Maison Martin Margiela At The Barber's (2014) {New Fragrance} {Men's Cologne}
Maison Martin Margiela will launch a new fragrance for men from November 1st, 2014 called At the Barber's in the Replica collection, which is generally dedicated to the "reproduction of familiar scents and moments of varying locations and periods,"...
As its name indicates, the new eau de toilette embraces the full extension of the social meaning found in the genre of the fougère with its traditional notes of lavender, geranium, coumarin and oakmoss. Traditionally smelled either in the bathroom or at the barber's, and referred to colloquially, including by this reviewer, as the scent of an old-fashioned barber shop to make the more abstract idea of the accord better understood, it becomes more than an analogy an olfactory story experienced in Madrid in 1992, according to the label on the bottle.
It turns out however that the back story is a bit more complex - as is usually the case in creative-process stories where several sources of inspiration cohabit without being exclusive of each others.
The scent, composed by perfumer Louise Turner of Givaudan, is actually (also?) inspired by her memories of her father shaving in the bathroom,
"I was inspired by the memory of my father grooming himself in the morning. Aromatic notes of lavender could be smelled next to soap bubbles in the soft warmth of the bathroom."
The eau de toilette features notes of black pepper, basil / lavender, geranium / tonka bean and white musks.
We'll go back to fougères, which have become quite popular lately.
Price: 81€ for 100 ml.
