Filippo Sorcinelli
Filippo Sorcinelli
105 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
A sharp volley of black pepper and ginger lands first, immediately brightened by lemon's acidic snap, whilst mimosa's soapy florals create an unexpected three-way tension. The initial effect is invigorating and mildly spicy-citric, almost startling in its clarity and lack of immediate warmth.
As the citrus settles, incense smoke blooms into the foreground, transforming the spice into something resinous and almost ceremonial. Amber and jasmine emerge together, the jasmine's indolic character cutting through rather than softening, maintaining an almost austere quality that keeps the composition from becoming cosy or conventional.
The woody base comes into sharp focus—cedarwood and vetiver dominate with a leathery, slightly bitter dryness, whilst sandalwood provides structure rather than creamy sweetness. What remains is a predominantly smoky, woody skin scent with persistent herbal undertones, finished with that faintly austere quality that characterised the heart.
Plein Jeu III-V announces itself as a conversation between spice and smoke, though never a comfortable one. The black pepper and ginger opening arrives with genuine bite—this isn't the softened spice of mainstream fragrances, but rather the kind that makes you slightly squint, whilst the lemon cuts through with a bracing clarity that prevents the composition from ever becoming merely warm or comforting. Mimosa adds a peculiar counterpoint: that characteristically soapy, almost metallic floral note that feels simultaneously antithetical to the opening's aggression and somehow perfectly aligned with it.
What makes this fragrance distinctive is how the incense heart doesn't sweeten the narrative but rather deepens the smoke. The amber and incense intertwine into something almost ceremonial—think smouldering church pews and temple resins rather than cosy ambered softness. The jasmine arrives not as a romantic flourish but as a sharpening agent, its indolic edges emphasising the composition's slightly austere character. This is a fragrance for those who've grown weary of fragrances designed to please; it possesses an intellectual rigour that some will find compelling and others will find actively uncomfortable.
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4.2/5 (277)