Home is where the heart is.

 

 

So it is said, and so it is smelled, if we believe what we are told.

 

 

Something old, something new, something bottled, something true?

 

 

Diptyque and Etro are coupled here because each has created a commemorative fragrance to celebrate their respective flagship locations.

 

 

Diptyque 34 Boulevard Saint Germain

34 Boul’ St. Germain feels both new AND derivative; sadly, the copy feels sincerely Babblefished-

Penned with such convolution I can barely discern their intention 😉

 

 

Diptyque has spent 50 years at this address, and the emphasis is clearly on luxury and exclusivity.

 

The packaging is exquisitely classic and elegantly minimalistic; great attention has been awarded to detail.

We find labeling in India ink, the magnetized heavy Bakelite stopper, a glorious oval-shaped bottle with determined sense of gravitas.

This eau de toilette is chock full of excellent quality components, a complex collage of spices, flowers, and resins.

 

I find myself conflicted.

Is this something new, something compiled- like a resume of fine fragrance revamped?

I have no idea, frankly….but I don’t think it matters, in the final analysis.

Initially, one feels the blast from the past–

 

The cassis of L’Ombre Dans L’Eau, the greenness of Philosykos, exotic spices from L’Eau.

Rose and Egyptian geranium are among Diptyque’s best-loved blossoms, and tuberose

[Do Son] soon follows, accompanied by a dash of iris and violet., with eucalyptus added for an airy freshness.

The base is very pronounced, more so than I expected- heavy in patchouli and cedar

[a good thing].

It feels as if another woody element is beckoning to me, something like a guaiac note and an amber/woody aromachemical.

I smell vanillic aspects, although they are not listed.

 

The end result is a very oriental edt, soft, round, lasting and so attractive.

It feels opulent and very rich indeed.

Etro Via Verri 2010, Limited Edition

 

 

There have been other Via Verri’s, like the rosy-fingered goddess original in 2006, a 2008 release I’ve not sniffed, and the latest one I’m reviewing today.

I find VV 2010 to be a resolutely unisex scent.

 

While this is not a bad thing in itself, I find that it frequently presages disappointment, for me-

Perfume that is ‘safe’, unwilling to commit, and inoffensive.

 

There is nothing inherently wrong with it, nor is anything really RIGHT with it, either.

It smells undistinguished and indistinguishable.

Harrumph.

The copy I have read is very romantic, alluding playfully to the floral and oriental aspects of Via Verri; I’m hard-pressed to find them.

ViaVerri is woody, sharp, slightly spicy / citrus / cypress.

 

 

 

 

Rose, iris, jasmine are present but not participating in a particularly lustrous way.

The oak and cypress are likely the best part- they dominate, and bergamot flees far too quickly.

I just know that an Ambrox-type monster is in there!

It lends an astringent, piercing edge to the fragrance that feels brutal to my nose.

 

Please, bear in mind that this is a personal “running distaste” I happen to have with Ambroxan and many of its analogs 😉

In all fairness, I’m an outrageously patient person, but when I am repeatedly assaulted by someone or something over a long time frame, I become saturated-

And enough is enough.

Alas, so it is with Via Verri 2010.

It is a perfectly good classic woody fresh eau de toilette which will undoubtedly be enjoyed by a significant number of folk-

But I won’t be among them.

 

And that is sad, because Etro is famed for such exquisite textiles and divine perfumes of startling originality- my shelves are fairly bursting with them…

Back-up bottles, even.

Maybe next time.

Many thanks are due to Karl, Robert, and Miguel at Aedes de Venustas !

These gents so generously provided me the samples I requested, so promptly.

Photo Credits:

Home is where the heart is – hongkiat.com
Jenn's heart-akajesais.com
Rabbit sniff- gotit.co
Question marks- propitchingonline.com
Etro Via Verri – escentual.com
Diptyque storefront image-stay.com
34 candle- chroniqueblonde.blogspot.com
Babel Fish diagram – hitchhikers.wikia.com
34 boulevard Saint Germain products -lamaisoncouture.com
Flower collage-summer.agnesirwin.org
Diptyque logo – tessuti.wordpress.com
Oriental beauty – polyvore.com
Via Verri image-sixtwosixtwo.wordpress.com
Trans symbol- ourcloset.isinperth.com
Inoffensive card-greetingcarduniverse.com
Wood slice walkway- cubeme.com
No sharps- cordialbiz.blogspot.com
Kean Etro snagged in his own textiles-dtlux.com
Etro cooked shirt- bloglovin.com
Etro flower/ bottles- feelslikeannaorlova.blogspot.com
Sadida grey tee-shnapp.bigcartel.com
Aedes window- mimifroufrou.com

–Ida Meister, Natural Perfumery and Senior Editor