Winter is coming and with it our 2018 WINTER EscENTIALS: 12 enigmatic winter perfumes brought to you by Berlin photographer Axel Kranz and set designer Hendrikje Bernhoeft. This still life series is an ode to Surrealism and its border-crossing celebration of the collective unconscious — a courageous dance on the thin line between genius and lunacy.
Follow us on this expedition into the dark season to find the light of olfactive beauty!
PHOTOGRAPHY: Axel Kranz
SET DESIGN & SYTLING: Hendrikje Bernhoeft
Surreal — so real!
Discover 12 enigmatic winter perfumes.
01. Montale: So Iris Intense
Everything we see hides another thing; we always want to see what is hidden by what we see.
—René Magritte
Monsieur Magritte certainly knew a thing or two about the power of mystery. This opaque gold and blue colored aluminum flacon contains an olfactive enigma worth unraveling: a concoction of highly seductive iris absolue, white musk, and sandalwood.
YEAR: 2017
PERFUMER: Pierre Montale
www.montaleparfums.com
02. Guerlain: Shalimar Essence
A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others.
— Salvador Dalí
Jacques Guerlain created Shalimar as an homage to unconditional love in 1925 — at the height of Surrealism. Shalimar became one of the best-selling perfumes ever, and to this day its olfactive magic hasn’t faded.
YEAR: 1925
PERFUMER: Jacques Guerlain
www.guerlain.com
03. Atkinsons: Gold Fair in Mayfair
Alternative realities are obtained by slightly bending physical and chemical laws.
—Marcel Duchamp
One drop of perfume can make all the difference in changing the way we feel, think, love, and live. Atkinsons has been practicing the art of bending reality since 1799 and Gold Fair in Mayfair is their latest magic trick.
YEAR: 2018
PERUMER: Philippine Courtière
www.atkinsons1799.com
04. The House of Oud: Golden Powder
Paintings, like dreams, have a life of their own and I have always painted very much the way I dream.
—Leonor Fini
This dreamlike forest would be the playground for painter Leonor Fini’s tribe of breathtakingly beautiful sprites and nymphs, watching over a mystical golden egg filled with a powder that commands love and fate — now that’s power.
YEAR: 2016
PERFUMER: unknown
www.thehouseofoud.com
05. Dalí Haute Parfumerie: Regard Scintillant De Mille Beautés
I don’t do drugs, I am drugs!
—Salvador Dalí
Get hooked on a drug that will open your eyes to a new reality, the essence of beauty concealed by the material world, a reality surreal! This dope is 100 percent legal but has one severe side effect: there’s no way back to normal!
YEAR: 2015
PERFUMER: Alberto Morillas
www.dalihauteparfumerie.com
06. Boucheron: Boucheron Pour Homme
When I close my eyes, my vision is even more powerful.
—Giorgio de Chirico
What could be a more powerful vision than wild horses dashing along the shores of a distant planet, the surf of a royal blue sea in their flaring nostrils, untamed winds stroking their mane and stirring up clouds of golden sands. Boucheron Pour Homme is your ticket to ride!
YEAR: 1991
PERFUMERS: Francis Deleamont, Jean-Pierre Bethouart, Raymond Chaillan
www.boucheron.com
07. Aedes de Venustas: Copal Azur
Give me two hours a day of activity, and I’ll take the other twenty-two in dreams.
—Salvador Dalí
Dream your life away with Copal Azur’s mesmerizing triad of hypnotic copal resin, salt, and amber. This liquid dreamcatcher comes in a night-blue bottle with a sculptural sealing cap to make sure your dreams are always safely stored.
YEAR: 2014
PERFUMER: Bertrand Duchaufour
www.aedes.com
08. Mona di Orio: Santal Nabataea
Surrealism had a great effect on me because then I realized that the imagery in my mind wasn’t insanity.
—John Lennon
There’s a fine line between genius and lunacy. Dare to cross it now and then, but only with the right perfume to escort you! With its black pepper, opoponax, and Australian sandalwood, this is your perfect talisman for that journey into the unknown.
Year: 2018
Perfumer: Fredrik Dalman
www.monadiorio.com
09. Versace: Pour Homme Dylan Blue
Good taste is as tiring as good company.
—Francis Picabia
Understated minimalism is an intriguing concept: no hyperboles, no missteps, no pain. But doesn’t it sound a bit bleak and mirthless too? When in doubt, embrace excess, choose abundance, exceed the limits of taste — choose Versace!
YEAR: 2016
PERFUMER: Alberto Morillas
www.versace.com
10. Shanghai Tang: Oriental Pearl
I do not paint a portrait to look like the subject, rather does the person grow to look like his portrait.
—Salvador Dalí
Learn from the best and take Señor Dalí’s advice to heart: don’t wear the perfume that represents what you are, but what you want to become — in this case exotic, enigmatic, and strikingly different!
YEAR: 2014
PERFUMER: Carlos Benaim
www.shanghaitang.com
11. Narciso Rodriguez: For Him Bleu Noir EdP
Dive into the river of uncertainty. Create in the dark; only then can you recognize the light.
—Jyrki Vainonen
L’heur bleu, the magical hour when the logic of daylight gives way to the floating wisdom of the night. When gifted souls pour divine intuition into a poem, a painting, or… a dark blue bottle of perfume.
YEAR: 2018
PERFUMER: Sonia Constant
www.narcisorodriguez.com
12. S.Ishira: Phi Safarjal
If the dream is a translation of waking life, waking life is also a translation of the dream.
—René Magritte
The West has always dreamed of Arabia’s wonders and delights. Our favorite offering by Qatari brand S.Ishira delivers us to its shores — with dates, rose, saffron, and a hint of overripe banana that lingers atop it all. Utterly sensuous!
YEAR: 2016
PERFUMER: Shaikha Al Misned
www.s-ishira.com
If you enjoyed our 2018 WINTER EscENTIALS, discover more winter scents here.