As I mentioned in my piece on Robertet my first experience with both new releases from Atelier Cologne, Rose Anonyme and Vetiver Fatal, came the Friday prior to Sniffapalooza Spring Fling. Sylvie Ganter, the co-owner of Atelier Cologne, let me try both of these fresh out of the lab. I’ve already spoken about the ingredients and I will return to that but I also want to talk about the line of Atelier Cologne and the way I see their fragrances. I believe they are a sort of light and dark, yin and yang kind of collection. The first five were light or yang. The two releases since have been more dark or yin. I believe it is a signature versatility that Atelier Cologne is able to achieve because of these fragrances being Cologne Absolues. For those who are unfamiliar with the term it means the perfume oil concentration in these fragrances is much higher than you would find in a traditional cologne. This allows for the perfumers to work with darker richer ingredients while still staying true to the cologne aesthetic thus the possibility for yin exists. For Rose Anonyme and Vetiver Fatal I believe perfumer Jerome Epinette has created one of each.
Rose Anonyme has continued to fascinate me from my first sniff in May and since I received my press sample. What M. Epinette has done is create the Benjamin Button of rose fragrances. In the early stages the rose feels like a pressed corsage, aged and desiccated, barely present. Then like a magic trick it reanimates itself into a full blown rose before giving itself back to the woodiness of the bush as a bud. Every time I wear this I enjoy this devolution immensely.
At the recent Elements Showcase workshop on 160 Years of the Rose M. Epinette talked about the source of the rose used in Rose Anonyme which comes from Robertet’s rose fields in Senir, Turkey. This extract is called Rose Petals Natural and M. Epinette knew that from the moment he smelled it at Robertet he wanted to build a fragrance around it. Rose Anonyme uses this raw ingredient and sets it off like a diamond surrounded by jewels.
The opening moments of Rose Anonyme carry only the smallest hint of the rose a beautiful bergamot and ginger create the energy. As those latter two notes fade the Rose Petals Natural takes over and it is a rose fresh on the bush to be picked redolent of everything there is to love in a rose. The soft sweetness so thick it feels as viscous as honey. The spicy core is bolstered by some added incense with a hint of the green leaves surrounding it. This is an exquisite rose ingredient and M. Epinette has displayed it spectacularly. The time machine continues to whirl and now we return to the earth the rose bush sprang from. Patchouli, benzoin, and papyrus create an earthy accord of soil which is labeled as an “oud accord” in the press materials but I experience it as something of the earth. When I really concentrate the oud presence is there but it is much attenuated to my nose. This is the yin of these two Cologne Absolues but I smile with pleasure whenever I am wearing it.
That means Vetiver Fatal is the yang and in many ways it is a return to the style of the original five fragrances made for Atelier Cologne. M. Epinette was responsible for my favorite of those original five Oolang Infini and now he has added something that hews the most closely to a traditional eau de cologne but contains a modern aspect which is imparted by the judicious use of modern raw materials. In this case M. Epinette uses Robertet’s Vetiver Heart to be the source of the titular note. Vetiver Heart is exactly what it implies this is that rooty grassy heart of vetiver minus the heavy woody character that sometimes weighs it down. When I first smelled Vetiver Fatal I kept waiting for that turgid wood to show up expecting it to dim the lights. When it didn’t come it was that lack which made this fragrance work because it then allowed M. Epinette to choose the woods to finish this off. In Vetiver Fatal he chooses to use the “oud accord” and cedar which keep things surprisingly light and make Vetiver Fatal stay as bright as can be.
The opening of Vetiver Fatal is about as classic a cologne opening as you could ask for as bigarade, lemon, and bergamot blaze across my senses. Orange flower and astringent violet leaves bring the olfactory sunglasses out and they usher in the vetiver note. This is as bright a vetiver as I’ve encountered it feels like lying on a bed of vetiver and breathing in what rises to your nose. It is so funny that the first few times I wore Vetiver Fatal I kept waiting for the typical woody finish. M. epinette instead has replaced the ordinary with something much better. Unlike in Rose Anonyme this time I definitely smell the “oud accord” but because it is an accord it can be kept so amazingly ethereal it feels almost like something unnatural. By using the cedar to add a real woody depth to the base it allows the “oud accord” to float above it. All I know is I want to float on a cloud of Vetiver Fatal all day.
Both Rose Anonyme and Vetiver Fatal have overnight longevity and above average sillage; you will not need to re-apply these colognes.
I feel like a broken record when it comes to Atelier Cologne but each new release shows the creativity of the line and the versatility. There is not one of these fragrances I haven’t worn regularly since their release. But the last month Rose Anonyme and Vetiver Fatal have been on repeat play on my perfume iPod and there are no signs of my tiring of either of them.
Disclosure: This review was based on press samples provided by Atelier Cologne.
Thanks to our friends at Atelier Cologne we have a reader’s choice draw of a 30mL petit flacon of either Rose Anonyme or Vetiver Fatal. To be eligible leave a comment on your choice. We will draw one winner on August 28, 2012 via random.org. To place an order visit the Atelier Cologne boutique on 247 Elizabeth St. in NYC or call at 212-256-0909.
We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.
-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor
Art Direction: Michelyn Camen, EIC