Gucci – Guilty Absolute – 9/10 – Dry, medicinal leather
If Gucci was to release a greatest hits package, Gucci Guilty Absolute would be right up there with the likes of Rush, Pour Homme I and Pour Homme II. It would never have been released as a single though. It would’ve bombed on the charts. It plays a dry leather, medicinal, petrol-soaked tune that doesn’t wash against today’s sweet mass marketed fragrances. This is a deeper album cut, one for the connoisseurs. Alberto Morillas worked some magic here.
Hermes – Un Jardin Sur Le Toit 8/10 – Aromatic apple and magnolia
Un Jardin Sur Le Toit translates to a garden on the roof and refers to a garden on the roof at Hermes headquarters in Paris. Jean-Claude Ellena is at his inimitable best on this fragrance. Cut grass intermingled with pear and apple bring a crisp freshness upon first spray. This freshness remains throughout the life of the fragrance, with rose and magnolia entering the mix. This floral intervention further enhances the notion that this garden is an aromatic, welcoming garden to relax in and watch the day go by. Like most Ellena compositions it is light and easy to wear. It is my favourite in the Jardin series.
Guerlain L’Homme Ideal Cologne 8.5/10 – Almond citrus
Ask any movie producer and they’ll tell you it’s hard to get a sequel right. We always remember the originals so fondly. L’Homme Ideal Cologne is a sequel done right. Thierry Wasser’s use of almond in L’Homme Ideal Cologne sets it apart from the stock standard box office citrus fare. The almond gives the fragrance a creamy depth that rivals the EDT of Chanel’s Allure Homme Edition Blanche. All the citruses, led by grapefruit smell natural, which is rarely the case in designer releases of recent vintage. Finally, as the credits start to roll, white musk and vetiver bring down the curtain with typical Guerlain elegance.
