Jil Sander
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Grapefruit blossom arrives with that characteristic green-white bitterness, like biting into pith by accident, immediately softened by a splash of pink cassis that's more floral than fruity. There's an effervescent quality to these first minutes, a champagne-fizz freshness that feels deliberately sheer, as though Polge wanted to start with negative space rather than saturation.
The rose-violet pairing takes centre stage with jasmine playing a supporting role, adding just enough creaminess to prevent the composition from turning too soapy. It's here that Eve reveals its true nature—a powdery floral that leans into that retro-modern aesthetic, where violet's cosmetic facets are acknowledged rather than hidden, creating something that smells both contemporary and faintly nostalgic.
The patchouli finally emerges from the shadows, but it's been so thoroughly tamed that it reads more as a woody-amber abstraction than recognizable patchouli. Cashmere wood provides that skin-clinging muskiness, leaving behind a pale, powdery veil that hovers close to the body—more suggestion than statement, more whisper than shout.
Jil Sander's Eve reads like a watercolour study of florals dipped in pink grapefruit juice and dusted with violet powder. Olivier Polge has created something remarkably translucent here—the cassis and grapefruit blossom alliance in the opening feels almost aqueous, that peculiar bitter-tart sweetness of citrus petals rather than citrus fruit itself. There's a photorealistic quality to the rose-violet-jasmine triumvirate at its heart; it's not the bombastic indolic jasmine of old-school perfumery, but rather something softer, more pastel-hued, as though you're catching the scent through a sheer curtain.
The patchouli here isn't the headshop variety—it's been scrubbed clean, almost marshmallow-soft, providing just enough earthy ballast to prevent the whole composition from floating away entirely. That cashmere wood note (likely an Iso E Super derivative) wraps everything in a subtle musky haze that makes the florals feel like they're being worn on warmed skin rather than sprayed into the air. The powdery aspect emerges as violet absolute does its violet-absolute thing, that distinctive lipstick quality mingling with rose in a way that feels distinctly feminine yet never overtly gendered.
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3.3/5 (147)