SSAdmiral, photo by riverfronttimes.com
An aquatic-leaning perfume coming from the perfumer that’s not really a fan of most of the popular scents that fall into that perfume family? St. Louis based Shawn Maher, an independent artisanal perfumer and an Art&Olfacion Awards Finalist 2020/Artisan Category with Weinstrasse, made his own interpretation: less watery, never oceanic, more sunlit, transparent yet sturdy, and smoothly rounded up with an atmosphere of being close to a riverfront in the bright summer sunshine. The inspiration behind this fragrance is the iconic SS Admiral, a vessel that was designed in magnificent Art Deco style in 1940s: a ship of then unheard-of luxury, cruising along the St. Louis waterfront for almost forty years until she was first docked, then sold, and finally dismantled in 2011.
Chatillon Lux Admiral apped by Elena©
The memory of this magnificent boat took Shawn on a course he admits he never explored before, and while he sailed along the process of creating Chatillon Lux Admiral, he managed to dock the fragrance in the port he designed by himself: adjacent to the river, yet floating above it. And what a unique experience it is! Admiral’s top notes create an illusion of a sunny summer day, with reflections of light ricocheting around open windows and smooth surfaces surrounding you. A soft citrusy opening gently ushers you into a fine lemongrass and verbena haze. This mist feels bright, fresh, and green yet so delicate and without any dampness or earthiness, like small ripples of waves carrying diamond-shaped reflections of light as far as you can see.
And there’s movement, undercurrents of a playful fruity accord that adds depth as the most volatile notes take their leave, with blackcurrant bud and sage contrasts that somehow flow together, and above all feel spontaneous in their movements.
Take me to the river, photo by Elena Cvjetkovic©
Chatillon Lux Admiral then stirs into yet another direction, as the sage accord eases you into the aquatic heart of the fragrance, and this is where the magic happens. The way Shawn Maher twists and swirls some of the most known materials used in popular aquatics is quite unique and painstakingly creative, resulting in a sense of a peacefully flowing river, a never ending passage of water that’s compelling and soothing, even when you are aware of the power of its movement hidden deep below the surface.
Admiral moves, shifts, floats, and just when you might think this is the perfect moment in the whole development of the fragrance, whiffs of smoke rise. Not the fresh smoke coming from a riverboat, which one would expect, this smoking cade is more a distant memory of the puffs that once floated above the river surface, touched by what feels like smooth, old suede tamed with sweeter-leaning notes. I’m absolutely smitten by the originality of this accord, and if this pairing of smoke, leather, and tonka in the dry down is what the whole fragrance was leading to, it’s superb.
Chatillon Lux Admiral is a unique artisan fragrance that might change your opinion on aquatics for good, a highly creative, enchanting, and soothing flow of a river you’d want to be near on a perfect summer day. Or anytime.
Notes (as listed by the brand): Lemongrass, verbena, bergamot, aquatic notes, sage, black currant bud, riverboat smoke, tonka bean, musk.
Elena Cvjetkovic, Editor and Author of The Plum Girl
Disclaimer: A 3ml sample of Admiral was kindly sent to me by Chatillon Lux for my consideration. Opinions and feelings are – as always – of my own.
Chatillon Lux Admiral by Shawn Maher taken for this review… Thank you !!
Thanks to the generosity of Chatillon Lux, we have a 2 oz bottle of Chatillon Lux Admiral for one registered reader ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD (you must register on our site or your comment will not count). To be eligible, please tell us what you enjoyed about Elena’s review, if you have tried a Chatillon Lux or Maher Olfactive Fragrance before and where you live. Draw closes 8/14/2020
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Photos: Elena Cvjetkovic, Chatillon Lux
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