• About
  • Login to comment
    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Perfumers
  • Perfume Houses
  • Shop for perfume
  • Resources

Frederic Malle Monsieur ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 2 March 2016 37 Comments

Janis Joplin

According to Barneys New York, Frédéric Malle’s inspirations for Monsieur1 were...

“…remorseless seducers2 who would playfully flit from women’s embrace to social merrymaking. Gentlemen3 whose manly and timeless elegance has relentlessly guided the development of this perfume and enabled Frédéric Malle to stay on course during the creation of this very minimal scent.”

Here they are, a-hem, “aristocrats” all!

Alfonso Antonio Vicente Eduardo Angel Blas Francisco de Borja Cabeza de Vaca y Leighton: womanizer and inept race car driver who killed himself, a co-driver and nine spectators, most of them children, on a race through Italy — he had more letters in his name than years in his life…he died at 28.

Mark Birley: ultra-conservative English club owner and snob (at least he liked dogs).

Jose-Luis de Villalonga: all-around creep; to quote The Telegraph’s obit: “...a Spanish nobleman, playboy, wastrel…fortune-hunter and bit-part actor who … achieved notoriety when he confessed to having cruelly mistreated his first wife, an English aristocrat.”

Gianni Agnelli: billionaire union-buster and self-conscious “style icon” (if I read one more time about his wearing his wristwatch over his shirt cuff, I’ll scream!)

Monsieur Malle: couldn’t you find any good-looking/stylish men who were decent human beings to inspire you? If not, you should have called Monsieur "Vulgarian" instead.  

I’m almost disappointed to say, given the above, that I adore Monsieur; but I’ll reserve my Bravo! for Bruno Jovanovic, the perfumer.

Monsieur starts with a deep rum aroma mixing with tangerine “bitters;” the tangerine is dense, not effervescing. Beginning almost at once, I smell a mysterious-musty patchouli aroma; the patchouli is green and vegetal in character in the early stages of Monsieur, a bit bitter and sour.

Frédéric Malle Monsieur

In its heart, Monsieur presents very musky leather with cedar and a tinge of dried-piss smell; this leather is like the leathers you find for sale in the souks of Morocco: raw, verging on the unpleasant in scent and strongly scented. (In case you didn’t know, urine is part of an ancient recipe for curing/softening hides).

The opening phase of Monsieur, which lasts about 45 minutes on my skin, can be described as rum muddled with tangerines served in a smelly leather boot whose wearer inadvertently (or not) peed on it. I applied Monsieur to my skin and drenched a large paper strip with it, too; the paper intensified the urinous/cedar notes, so try this perfume on skin before dismissing it outright. Monsieur’s leather (or “suede” as it's described on the Frédéric Malle website) slowly becomes “tarry,” with a pleasant aroma of freshly ground black pepper on the exhale.

The base of Monsieur is beautiful: vanilla-rich amber mixing with strong, silky patchouli. If you don’t like patchouli, you won’t like Monsieur; and if “dirty” perfumes don’t suit you, this probably won’t either. Monsieur has Character; it’s my favorite Malle perfume in ages.

If I could choose the human symbol of Monsieur it would be a mademoiselle: Janis Joplin. I imagine her smelling of patchouli, cedar and leather. And I think she could have put all the cads listed above in their places.

Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle Monsieur is available in 100 ml, 50 ml, three 10-ml travel sprays or one 10 ml travel spray ($290, $200, $140 and $56 respectively). For buying information, see the listing for Frédéric Malle under perfume houses.

1. Ed. note: the fragrance's official name is "Monsieur."; at least one publication (Wallpaper) is calling it "Monsieur Dot". We are ignoring the dot altogether.

2. serial adulterers and cheats.

3. XXXXXX [Ed. note: crude expression removed.]

Note: top images [right image altered] of Janis Joplin via Wikimedia Commons.

You might also like...

Frederic Malle Cologne Indelebile ~ fragrance review
Frederic Malle Eau de Magnolia ~ fragrance review
Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady ~ perfume review
Frederic Malle Editions de Parfums Geranium Pour Monsieur ~ fragrance review

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: bruno jovanovic, frederic malle, patchouli

Advertisement


37 Comments

Leave a comment, or read more about commenting at Now Smell This. Here's our privacy policy, and a handy emoticon chart.

