To me, one of the most compelling aspects of fragrance is what an illusion the whole thing can be. Like the image that can be either a crone or a maiden depending on how you squint your eyes, a perfume can often smell like two things at once. Mikmoi Vesper is like that. Depending on the angle from which I approach it, Vesper smells like suede and rose or like a fresh crushed fig leaf. Either way, it’s intriguing.
Mikmoi is a San Francisco-based indie perfumery run by nose Michael Coyle, who goes by “Mik.” Coyle studied with Mandy Aftel and Yosh Han before launching Mikmoi…