Catriona Balfe in Outlander, Starz channel

“Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
Say, could that lad be I?
Merry of soul he sailed on a day
Over the sea to Skye” — Skye Boat Song, lyrics by Robert Louis Stevenson

Jacques Fath coat, photo by Philippe Pottier, 1951

Jacques Fath may have been the Parisienne couturier par excellence, known for his urban chic and elegant, flower-shaped skirts, but he liked to use unconventional fabrics. Green loden – that thick army blanket-like fabric – was a favourite source for his coats and nipped-waist dresses. Luca Maffei’s splendid olfactory interpretation of this woolly textile in Fath’s Essentials Le Loden is densely green, complex and sophisticated but also earthy, mossy, a touch witchy. This is a scent not of coiffured chignons and arched brows but of damp peat underfoot, of lowering grey skies pierced by light shafts, of fine highland scotch drunk by the fireside in good company in a woody lodge. And it invites you to pull up a chair.

 2  Times Art and Olfaction Award Winning Perfumer Luca Maffei and Creative Director Rania Naim of Jacques Fath

Maffei layers three vetivers – Haitian, bourbon and Javanese – adding one at each stage of the composition to repeat their essential aromas while becoming more complex over time. One spray and the mournful whine of bagpipes sounds. A spirituous aroma uncannily like Dewars scotch rises from the skin immediately, trailed by mulchy rolled tobacco. Aromatic, fresh ginger and a bright tang of mandarin make the opening dance. But in a few moments, the oily, rooty, citronella smell of Haitian vetiver takes over. Here there are echoes of Chanel Sycomore (Jacques Polge); a similar elegant bitterness and clarity.

Photo by Onin Lorente for L’Optimum, 2015

The second movement of Le Loden, however, gradually becomes much darker, as if a threat of storm were gathering quietly in the middle of the fragrance. Bourbon vetiver brings its characteristic saddle leather to the perfume aspect along with some dry spice that is neatly accentuated by the pungency of juniper berries. Geranium adds a velvet-pepper kick as the notes merge with other green-brown smells of peat moss, roots, trees and charred wood, while ginger settles in for the rest of the show.

Photo by Damian Foxe

The last phase is darker still. Overtly smoky Java vetiver spreads across the turned soil smell of patchouli like ground fog. The woodiness of the three vetivers becomes prominent, and the moist tobacco of the opening dries out and sweetens into the savor of the pipe. Le Loden becomes burnished, richer and more enveloping as it goes on. Unexpectedly, there is a quirky hint of floral lushness that is unmistakably ylang-ylang. The inclusion of this opulent flower in the midst of such a brooding fragrance adds a sophisticated twist. Along with the lively spice notes, it keeps Le Loden from becoming quite as heavy as its namesake.

Sophie Skelton in Outlander the Starz  television series

The fresh sharpness of ginger through the composition makes a smart counterpoise to the thick, murky greenness of the three vetivers. The result is a fragrance that evokes a certain wildness while remaining restrained enough to feel refined and timeless. Leaning masculine and feminine at different times, Le Loden is the perfect scent for a woman with one foot in her past and another in a past time.

Notes: Green mandarin, Haiti vetiver, fresh ginger, pink pepper, CO²bourbon geranium, bourbon vetiver, raspberry leaf absolute, juniper berries, ylang-ylang extra, Java vetiver, tobacco, patchouli.

Disclaimer: Sample of Fath’s Essentials Loden generously provided by Jacques Fath Parfums. My opinions are my own.

–  Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor

Thanks to the generosity of Jacques Fath Paris we have 50 ml of Fath’s Essentials Le Loden for one registered readerin the EU, USA and Canada. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what strikes you about Fath’s Essentials Le Loden, if you have a favourite Jacques Fath perfume, and where you live. Draw closes 11/14/2019.

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