  1. Deva says:
    2 March 2016 at 1:32 pm

    All this time I have been imagining Malle (et al) was a class act. Guess I was wrong, but happy you liked the scent. ????

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      2 March 2016 at 2:33 pm

      Deva…the scent was a pleasant surprise!

      Log in to Reply
    • Laura says:
      2 March 2016 at 2:37 pm

      Deva, I agree.

      Log in to Reply
  2. Jenkr says:
    2 March 2016 at 2:12 pm

    There’s something slightly intriguing about taking inspiration in those kinds of men – clearly “bad boys” of sorts, but ones who managed to be in the top tiers of society. Even if you don’t like them, it is a bit interesting to think that they might wear the scent created for them.

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      2 March 2016 at 2:38 pm

      Jenkr…as we all know, everyone has a fan somewhere! I will stick with Imagining Joplin in this one.

      Log in to Reply
  3. nebbe says:
    2 March 2016 at 2:16 pm

    Players gotta play!

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      2 March 2016 at 2:39 pm

      Nebbe…I guess so!

      Log in to Reply
  4. Lovestosmellgood says:
    2 March 2016 at 2:31 pm

    I am sure Janis probably smelled like those notes 🙂

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      2 March 2016 at 2:43 pm

      Lovestosmellgood…I’m hearing ‘Me & Bobby McGee’ in the background…ha!

      Log in to Reply
      • gravity says:
        2 March 2016 at 6:29 pm

        I’m hearing “Bye, bye baby” and imagining Janis kicking those guys’ butts with her leather boot.
        Great review, Kevin, thank you! It’s cool that you can appreciate the fragrance despite all this promotional nonsence.

        Log in to Reply
        • Kevin says:
          2 March 2016 at 7:44 pm

          gravity..I’m used to ignoring the promotional nonsense…we all are, right? Should have put Bye Bye Baby Bye Bye as the soundtrack to the review.

          Log in to Reply
  5. Laura says:
    2 March 2016 at 2:42 pm

    A fragrance inspired by serial adulterers and cheaters…
    awesome 😐

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      2 March 2016 at 3:36 pm

      Laura…let’s hope they’ll do a Madame next….

      Log in to Reply
  6. AnnS says:
    2 March 2016 at 3:04 pm

    Yikes. Leather, no. And I’ll skip the pee part too. There is not enough persuasion in the world… I’ll stick to Geranium pour Monsieur to get my manly kicks from FM.

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      2 March 2016 at 3:33 pm

      Anns…that one’s downright girly compared to this one, ha!

      Log in to Reply
      • AnnS says:
        2 March 2016 at 4:06 pm

        I can deal with a little more manliness than that. Maybe FM’s next fragrance can be gentle lumberjack?

        Log in to Reply
  7. austenfan says:
    2 March 2016 at 3:45 pm

    The fragrance sounds seriously enticing, the inspiration not so much. The only Monsieur I knew the name of was Gianni Agnelli, who doesn’t seem like the worst of this bunch. I wonder what the reasoning was in publishing this as the inspiration.

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      2 March 2016 at 5:06 pm

      Austenfan…a strange bunch for sure…the more you know about them the less you wish you knew. Bet most consumers won’t research them…just do a quick image search?

      Log in to Reply
      • austenfan says:
        2 March 2016 at 5:26 pm

        Trust me, I have!

        Log in to Reply
  8. chandler_b says:
    2 March 2016 at 5:13 pm

    I know of Alfonso de Portago, only because of his wife, Carroll at the time of when he died was from the backwoods of South Carolina and later married to the guy who founded Toy’R’Us, but sometime in between or whenever she had an affair with Charles Englehard Jr, inspiration for Goldfinger in Goldfinger (lol) and stepfather to Oscar De La Renta’s wife, Annette. Anyway to cut this already long and pointless story short, Englehard gave money to the MET in NYC and got a section named after him and to spite his widow and stepdaughter who hated Carroll, when she married Mr. ToysRU$ she gave money and got the section in the museum right next to Englehards named after Mr.ToysRUS.

