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Serge Lutens for Elle magazine, September 1992.

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Antaeus by Chanel

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I've been trying to decide what to discuss with my first real post that isn't just an old perfume add. I decided on possibly my favorite perfume note, and one that gets a lot of hate for all the wrong reasons: patchouli.

I absolutely love patchouli. Both as a raw material and as an ingredient in perfume. I think my love for it started, though I didn't know it at the time, when I got a bottle of Gucci Envy for Men. It's been years since I last had a bottle of it, but I still remember how warm, sweet, and somewhat earthy it was. I was obsessed with it, and when it was discontinued I was devastated. There were others that came along that came very close, but didn't quite hit the same chords with me.

Now, a lot of people swear they hate patchouli, but don't even realize it is the main note in many of their favorite fragrances. Most people hate it because they associate it with hippies, in particular ones who substitute bathing with covering themselves in scented oils, patchouli being a particularly popular one. These people don't actually hate patchouli itself, but rather the smell of the people often wearing it. This was actually where I was before I began to learn about perfume notes and discovered what that ingredient was that made so many of my favorite fragrances so great. When I realized this I was blown away. "Gucci Envy and Burberry Brit smell nothing like dirty hippies," I thought.

Fast forward about 10 years and I'm practically tripping over myself to get perfumes heavy in patchouli. It's one of my favorites, and probably one of the most misunderstood notes in perfumery.

Above are four of my favorite perfumes featuring patchouli in my collection. They are: Patchouli Intense by Parfums de Nicolai, Coromandel by Chanel, Psychédélique by Jovoy, and Tempo by Diptyque

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Pour Monsieur by Chanel

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Knize Ten

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Mitsouko by Guerlain

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Houbigant - Fougère Royale

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Vent Vert by Balmain (1947)

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My Sin

Lanvin, 1924

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I really wish there was a way to let you smell this via the internet. Natural civet has quickly become one of my favorite scents. It's actually pretty horrific to the virgin nose, but when you spend enough time with it, and get to experience the nuances, it is really quite lovely. Wouldn't wear it alone, but I definitely like when I can smell it in a fragrance.

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I had other ideas to name this blog before I settled on this one

Top contender was Fougère about it

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Perfume Bottle Case (Etui). 18th century. Possibly made in England.

Tortoiseshell with gold gilt.

Images and text information courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art.