Marc Gebauer
Marc Gebauer
1.0k votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The juniper hits like gin-soaked wool, all piney sharpness and green astringency, whilst cardamom crackles with almost medicinal intensity. That Sicilian lemon isn't fresh-squeezed sunshine but rather the bitter, resinous pith—zesty oil mixed with petrol fumes and crushed berries.
Leather unfurls like smoke from a campfire, dry and slightly acrid, whilst cedar and patchouli weave a woody tapestry that's fibrous and unpolished. The iris emerges as cold earth, its rooty, almost metallic quality tempering the spice and adding an austere, grey-skied melancholy to proceedings.
Labdanum's sticky, amber-hued warmth finally offers respite, though benzoin keeps things resinous rather than sweet. The smokiness persists like incense ash on skin, woods still present but softened, leaving a spicy, ambery ghost that clings close and refuses to fade quietly.
Air Tiger prowls through a haze of cardamom-laced smoke, its opening salvo a sharp-clawed swipe of juniper and lemon that cuts through winter fog. Christian Carbonnel has crafted something decidedly feral here—the Sicilian lemon doesn't play pretty, instead offering a resinous, almost petrol-tinged brightness that collides headlong with the green bite of juniper berries crushed underfoot. That cardamom isn't your chai latte spice; it's medicinal, slightly mentholated, setting the stage for what's to come.
The leather accord emerges not as supple hide but as something more industrial—think worn motorcycle jackets rather than Chesterfield sofas. Patchouli and cedar form a woody scaffold that's dry and fibrous, whilst iris adds an oddly cold, root-like quality that keeps everything from veering into conventional territory. This isn't polite iris butter; it's the earthy, almost carrot-like facet that smells of damp soil and stone cellars.
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4.5/5 (84)