I'm writing this review on the first day of autumn, and I have to admit that I started stocking up on my fall basics a few weeks ago. Although I don't need more fragrance in the same way I might need more black tights or a new coat, I do think about updating my scent selections for cooler weather, and maybe adding something new to the mix. Even in the constant onslaught of new releases, there are a few brands that still get my attention; two of them are Frédéric Malle's Editions de Parfums and Arquiste.
Last year, Frédéric Malle launched Heaven Can Wait, developed by perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena. I can't believe it's been a whole year since I first tried this perfume; I initially sniffed it from a lab bottle in a Editions des Parfums boutique, then sprayed it on myself at a launch event, then purchased a travel-size bottle...and somehow never got around to reviewing it, but it's back in my rotation this fall.
The early rumors about Heaven Can Wait suggested that it would be an iris fragrance. Maybe something like Ellena's Hermès Iris Ukiyoé, I wondered? As soon as I had my first whiff, even before I read any promotional materials, I realized that wasn't the case. Heaven Can Wait made me think of carnation and cloves and a touch of old leather — nothing fragile or watery here. It starts off with a burst of cumin and musky carrot seed, a sweaty-spicy intro that might be challenging for some wearers. This phase seems to vary slightly on my skin from day to day, but even when the spices feel more intense, I don't mind waiting for the heart of Heaven Can Wait, when the peppery carnation effect blooms and some dusky iris root and woody vetiver make their appearance.
Heaven Can Wait was launched with some oddly bland visuals of a leggy young man and woman wrapped in white sheets, to make the point that it's "inspired in part by the intimacy of private worlds." I'm glad I didn't see those yawn-inducing photos before I smelled the fragrance, which (to me) has nothing to do with sunlight and freshly laundered linens. When I offered a spritz to a younger coworker, she said it made her think of "the inside of someone's grandmother's handbag" (which just happens to be one of my favorite perfume "categories"!).
I admire the Malle team for releasing a fragrance that feels so resolutely not on-trend — i.e., it's not a Baccarat Rouge 540 clone or a Glossier You-type "skin scent" or a vanilla-heavy gourmand. Heaven Can Wait reportedly nods to the venerable Coty L'Origan (1905), and it does feel like a pared-down iteration of a classic, without the heavier musks and potent sillage that we might associate with one of those old-timers. Although Heaven Can Wait isn't airy or sheer (in Jean-Claude Ellena's earlier style), it stays close to the skin and I can wear it on my morning commute without worrying about encroaching on my fellow commuters' olfactory space.
Like all Arquiste fragrances, this one is thematically tied to a specific (and historical) space: Venice's eighteenth-century casini and ridotti, the private (and often deliberately hard-to-find) apartments that served as wealthy Venetians' retreats for exclusive parties. As sites of elite merry-making — music! flirtation! gambling! — ridotti were decorated to reflect a complete dedication to pleasure. Casino Venier, a particular inspiration for Arquiste founder and creative director Carlos Huber, is still admired for its intact wall motifs of flowery garlands painted in pale green and pink, its ceiling frescoes of heavenly clouds and mischievous cupids, an abundance of gilt-framed mirrors and patterned marble floors.
Venice Rococo is definitely a powdery perfume, as promised. I'm a longtime devotee of Lorenzo Villoresi Teint de Neige and other powdery scents like Les Parfums de Rosine Rose des Neiges, and when someone asks me what kind of perfumes I love, I sometimes reply "vintage lipstick" or "fancy Italian baby." Basically, I was primed to love Venice Rococo even before I picked up my sample vial; the good news is that it lives up to my expectations. This fragrance opens with a light herbal note before shifting into big puffs of orange blossom and rose and iris. It has a slightly animalic note lurking beneath the dusty florals, like warm skin under a satin dress. It's sweet without ever tipping into marshmallow territory. It lasts on my skin for hours and hours, giving off waves of sillage. (I've even been wearing it over Vacation SPF 30 Baby Oil, which happens to be fragranced with a blend of soft rose and jasmine notes, also developed by Carlos Huber and Rodrigo Flores-Roux.)
