ésika
ésika
76 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Tart blackcurrant and mandarin clash with an immediately aged, peppery quality—this isn't a fresh fruity opening but a vaguely fermented one, like overripe berries meeting dust. The initial impression is crisp yet melancholic, a fruit bowl photographed in November light.
The freesia and rose emerge softly, their indolic, slightly creamy aspect complemented by that peculiar "decay" note which prevents any descent into floral cliché. Orange blossom adds a skin-like warmth, whilst the pepper retreats, allowing the florals their moment—though a moment tinged with subtle wrongness, like a smile that doesn't quite reach the eyes.
Vanilla and musk create surprising softness, nearly powdery in their gentleness, but patchouli and that rust accord ground everything firmly into earth. What remains is intimate and grounded—less fragrance clinging to skin than a gentle atmospheric haze, quietly present, entirely unbothered with projection.
Cardigan Evolution arrives as a deliberately contradictory statement—a fragrance that wraps you in the comfort of worn cashmere whilst simultaneously unsettling your expectations. The blackcurrant and mandarin orange open with an almost tart brightness, but this isn't cheerful; it's the colour of autumn fruit beginning its slow surrender to decay. The aged pepper cuts through with a dusty, almost tobacco-like quality that immediately signals maturity and restraint.
What makes this fragrance genuinely compelling is its central tension. The freesia and rose heart should feel romantic, conventional even, yet the "decay" note (likely a slightly animalic or fermented element) prevents any sentimentality. Instead, you get florals that smell like they've been pressed between pages for too long—beautiful but slightly unsettling. The orange blossom adds a creamy indolic quality that tips toward skin-like warmth rather than citric freshness.
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3.4/5 (81)