Let me set the stage for you. There are two leather chairs downstairs at the Le Labo boutique housed inside Barneys New York. They are oversized and they give off a different vibe from the chairs that folks normally sit on to take a break from shopping. These chairs are slightly angled toward each other, just waiting for two people to sit down and talk, hopefully about perfume, and that’s exactly what Mark Behnke, Managing Editor, Cafleurebon and I did.

Over the past 6 months Byredo and Le Labo have been begging for my attention, Byredo even stopped me in my tracks several times, but I instinctually knew that both these lines deserved and needed my full attention, so I decided to give them their own targeted crawl, but I wasn’t going to do it alone, at least initially. My self-imposed assignment was to make the case for demystifying choosing a fragrance; my hypothesis being if you don’t go it alone, perhaps something great can happen when you have someone to bounce off of, especially if that someone is another knowledgeable and enthusiastic nose. It was the experience that I was after though, and that’s exactly what I found with Mark by my side. Mark’s fragrance scope is both wide and granular, so I knew it would be special, but I think the overall vibe we were after was to slow down and be surprised.

As we descended into “The Foundation” at Barneys or what I like to call the fragrance womb, we literally stumbled onto Byredo. There was a special table that that displayed the entire line, and was also highlighting a Seven Veils gift box that included a silk scarf with the EDP. Byredo made an immediate impact; these fragrances don’t ask to be deconstructed; rather they beg to be experienced. They are impressionistic, translucent, and made me almost forget about individual notes, luring me toward overall style. Mark added, imagine if we viewed art the way we describe fragrances, stopping at each stroke of a painting to describe the cerulean blue, or burnt sienna, this process would be a little crazy making. For me, writing about notes in perfume is one way to ground my writing and counter all the fluffiness that can sometimes surround perfume descriptions.  Still Mark and I wondered if it’s necessary to breakdown the notes of a perfume to illuminate a fragrance for a reader. We happily left this question unanswered, and continued smelling. I couldn’t get over how ethereal and porous these fragrances were. Mark thought this approach might be a way of dealing with the cold weather, the line comes from Stockholm, Sweden, and perhaps these fragrances unconsciously reflect the chilly climate. Later I was reminded of the light in Ingmar Bergman’s films, and the starkness of his landscapes that are a mere reflection of many of his characters inner turmoil. Similarly, in these fragrances, both starkness and depth exist. As we continued, we spent time focusing on Byredo’s Ouds. I was attracted to Accord Oud, with its Blackberry overtones and interesting boozy charm, but when Mark spoke about Oud Immortel and how its Oud note lands delicately and is carefully weaved in and around the other notes that surround it, I knew I would have to reconsider it. At the time, I told Mark my favorite was Baudelaire. I felt akin to its snappy peppery and leathery ways. Mark wears Chembur. It has a watery almost metallic quality, the incense hovers like a luminescent cloud that has no edges. I’m reminded how we begin to know a part of someone by the fragrances they wear. A few days later, I returned to Barneys alone, stronger and wiser for having my jaunt with Mark, this time I ran back to Oud Immortel its Smokey warmth gives way to a burst of sweet tart Limoncello sunshine; it is breathy and gorgeous. Its dry down of Tobacco and Moss keeps giving until the next day; I now know that this is the one for me.

If Byredo is ethereal; Le Labo is of the earth. As Mark and I sat down at Le Labo, we prepared ourselves for this rough and ready line. These fragrances are rebellious, masters of trickery, they want to be what they aren’t, for instance smell Patchouli 24 or Oud 27, and be refreshingly surprised. The anatomy of these fragrances want to challenge us, there is a hint of anti-establishment here, they are quirky, and almost odd, but there is something about them that I am fond of, these fragrances can be tender, there is a comfort and ease about them. Mark is both amused and amusing when he speaks about Le Labo, while smelling Rose 31, he smiles and said, now this Rose has been around the block once or twice, I agree, and we laugh and both love it. As I wear it, it continues to bloom and reveal itself on the skin. Meanwhile, at their perfume bar, after you choose a fragrance, they meticulously blend it while you wait, and even put your name on the bottle. As I reflect on Le Labo fragrances they remind me of characters in early Gus Van Sant’s films, outwardly they are tough and kind of messed-up, but their underbelly is all soft and tender. Like Van Sant’s characters, these fragrances make you care about them. I admire Fabrice Penot.

Alone at Le Labo –

A few days later I found myself walking down Elizabeth Street, I had Mark and Ambrette 9 on my mind. The NoLita boutique has a very neighborhood feel to it, I almost want to sit down and hang out for hours, if only I could. Ambrette 9 held my attention mostly because of its puzzling composition and special formulation for babies and kids. I wanted to smell it again. At the bar, I was able to smell the single note of Ambrette, it comes from the seed of the tropical hibiscus flower, and it smelled nothing like I thought it would. It is nature’s antidote to synthetic Musk for sure. The Ambrette note gives off this cozy quality, with its wine and brandy overtones. I now understand where Ambrette 9 gets it kick from. 9’s palette also includes fruity notes, I detect peach, and a dry down that is a whisper, it’s incredibly soft, baby soft. It’s a tiny comforting fragrance like the seed it’s named after.

So if you’ve gotten this far, I can only imagine that you have a passion for perfume and possibly even some strong ideas about fragrance, so I urge you to take someone by the hand and have some fun and go smelling together, and then when you go to make your purchase on your own you will be much more informed by having had the experience with your special someone first.

–Valerie Vitale of Soliflore Notes, Monthly Contributor

Editor’s Note: No less than Christopher Brosius and Amouage Creative Director Christopher Chong have been quoted as saying perfume shopping should be a solitary experience. I’m not sure I agree but I think Valerie’s experience gives you another point of view. -MB