Multiple Rouge by Humiecki and Graef

There's really nothing else like Multiple Rouge, which has made it difficult to write about. My favorite of the offbeat Humiecki and Graef line, it's somehow simultaneously weirder than it sounds, and tamer. There's no denying it's a big bowl of fruity berries, a sort of study in various succulent hues of red. There's no getting around the immortelle, which, like patchouli, is going to be a deal breaker for some. But somehow, these two, encouraged by a dash of coriander, play nice. Multiple Rouge is similar to the fruitchouli, but something else altogether, thanks to the immortelle and a salted caramel effect.

The berries have a darker quality than, say, the explosive brightness of a fragrance like Byredo Pulp, but Pulp is a useful comparison. Like Multiple Rouge, Pulp is an oversized fantasy take on fruit. Still, for all its outlandish strangeness, Multiple Rouge is a far mellower wear. Moodier, too. Pineapple and peach complicate things, arranging the scent into interesting tensions. This is tart but seasoned pineapple, and a stewed peach. Together they seem to conjure something like apple, if not in the shape of anything you'd want to eat.

There's a savory feel to Multiple Rouge unlike anything I've smelled in a berried fragrance. While it isn't gourmand in any conventional way, it nevertheless feels foody. There's something aquatic going on as well. So: berry, salt, apple, peach, pineapple, ozonic, immortelle. See what I mean?

People talk about Multiple Rouge's sense of playfulness. Beyond words, it's a study in absurdity, fragrance as delighted squeal. Just as many seem to feel the joke's on them, and fail to see the humor. Did I mention the booziness? Those apples and berries are on their way to some kind of special, simmering brew, the kind you find in a Crock-pot around the holidays, spiked to get you through Uncle Ed's second wind; dash of grenadine, dash of cognac.

I appreciate Multiple Rouge's unusualness, but wear it seriously. It's one of my favorite immortelle scents, along with Fougere Bengale, Sables, Eau Noire, and 1740.

Top photo: Bert Stern
Middle: Norman Parkinson
Bottom: Irving Penn

Pucker Up

The weather this time of year, with the last vestiges of hot sunny days bearing a cool crispness around the edges always makes me crave tart fruity fragrances. I’ve been wearing one little trollop called Aqua Allegoria Grosselina off and on all summer but now is the time when I pull out my tartest berry scents and wear them exclusively for a week or two.

Here are some of my favorites:

Yvresse
I think everyone knows the story of Yvresse and its original name being Champagne. The French champagne industry brought a lawsuit against usage of the name “Champagne” and hence YSL re-named the fragrance Yvresse. Either way, the fragrance is drop dead gorgeous. Yvresse was originally aptly named because it is like champagne with its effervescent, fruity, crisp and tart quality. Yvresse is the ultimate in tart little numbers, she is the king and queen of tartness but she is ultimately easily worn and elegant. Every single time I wear Yvresse I stop at some point during the day and think "I should wear this more often..."

Annick Goutal Quel Amour!
Quel Amour is a tart berried scent draped over creamy powdery musks and springtime roses and peonies. Quel Amour often strikes me as a lovely wedding scent. It is so darn Pretty with a capital P.

Annick Goutal Eau de Charlotte is another fruity floral with emphasis on berries but this one settles down and doesn’t remain tart on me. It’s still beautiful but not quite the ultimate in puckeryness like it's sister Quel Amour!

Byredo Pulp
Pulp is an absurdly tart mélange of fruits, but I love it. Along with citrus and orange blossom type scents Pulp’s sort of exuberant fruitiness always feels uplifting.

Jo Malone Wild Fig & Cassis
This is the tartest fig on the market. Other figs can be salty or sweet but Jo Malone’s Fig is puckery and tart due to the cassis note. It’s a nice fig scent. I like the juxtaposition of sweet fig and tart cassis.

Teo Cabanel Julia
Oh, Teo Cabanel, everything you do is simply perfect...Julia, is a fruity floral done right, similar to Annick Goutal in style. Julia is not an insipid fruity floral by any stretch mostly because she maintains a green (rhubard) tart fruity texture (blackcurrant). Notes are list as: mandarin, rhubarb, blackcurrant, jasmine, hyacinth and violet, sandalwood, incense, citrus and musk. I'm wearing Julia today and am feeling a tad special because not too many know of this beautiful fragrance.

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Grosselina
Grosselina is a scent I’ve been wearing a lot this summer. I love the main event which is red currants. The fragrance dries down much less puckery than at the start but the whole affair is certainly an ode to tart red currants.

I figure I’ll stop here. Do you like tart, berried fragrances? Which are your favorites?