Hermes: 35 posts

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

There is a very distinctive scent to blooming lavender that becomes obvious only when the sun is at its peak—dry, heady, reminiscent of caramel and toasted almonds. Once you smell it, it is impossible to forget. Its vivid sharpness becomes as indelibly imprinted in one’s memory as the expanse of hazy purple of lavender fields and the cobalt blue skies encompassing it all. When I first smelled Brin de Réglisse, a fragrance created for Hermès by Jean-Claude Ellena, I found myself astonished at the precision with which Ellena recreated the experience for me. Of course, it is the lavender of Ellena’s imagination as much as of my own, but I nevertheless enjoy the fragrance for its interesting juxtaposition of spicy lavender and the burnt sugar darkness of immortelle.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

With Un Jardin sur le Toit, Hermès in-house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena recreates not just the scent of wet soil, green leaves and flower buds, but the joyful atmosphere of a garden party. There is something joyful and vivacious about this newest fragrance from Hermès which is inspired by roof top gardens. While the composition plays with some interesting green apple and mossy-woody ideas, it essentially reads as a crisp, sheer rose on the skin.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Voyage d’Hermès would have been a fantastic discovery if there did not already exist Terre d’Hermès, Cartier Déclaration, and Bvlgari Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert. After all, it is elegant, radiant, and streamlined in the best of Jean-Claude Ellena’s style. Yet, when I smell it now after having already experienced the same elements in the aforementioned fragrances, it seems so much like a repetition of the same theme that I cannot but feel let down. It takes me on a voyage that is perhaps too familiar to be exciting anymore.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

The most surprising aspect of Hermès Hiris is the contrast between the softness of its composition and the strength of its character. Created in 1999 by perfumer Olivia Giacobetti, it exemplifies the style of perfumery that she went on to cultivate—linear, pastel toned etudes that are nevertheless quite memorable and distinctive. The iris in Hiris is a bold, vibrant note, yet wrapped in a soft aldehydic accord as if in layers of tulle. It appears cool, abstract and luminous. Perhaps this teasing, distant iris, like a vision of something beautiful through the fog, is what gives Hiris its introspective aura.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Ukiyo-e refers to the Japanese genre of wood block prints that depict nature, landscapes, town life, and pleasure quarters, with the word itself meaning “pictures of the floating world.” An allusion to evanescence, fleeting encounters and ephemeral visions is fitting for the style of perfumery that has become the trademark of Hermès in-house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena. His fragrances are marked by minimalism and refinement, and Hermessence Hris Ukiyoé is no exception. It is a fresh green floral composition that is executed with all of the classical Ellena elements intact—sheer floral notes, watery green accords, subtle accents of woods.

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