The Soft Lawn by Josh Meyer, Imaginary Authors; Voleur de Roses by Michel Almairac, L'Artisan Parfumeur; Fig Tree by Laurie Erickson, Sonoma Scent Studio
The April 2013 collection is all about the newness of spring: lush, green grass; rose gardens ravaged by rain; fig trees with their green fruit beginning to bloom. Spring, and April in particular, is a time when we are attuned to the changes in our environment, and even the slightest concession from winter feels like a moment of pure grace. If you live in a place that insists on four distinct seasons, you know well this longing for spring and the way that its arrival can make you forget, in an instant, so many of winter's troubles.
Such is the effect of these three fragrances.
Josh Meyer's The Soft Lawn captures spring's natural beauty with linden blossom, laurel and ivy leaves, vetiver, and oakmoss. But a perfume that stops there might have been a little too conventional for Meyer, so he created accords of fresh tennis balls and clay court. (Yes, you really can smell them.) Meyer's entire debut line is inspired by —as the brand says —Imaginary Authors, and The Soft Lawn gets its name from an invented1916 book by Meyer's invented American auteur Claude LeCoq. Meyer imagines this book and scent as the backdrop for an upper-class New England in which a sporting game of tennis is the pastime, attendance at high-society dinners is de rigueur, and a love affair with a certain young woman of a lower social class is forbidden fruit. Meyer reminds us that perfume shouldn't be just good; it should be really good fun. Learn more about The Soft Lawn.
Michel Almairac's Voleur de Roses, for L'Artisan Parfumeur, is a classic. Its aim is to capture the essence of a forgotten, unruly rose garden ravaged by a thunderstorm , and if you think that sounds unusually specific, you might be surprised to learn that it succeeds. The rose is dark and spicy, and the plum notes lend a tart richness without pushing into sweet territory that would feel out of place in a neglected patch of roses. The muddy earth and the crackly lightning come from the patchouli, which somehow grounds the composition in an elegance and polish that you might not expect from a "dirty" note. Almairac has spent decades creating dozens critical and commercial blockbusters, and Voleur de Roses —"The Rose Thief" —deserves its place among his very best. Learn more about Voleur de Roses.
Laurie Erickson's Fig Tree is an olfactory snapshot. Where many fig scents lean gourmand, Erickson's creation for her Sonoma Scent Studio is all about the fig in its natural habitat, and every part is there: the greenness of the leaves and ripening fruit; the smooth saltiness of the wood branches; the creamy milkiness that you would find if you were to snap open a branch. The general effect coolnessMany of Erickson's fans adore her work for the way she captures the beauty of wintery, woody environments; Fig Tree is the marvelous thing that happens when she turns her attention to another season. Learn more about Fig Tree.
We hope you enjoy exploring the April 2013 collection as much as we enjoyed putting it together.
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