    Sorry if that was random, this sounds great though! I love a good villain too (Goldfinger, anyone?) so the inspiration does not really turn me off. My Oleg Cassini from the 70’s sound like Monsieur’s K’mart cousin 🙂

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      2 March 2016 at 7:46 pm

      chandler b: the “K’mart cousin” … love it!

      Log in to Reply
  9. solanace says:
    2 March 2016 at 5:37 pm

    These guys are disgusting, may I borrow your JJ association so I can give the perfume a fair try?

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      2 March 2016 at 7:46 pm

      solanace: you may!

      Log in to Reply
  10. Kanuka says:
    2 March 2016 at 6:47 pm

    I see that Frederic Malle worked on the 1990s Mark Birley perfume. I feel quite repulsed by the thought of this one. But i suppose a perfume called “Arseholes” wouldn’t sell.

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      2 March 2016 at 7:47 pm

      Kanuka: probably not…or at least not at the Malle pricing.

      Log in to Reply
      • Kanuka says:
        2 March 2016 at 8:51 pm

        Sorry…that was a bit rude. Loved your review, as always.

        Log in to Reply
  11. Dusan says:
    2 March 2016 at 7:34 pm

    I’m more than slightly aroused. Ahem, intrigued. I’m more than slightly intrigued.

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      2 March 2016 at 7:48 pm

      Dusan: well then…pour it all over your body and then toss the bottle in the garbage…a fitting “Monsieur” treatment!

      Log in to Reply
      • Dusan says:
        3 March 2016 at 9:16 am

        Gosh, that would be wasteful!

        Log in to Reply
        • Kevin says:
          3 March 2016 at 10:54 am

          Ah, Dusan…you don’t have the heart of a true ‘Monsieur’! (That’s a good thing) ha!

          Log in to Reply
          • Dusan says:
            3 March 2016 at 7:19 pm

            I’m afraid I rather am not. I can’t even pronounce the word properly without sounding like I’m about to cough up something nasty! But hey, I guess that means I might have a chance with Dutch.

  12. nozknoz says:
    2 March 2016 at 10:31 pm

    Wastrel would be a great name for the right perfume, e.g., an animalic, boozy leather with cologne top notes. 😉

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      2 March 2016 at 10:45 pm

      Noz: excellent! I would add a touch of cigarette smoke, too.

      Log in to Reply
  13. Ede97005 says:
    3 March 2016 at 10:57 am

    “…. “a hardened alcoholic who, without ever taking precautions of any kind, has slept with more whores than a porcupine has quills”.

    You know, the cologne had better been called PIMP$.

    And yes, I do think the glorious Janis Joplin would have been all about this scent- and would have kickboxed those guys out of orbit!

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      4 March 2016 at 12:06 am

      Ede…without taking precautions!? Let’s call it Garnishments? *child support?

      Log in to Reply
  14. Isabella says:
    3 March 2016 at 4:32 pm

    Great review, Kevin — your description of this one is awesome! Three cheers for a fragrance with character, even if pee + major patchouli doesn’t quite draw me in…

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      3 March 2016 at 5:40 pm

      Isabella, thank you!

      Log in to Reply

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advertisement

Search

Browse by...

Topic

Perfume talk New fragrances
Shopping Books :: News
Body products Home fragrance
Polls Another subject

Date

August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023

Prior months

Author

Robin Jessica
Angela Kevin
Erin Guest Author

Tag

Celebrity perfumes
Cheap thrills
Collector bottles
Perfumista tip series
Video
The complete tag index

Recent reviews

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Moschino Toy Boy
Arquiste Misfit
Diptyque Eau Capitale
Zoologist Bee
Parfum d’Empire Immortelle Corse
Comme des Garcons Series 10 Clash
Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir
L’Artisan Parfumeur Le Chant de Camargue
Yves Saint Laurent Grain de Poudre
Régime des Fleurs Chloë Sevigny Little Flower
Chanel 1957
Gallivant Los Angeles
Amouage Portrayal Woman

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

23 September ~ swapmeet

3 October ~ damage poll
7 October ~ fall reading poll
21 October ~ splitmeet

Back to Top

Home
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Links
Perfume Books

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2023 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.