Vilhelm Parfumerie debuts this month with 8 fragrances, developed by founder Jan Ahlgren in collaboration with perfumer Jérôme Epinette.
Black Citrus ~ "Serious freshness without frivolity. The fragrance is inspired by the clean breath of the city after the showers pass. Gentlemen step out from under protective storefront canopies, their impeccable British style uncompromised. Bergamot, cardamom and violet establish a strong core, tempered by a birch tree and patchouli base. Zesty and triumphant with a soft echo of the storm." Additional notes include mate leaves.
Dear Polly ~ "Dear Polly is a love letter in scent to my wife. Black tea, like the brew with which she awakes each morning, immediately warms the skin. Top notes of apple and bergamot create a sense of familiarity, while sensuous musk introduces complexity. Finally, it finds its resolution in a voluptuous spice, as piquantly punctuated as it is seductively honeyed. Familiar and new, comfortable and invigorating, it is a fragrant brew for two: lovers can wear it and recall each other. Even with distance they’re never apart." Additional notes include oakmoss and black amber.
Fleur Burlesque ~ "Unflinching, exquisite femininity. Inspired by La Belle Époque. A woman, alive in the spotlight at the Moulin Rouge, enchantingly aglow in the soft candlelight of Maxim’s. Fleur Burlesque’s botanic notes of jasmine and gardenia bloom unadorned, while decadent undertones of amber and sandalwood smolder below. Nimble, sultry and playful, this fragrance captures the sensory indulgence of the fin de siècle."
Morning Chess ~ "Inspired by the memory of the summer holidays we shared with my grandfather, Morning Chess mimics the ripe, green lushness of summer on coastal Falkenberg. There, in a summer cottage, my grandfather, with his two sons, would pass hours battling wits over a chessboard. Sweden would save all its light for those summer moments, endless, bright mornings. The grassy greenness is light enough to hint at the evergreen sharpness of the distant winter air." The notes include bergamot, leather, galbanum, patchouli and black amber.
Opus Kore ~ "In Greek mythology, Kore, or as she is more commonly called, Persephone, is a goddess associated with spring and fertility. She is the perfect inspiration for this kinetic, blooming scent. Sicilian lemon and acai are responsible for the undeniable freshness. Gradually, these crisp aromas soften and reveal a floral layer. Wear it long enough, and the sultry base of sandalwood, skin musks and amber will reveal itself." Additional notes include raspberry blossom, magnolia and violet.
Room Service ~ "“There are many things in your heart you can never tell to another person,” Greta Garbo said. Celebrated by her adoring fans, the reclusive siren kept her thoughts and heart private. Alone in her hotel room, attired in a drift of satin, scent and poignant allure, she keeps the world at bay. This elaborate bouquet features violet petals, pink orchid and green bamboo. Fresh mandarin nectar dances atop the sophisticated sandalwood-infused base." Additional notes include blackberry, black amber and musk.
Smoke Show ~ "Vibrant spotlights, smoky rooms, simmering jazz, yearning notes. Simmering, spicy notes of agarwood are redolent of the era’s spellbinding verve. The soaring notes of Ellington on the ivory keys and the gripping torment in Billie Holiday’s voice take the audience to life’s beautiful extremities. Leather and rose take center stage, while pink pepper and saffron accentuate the nuanced spices of this burning composition." Additional notes include vetiver and cedar.
Stockholm 1978 ~ "Summer in Stockholm. The sun is an amulet, suspended above the city. Each evening, it contemplates its descent only to change its mind and return to its position overhead. Under its perennial glow, night fuses with day, creating a feeling of limitless possibility. Crisp lemon zest, warm almond, the uplift of geranium, with a tinge of patchouli and a drift of faraway green fields in the breeze." Additional notes include black pepper, rosemary, black amber and moss.
The Vilhelm Parfumerie line can be found now at Liberty in the UK, £145 each for 100 ml Eau de Parfum.
(via vilhelmparfumerie, hat tip to David!)
Clever design of the lettering on the boxes. Doubt if I will ever run across these.
I might not run across them either, although think they are coming to Barneys, among others. It is a US based line…
8 perfumes at once? Isn’t that a little overdone?
Hopefully one of them is good
It seems to be the way, but yes, why not start with 2 or 3?
Totally agree…
Or one and see how it goes
As its one perfumer who has done the whole line I’m guessing it’s about making a ‘statement’ – I quite liked a lot of his work for Byredo and Atelier so I’m hopeful
I thought the same thing–why not introduce a masculine and a feminine, and see how they do? Or is this a strategy to throw everything you have out to the public and hope for one or two successes?
Throw it all against the wall and see what sticks.
The price seems completely mad to me and the odds are that there’s at most one good scent in that collection — I’m thinking of Fueguia 1833, a massive collection of scents issued at a very rapid pace, most terrible, and likewise the dreadful JTC collection from Xerjoff — but maybe they know what they’re doing. Maybe that’s just how you make a profit these days: crank out a huge number of scents cheaply, mark them up enormously, and assume that whatever sells will cover the cost of the duds.
Rather than a cash-in job, the bottle design, the clever graphics on the boxes and the care and attention to detail on the website suggest that this is company that actually seems to care about what they’re putting out there and how they present themselves so I have hope that if they spent as much attention on the fragrances as they did on the rest then these may be good.
The perfumer has done a lot of the Byredo and Atelier fragrances as well as the jovoy line which I quite enjoyed which also bodes well.
Love the packaging and bottles!Some interesting sounding perfumes,and the website is gorgeous!This brand and Parfums Malbrum are the two newbies I’m keeping my eye on in 2015!
The website is really very well done, agree! As is Malbrum’s.
Malbum’s website is long on art, which I am fine with but a tad short on information, unless I totally missed how to see more about each fragrance.
I will give these a chance – I like the aesthetic and the tone of voice. I think it’s the Scandinavian touch that appeals to me. Sure, the price is insane and there are too many fragrances, but this seems to be the norm these days.
Fortunately Liberty have pretty regular 10% off days and a loyalty card that gives you more money off so sometimes you can cut the price quite a bit for things you really want
Good to know, thanks!
They’re currently on 10% off until the end of Sunday and are also offering triple reward points this weekend if you have a Liberty loyalty card – this would give £5 worth of points on a £50 spend
Tried these today and handling all 8 was a bit of a task in one go. I think I need to spend more time with them – they remind me very much of the style of fragrances he does for Byredo which I like some of but haven’t ever been tempted to actually buy. The ones that stick in my mind are the black citrus – which was weirdly to me like Black March mixed with citrus, and Stockholm which was very bright and almost fizzy.
That packaging appeals to me more than anything I’ve seen for a long time. They would probably get me with the tea and honey one, just because I’m a sucker for those notes. But really, this release-all-the-fumes-at-once strategy (and let the market pick one) is tired and must stop.