French niche line Etat Libre d’Orange has launched Hermann à mes côtés me paraissait une ombre, a new fragrance.
Who goes beside you into the forest on the darkest night ? In Victor Hugo’s poem, « À quoi songeaient les deux cavaliers dans la forêt », (What Two Horsemen Were Thinking in the Forest), the narrator says “ by my side, Hermann seemed to me like a shadow. ”
We all have shadows, even at night in the dark forest. You may call yours by another name : your invisible friend. Your conscience, your soul, maybe even your complementary ego. Your shadow could have a name, like Hermann. Or your shadow could be your perfume. This is your companion. You can argue with your companion, you can challenge your companion, you can test the boundaries of your own attitudes. You can debate the finer points of existence. But you cannot lose this companion, not ever. This is your alternative self. As you move through life and contemplate its meaning, you ask unanswerable questions. When you’re overwhelmed with uncertainties, look to your shadow. Maybe you’ll get a response. Maybe not. But at least you’ll have an interesting conversation.
The notes include blackcurrant buds, black pepper, galbanum, calypsone, geosmin, frankincense, pepperwood, petalia, rose, patchouli and ambroxan.
Etat Libre d'Orange Hermann à mes côtés me paraissait une ombre is available now on the brand website, €125 for 100 ml.
(via etatlibredorange)
Hi Robin, sounds sort of amazing. I love the Secretions one, however, I never know if it is anything more than always the category of “always the possibility but never the reality” when it comes to an actual purchase. It’s a little to “real” for me, haha.
Most of them are exactly that for me…the possibility. except Secretions, which is way too real for me. I do think Like This is a great scent, but I’ve never bought anything from the brand.
While this kind of writing is…opaque, its impact is lessened by reading the dumdum Clean PR copy first!
Ha, so true!!
The ‘We all have shadows, even at night in the dark forest…’ does manage to undo all and any poetic effect from the paragraph before!
This seems like it might be very ‘green’; a contemporary take on Trumper’s Eucris, perhaps?
Gosh, hard to say.
For once I love the perfume name.
Jeeze o Petes the copy is so pretentious I don’t even care what it smells like. sorry, I’m a little grumpy.
I love the name, but its almost comically long
I always enjoy the humor of his brand and the fact they don’t take themselves too seriously. I don’t find them pretentious at all, just very tongue In cheek in a youthful, fun way. Ionly have a single full bottle, Putain de Palaces. I have to be in the right mood for it but happy to have it when that particular mood strikes me.
I think I’d buy this just for the pleasure of saying the name when someone asked me. I have Putain des Palaces and like it very much. Would love to try this!