Arquiste Misfit Review (Rodrigo Flores-Roux and Carlos Huber) 2019 “Celebrating 10 Years”

arqusite misfit review

Photo by Enrique Badalescu for Metal magazine

 

“So take a good look around
The misfits are everywhere”

— “Misfits” by The Kinks

Arqusite Misfit

Image of paisley shawl via Arquiste

It all had to do with the rise and fall of the shawl. Ornate fabrics from Kashmir in early Victorian England, gracing the shoulders of many a lady and more than a few bohemians. To protect against pests on the long sea journey, merchants folded patchouli leaves into the fabric, and soon, the aroma became a mark of authenticity. A fashion and perfume trend was born. But, as fashions changed, shawls fell out of favour and patchouli went with it until it revived as the counter-culture hippie scent par excellence of the Sixties.

Arquiste Misfit

Image via Arquiste

Now, Arquiste creative director Carlos Huber and Master Perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux  and Vice President of Perfumery for Givaudan, re-imagine a sophisticated yesteryear patchouli for the 21st century, reclaiming its woody elegance from a decadent past.  Arqusite Misfit celebrates patchouli in all its loamy, damp woods, musky glory, “making the undesirable desirable again.”

Carlos Huber and Rodrigo Flores Roux

Carlos Huber, founder of Arquiste, testing with Rodrigo Flores-Roux over champagne, Saint Germain-en-Laye, France 2017. Photo courtesy of Arquiste

No one is more imaginative and adroit at layering historic fragrance styles with modern ingredients than Flores-Roux. For Arquiste’s stellar El and Ella, he channeled 1970s Acapulco with such specificity that I could almost hear a samba beat pulsing by the poolside. Here, he mixes two fractionated patchoulis with old world aromas of French lavender, amber and balsams. Misfit could have stopped there and been an admirable retro patch, but Flores-Roux weaves these timeless elements into a modern construction that includes moreish notes such as tonka bean, carrot seed, and ambrette. What emerges is a scent that could have been sported by both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; rakish and refined, a polished woody oriental with an animal edge.

best patchouli fragrances

Image of paisley shawl via Arquiste

Arqusite Misfit declares its presence with an unexpected, look-at-me-dammit blast of bergamot and bold, smoky lavender. Almost immediately after, the woody patchouli grabs hold and hugs the lavender in a tight clinch that emphasizes the smokiness of the flower and autumn soil smell of the dried leaf. It is perhaps surprising that the denser, woodier notes don’t subsume the bitter citrus, which stays bright and sharp, offering a sparky counterpoint to the mulchier aromas. At this juncture, Misfit is Hyde all the way.

 Best Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde photos

Ad for ITV’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

But then the notes quiet from a boil to simmer as disheveled Dr. Jekyll adjusts his necktie and smooths his hair. Burnished rose makes its sinuous way through the middle section, escorted by rather dandified touches of sweet angelica and carrot seed. The smokier, brasher notes of the opening settle down and give space to the earthy patchouli that begins to spread out across the floral notes. The composition sweetens and rounds thanks to some late-arriving, milky tonka bean and ambrette. Smelling Misfit now, it would not be out of place wafting from gentleman’s pocket square.

Arquiste Misfit review

image via Arquiste

A long while later, Rodrigo Flores-Roux shows how just sophisticated patchouli can be. Its differing characteristics come forward most clearly as  Arquiste Misfit starts to dry down, its edges softened by tolu and cistus; there’s cut tree branches, moist forest soil, a bite of bitter chocolate and a hint of animalic muskiness. As I hold my wrist up, these facets fit together like puzzle pieces, distinct yet coherent. With its hint of animal under the polish, and its refined take on patchouli, this Misfit will be welcome in any time.

Notes: Calabrian bergamot essence, carrot seed essence, angelica root essence, French lavender essence, Bulgarian rose essence, ambrette seed absolute, akigalawood™, styrax, patchouli (proprietary combination of two fractioned essences), Spanish cistus concrete, Venezuelan tonka bean absolute, tolu balsam.

Disclaimer: Bottle of Misfit graciously provided by Arquiste. My opinions are my own.

Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor

Editor’s Note: This is the 14th fragrance in the Arquiste Collection   and Arquiste Misfit marks 10 years of Carlos Huber’s collaboration with Rodrigo Flores Roux. Congratulations !!!-Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief

 

 

Follow us on Instagram: @cafleurebon @elledebee  @arquiste @arquistecarlos @rodrigofloresroux

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15 comments

  • Gabriel Garcia Leyva says:

    Arquiste has a great deal of credit for all their work, one sitting in top of my top favorites is EL, and namban, anima dolcis, they are outstanding, this new release got me excited about the expressive patchouli and the antique qualities.
    Can’t wait!

  • Polished woody oriental with an animal edge sounds fabulous! Can’t wait to give this a sniff. Thanks for the review. Happy Holidays!

  • I normally don’t like heavy patchouli perfumes but I adore so many of arquiste perfumes especially flor y canto, nanban and Ella. I will definitely look for this. I really enjoyed reading this review especially the history of patchouli and then the reference to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

  • Great concept. Sweetening up patchouli with Carrot seed and ambrette sounds really intriguing. Congrats to Carlos on 10 years of Arquiste. 🙂

  • This sounds amazing. Straight onto my test list it goes, with all the longing these note instill in me even before testing. Nice one, Arquiste, cannot wait.

  • Mr. Flores-Roux is the nose behind one of my longtime favorites, one of my top-five desert-island scents, Donna Karan’s Black Cashmere. I’d love to spend more time getting to know Arquiste scents, but this one does sound fabulous. I’ll keep my eye out for it!