Sometimes a fragrance is so exquisite and uniquely itself that my desire to rush in and write about it comes to a delightful pause; instead I get to live with the fragrance in a kind of suspended time, savoring it and waiting to see where it will take me, and that’s exactly how Iris Nazarena revealed itself. The more I wore Nazarena the more I began to visualize it as a diffuse palette of pale rose and the palest violet-blue bleeding into hues of contrasting grey. As orris filled the air, I saw an almost muted monochromatic world dry, earthy, and arid. In my minds eye I began to see various scenes from a film, but it took me days before I could finally remember the film’s name. All day into dawn Nazarena’s subtle trail ricocheted back at me, disappearing and reappearing, as did the scenes from the film, but still I couldn’t remember the story only the emotional colors of the film. Finally after many days I was reminded of the expressive look of Bernardo Bertolucci’s film from 1970, The Conformist. If this film could be a fragrance it would be Nazarena. Stylized and framed through a filter of gold, blue, and grey.

Aedes de Venustas has been a long-standing home for high-end perfumeries in NYC since 1995. Proprietors/curators Karl Bradl and Robert Gerstner have created less of a shop and more of a cozy perfumery shrine, and once inside you immediately feel their pulse and aesthetic through their well-edited selection of fine fragrances. When visiting Aedes I am always reminded of the potential of fragrance to reveal how we want to be seen in the world, and a perfume’s ability to change the atmosphere in an instant with a single press and release. Bradl and Gerstner chose Perfumer Ralf Schwieger to create their second fragrance.

Ralf Schwieger has taken his inspiration from the hillsides near Nazareth where the gorgeous Iris Bismarckiana grows, and he has created a sensual fragrance that is distinctively his. The Bismarckiana’s flags are uncharacteristically light violet, kind of pale grey, its color is hard to describe, and its falls are covered with dots that sometimes merge to form a dark base. Mr. Schwieger’s perfumes remind me of the quiet and sensual side of nature, of the body and the skin, and here he gives us the weight and texture of the flower. Schwieger steers this fragrance to a place that is soulful yet modern, earthy and tonal. The orris note floats and ambrette tickles with a hint of fruitiness, and the juniper note brings a height of freshness. Soon incense begins to rise, and it is met by star anise and clove creating an aromatic almost syrupy narcotic mix. Incense on the skin acts as a reference to time, and gives reverence to antiquity, I’m reminded how smoke can transform a space. The oud is perfectly balanced, resinous and animalic; there is some crispness at the end. I think its clear that I adore this fragrance.

My treasured sample was mailed protected in bubble wrap; soon we will be able to lift its perfectly grey-hued suede box that protects and celebrates both flacon and juice.

All photos are stills from Bernardo Bertolucci The Conformist

–Valerie Vitale, Contributing Editor