chypre. Oha is created by the house nose or Téo Cabanel, Jean-Francois Latty, a skilful perfumer when it comes to fragrances in the the high quality classic style of Téo Cabanel. I have tested a recent sample and an older one with juice from a bottle of the old design.

Oha starts grandly with a slight powdry and bitter bergamot with contrasting accords of different roses, I can image both pink and red roses. When Oha reaches its middlenotes the roses is still dominating but has deepened and has become darker and tarter. Jasmine and iris is supporting in a robust classic flowery accord with some cool spicyness from the cardamom. There is very little sweetness, if none in Oha, even the musky base is woody and dry powdery, the vanilla and tonka are barely detectable but I suspect these notes prevent Oha from being too austere. Even if lacking oakmoss which seems to have be replaced with musk and woods, Oha is old school chypre-ish in style, something that fails most modern fragrances in this genre.  Ohas lack of sweetness and robust chypre character makes it to an unusual fragrance.

Picture: Oha (in the current bottle)
Photo: Téo Cabanel (c)

Comparing the two samples of Oha, despite just  the older one is more classic, deeper, boozier and less musky powdery with slightly better longevity. The current sample is more musky powdery, a bit sweeter in the roses and reminds me especially in the opening of Narcisco Rodriguez for Her Edt. Oha is said to be an evening scent but I think it's also appropriate for formal daytime wear as it is close to skin. Longevity is good, ca 12h.

Those who like fragrances in the style of Sisley Soir de Lune, Estee Lauder Knowing, the original Agent Provocateur, Niki de Saint Phalle, but also a bit more spicy blends as Chanel Coco, will probably also appreciate Oha.

Rating: 3 +

Notes: Bergamot. tea, rose, jasmine, cardamon, iris, vanilla, tonka been, woods, musk

Robert Piguet -Alameda

The Femme fatale spirit of Alameda - Salome
oil on canvas by Franx von Stuck 1906
Wikimedia commons

Alameda by Aurlien Guichard is a strange and intriguing fragrance from one of my favorite houses Robert Piguet. Alameda is classified as a floral chypre but it also has traces of animalic, gourmand and aldehydic accords.

Alameda starts in a classic animalic-floral-chypre way but in a contemporary interpretation of the style of for example Estee Lauder Knowing and Montana Parfum d'Peau. The animalic note is relatively clean, it's somehow like the smell of a new fur. But soon the chypre impression is dimmed with an almost gourmand, dry, light spicy, cookie accord. As the fragrance moves further a light powdery-clean-earthy-rosy almost light aldehydicstyled accord appears and this accord intesifies and different twists appears during the dry down. The earthiness of the orris is without the carrots, it's like this note has been removed.  In the basenotes, Alameda ends up in a beautiful animalic chyprebase similar to how I image Montana Parfum d'Peau or La Perla (classic) would  have smelled if these fragrances were created today.

Picture: Alameda by Robert Piguet
Photo: PR Robert Piguet (c)

Alameda is a fragrance which performs with different twists during different wearings. It's a complicated fragrance which take a wearing or two to really appreciate. Just as I want from my perfumes, Alameda is intriguing, the wearer doesn't know what will happen next in the dry down, this perfum is not about just smelling good, it's also about a challenge. To apply Alameda sparingly is a must, the fragrance is concentrated and could be overwhelming if applying too much, my preferred dose is three squirts. Alameda is classified as unisex, to me it's definitly feminine but could, as complex as it is, probably develope in a quite different way, on a man. Can't convince Mr Parfumista to try as he thinks it's a real Femme fatale fragrance.

Alameda is a rich fragrance with great sillage and longevity for 24h+. It's not the fragrances for the scentfobic office but in a fragrancefriendly surrounding, a light dose could be nice preferably during the dark and cold season. For eveing and festive occasions, Alameda is just amazing.

Rating: 5

Notes: Bergamot, rose, lily, orris, patchouli, amber, castoreum

Soir de Lune - Recension

Foto: Herr Parfumista (c)
Ursprungligen publicerat på min tidigare blogg "Parfumistans blogg" på Damerns Världs hemsida i september 2007.

Först känns Soir de Lune inte så insmickrande för näsan såvida man inte gillar storslagna 80-talschypres som Diva, Montana Parfum d’Peau, Knowing och Eau de Soir. Av senare års kreationer påminner den om Agent Provocateur men A P är mer kryddig, tuff och rå.   

S d L behåller sin storslagenhet rakt igenom och den signalerar, liksom sin syster Eau de Soir, en elegant kvinna som tar plats. Soir de Lune är dock mjukare och blommigare i framtoningen. I ett stadium tycker jag personligen att det kortvarigt framträder lite för mycket ljus blomma som liljekonvalj och något som påminner om syren. Denna fas går ganska snabbt över och basen, som är det bästa, framträder med trä, honung och en rosig kryddighet som börjar redan bland hjärtnoterna.

S d L har en bra närvaro och bra hållbarhet tills fram på kvällen. Eftersom den tar en del plats är den lämplig för elegantare tillställningar eller i jobbsituationer där det krävs ett statement, till exempel vid förhandlingar. S d L är en bra doft för den som vill kliva in i de stora chyprenas värld men har man redan Eau de Soir, Knowing etc så är frågan om S d L är en berättigad investering. Jo, det är den faktiskt ändå, om man gillar den här typen av numera nästan utrotningshotade dofter. S d L bör finnas i varje sann Parfumistas garderob.

Betyg: 5

Kommentar 2010: Jag tycker att SdL är lika bra idag. En blivande klassiker.