Venice Rococo, just like the decorative style for which it is named, is uncompromising in its hedonism, ebullient in its embrace of traditionally "feminine" elements of taste and beauty, and perhaps somewhat selective in its appeal. It has joined the plum-rose cocktail of No. 31 and the leathery violet-amber Aleksandr as one of my favorite Arquistes, and if it were available as a travel size, I'd be adding it to my online shopping cart right now. For the time being, I'll enjoy finishing off my sample next time I'm headed out for some cultured revelry on a cool night.
How about you? Have any new releases captured your attention lately?
Arquiste Venice Rococo is available as 1oo ml Eau de Parfum ($205). Frédéric Malle Heaven Can Wait is available as 10 ml ($90), 50 ml ($275) and 100 ml ($410) Eau de Parfum.
Wonderful review of “Heaven Can Wait.” I’m not crazy about the name, but I love the fragrance.
And you’ve definitely got me intrigued about the Arquiste releases!
The name made me think of the Warren Beatty movie from the 70s (80s?)…but there’s also an older (1940s?) movie by that name…and I don’t know whether either of these was an influence. There’s also a Covid-19 context, of being home, etc. Not my favorite name ever, but I do like the scent very much!
Wonderful review of “Heaven Can Wait.” I’m not crazy about the name, but I love the fragrance.
And you’ve definitely got me intrigued about the Arquiste releases!
I think Almond Suede could be a sleeper hit!!
They sent a sample of the Venice one when I ordered a sample pack recently and it was way too sweet and marshmallowy for me. I too like the smell of grandma’s purse but cumin and carrot seed don’t seem to fit.
Oh, it’s definitely a big pillow-y powder bomb! I think it will be divisive. 🙂
Heaven Can Wait is more carnation-y and iris-y than spicy, after 20-30 minutes…give it a try if you can!
I am really into Heaven Can Wait, and I was particularly impressed by the clove note. It’s such a soft and pillow scent, but the marketing definitely wasn’t as elegant as it deserved.
I’m curious to try all the new Arquiste!
You’re right…it’s soft, but not in a clean/fresh way or a predictable vanilla way. It feels very “modern classic” to me and I wish the ads were a little more evocative!
The “Heaven Can Wait” sounds like something that is very much worth a sniff. Love carnation notes.
So many great carnation perfumes have vanished or been weirdly reformulated, due to ingredient restrictions…but I love what J-CE has done here!
I’m especially looking forward to trying both of these after reading your reviews. I might end up ordering a sample of the Arquiste this weekend, along with their other very new one, Almond Suede. I’ll have to see where I can snag a sample of Heaven Can Wait or brave the perfume section (and sales associates!) of the downtown Nordstrom.
The Almond Suede is really worth a sniff! It reminds me of the good smell of a cardboard shoebox just after a new pair of good-quality leather shoes has been taken out of it!
The first time I tried Heaven Can Wait, I was intrigued by the opening notes of carrot and cumin, and then I LOVED how it developed into something completely different, a soft and sensual scent that you describe so beautifully in your review.
I have since sampled it a few more times and enjoyed it very much. If only it wasn’t so expensive! I would wear it so gladly in these warm autumn days.
It is sooo expensive, sigh. The Malle prices have inched up…like everything else, i suppose!
I love the development from the spicy-musky opening into the softer spicy-woody floral, too. A pleasurable “plot twist”!
I’m keen to try Venice Rococo again. I quite liked it, but I think it’s a bit powdery for me. If you like powdery notes, give this a try!
Oh, it is POWDERY! Powder-lovers should try it. Powder-HATERS need not apply. 😉
Finally a review article! I miss the good old days of NST when you’d get to read almost as many reviews as news.
I should write more reviews…I’m just a little burned out, I guess, juggling more side gigs than I used to have!