Diptyque Kyoto and Venise Grand Tour Photo by Hernando© Le Grand Tour
One may easily become blinded to new perfume releases – especially since the numbers have exploded exponentially over the last decade. Many are attractive enough, but after careful consideration and scrutiny, it usually boils down to the universal question: is it worth spending my hard-earned dosh for? Will it hold my interest? Prices have skyrocketed as well; I needn’t remind any enthusiast of that fact. I’ve been a fan of Diptyque fragrances since I first became acquainted with them in 1972 – the year I moved to Boston. Over the decades, I’ve clung to many of the originals and welcomed quite a few newer ones. Diptyque truly has a scent for everyone, depending upon your individual yen. When anything new comes out, I’m always eager to sniff. Not all capture my fancy, but the two latest (alas, limited edition) eaux de toilettes – Diptyque Kyoto and Venise, from their Grand Tour Collection, which celebrates the storied house’s 60th anniversary – certainly have. They may not appeal to everyone, but for me they showcase the initial edgy singularity which drew me to Diptyque in the first place, a return to the house’s roots. These fragrances are fearless, fresh and fascinating, so I’m going to review them both.
Photo by Hernando© Le Grand Tour
My first question, dear readers, is this: how deeply do you love your vegetables? For those intrigued and/or drawn to the purely resinous, gourmand or overtly floral scents, you may want to take a pass – because both fragrances possess earthy garden-inspired facets which are uniquely compelling to anyone who adores a kitchen garden. Each is quirky in its own right, and I find both brilliant. Another intriguing characteristic is how they play out on different skins depending on diet, hormones, etc. I tend to heighten any sweetness in a perfume; my husband invokes a muskier, heavier aroma from the same scent. We consume the same diet. One thing is certain – neither Diptyque Kyoto nor Venise is a linear fragrance. They will change and develop on your skin – a quality which is not common these days. If you purchase perfume because you want it to broadcast itself well into a nuclear cataclysm or retain the exact same odor from start to finish, you may not be moved. They are defined as ‘Grand Tour’ because you actually travel. Let’s begin!
Photo by Hernando© Le Grand Tour
Kyoto begins its journey with a blast of that magnificent Turkish rose: heady, dizzying, so generous. The lemony aspect of frankincense plays up its spicy facet; the earthiness of a beetroot accord grounds and deepens their coupling. At this juncture we experience a sumptuous floralcy underpinned with the profoundly balsamic, grassy, lightly smoked tones of vetiver. Rose and vetiver are as marvelous lovers as rose and incense: how could she possibly prefer one to the other? Fortunately, rose doesn’t have to.
photo courtesy of Diptyque©
Part of the pleasure of Kyoto is the discovery of transformation: at first floral (ebulliently so), then vegetal, then back and forth indefinitely. Wisps of incense flutter throughout the course of Kyoto’s development. For an eau de toilette, it lingers appreciatively, but it’s not a monster. On my skin, this scent develops into a beautiful floral vegetal ode; on my husband, it morphs into something seductively musky and complex, less floral and definitely animalic. Kyoto is a shapeshifter, and she is spellbinding.
Diptyque Kyoto notes: Turkish rose, vetiver, incense, beetroot accord
Photo by Hernando© Le Grand Tour
Each must harbor his secrets – and Mane perfumer Cecile Matton keeps hers as well. Venise opens as a sequestered vegetable garden whose tendrils of verdancy entice behind the well-concealed wall. A mandarin note fairly dances as it engages the anisic tenderness of basil piqued by ascerbic freshly sliced green bell pepper and crushed tomato leaf nuances. Initially, these appear to be followed by a distinct tinge of rose on my skin, although it’s not listed among the notes. Vetiver appears in Venise, but its tenor is very different from that of Kyoto: it’s knife-sharp, in a very charming and disarming manner. Oh, there’s a smokiness – but somewhere along the line I smell a distinctly brisk woody/amber/musk which takes me by surprise; it wasn’t there in the beginning. As is often the case with such aromachemicals, once smelt you cannot ‘unsmell’ it; a recurring waft reminds me of guaiacol, with its phenolic presence.
Photo by Hernando© Le Grand Tour
Essentially, Venise has brought us from its naturalistic inception to an art essence fantasy, chameleon fragrance that it is. By virtue of contrast, when I wear it, it retains a modicum of sweetness alongside the powerful woody/amber finish, which is tenacious; on my husband, it becomes a duskier creature which sings of danger, not dulcet in the least.
Diptyque Venise notes: mandarin, basil, green bell pepper, tomato leaf, vetiver (on my skin, I smell rose and a woody/amber/musk aromachemical, ?guaiacol)
As you can see, I wouldn’t encourage a blind buy with either fragrance – and neither Kyoto nor Venise does well on mouillette alone, they require flesh for evaluation. While you’d think that I would prefer the Venise (initially I expected to, myself), it was the Kyoto which elbowed it over based upon the drydown. From what I’ve read, each has its fans and detractors. The only thing for it is to sample them yourself, and I hope you will. While they are not crowd-pleasers, they’re wonderful and idiosyncratic.
Fragrances are from my own collection and purchased by me. My nose is my own…
~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor
All photos are by Hernando Courtright, Senior Contributor and NYC Brand Ambassador
I am always happy to share – and to that end, I will decant both Diptyque Kyoto and Venise into small glass cube flacons for one registered reader in the USA or Europe. You must register here or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what you enjoyed most about Ida’s review of Diptyque Kyoto and Venise, where you live, and if you have a favorite Diptyque fragrance. Draw closes 10/11/2021
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