Roberto Ugolini
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The first spray delivers an aromatic punch—lavender sharp enough to clear sinuses, bergamot zest, and an unexpected aniseed twist that makes you second-guess what you've just experienced. Black pepper crackles through it all, adding a spiced edge that's more sophisticated than aggressive, whilst that liquorice note weaves something faintly medicinal and utterly addictive into the aromatic haze.
The woods emerge wet and slightly saline, with cedarwood and sandalwood forming a creamy backbone that the patchouli darkens considerably. That ambergris brings a mineral, almost oceanic quality—think driftwood rather than beach holiday—whilst the spices from the opening still ghost through, now integrated rather than confrontational.
The skin scent settles into classic comfort: tonka bean's almond sweetness, vetiver's earthy bite, and labdanum's resinous leather creating a warm, slightly smoky embrace. The woods have gone soft and intimate, the spice is merely a memory, and what remains is that suede-like texture—smooth, broken-in, unmistakably masculine in bearing if not in marketing.
Blue Suede Shoes opens with a sharp intake of breath—a collision of medicinal lavender and black pepper that feels more apothecary than dancehall. The bergamot adds a necessary lift, but it's that aniseed that makes everything strange and compelling, threading a liquorice sweetness through the aromatic haze that shouldn't work but absolutely does. This is where Blanca Dalmau's hand shows itself: that spicy accord isn't just heat, it's texture, like suede itself—simultaneously rough and refined.
The woods arrive with authority rather than subtlety. Cedarwood and sandalwood form the backbone, but it's the patchouli and ambergris partnership that gives this fragrance its maritime character. That aquatic accord makes sense now—not as ozonic freshness, but as salt-kissed wood, like weathered furniture in a coastal villa. The ambergris adds a mineral quality that keeps the composition from sliding into conventional barbershop territory, whilst the patchouli grounds everything in earth and shadow.
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3.5/5 (167)