Maison Francis Kurkdjian - Masculin Pluriel

Picture: "The Dandy king",
Joachim Murat (1767-1815),  King of Naples etc
Portrait by Francois Gérard (1770-1837)

Masculin Pluriel created by one of my favorite perfumers Francis Kurkdjian for his own house, is the masculine counterpart to one of the very best feminine perfumes of 2014 Féminin Pluriel. Just as the latter, Kurkdjian in Masculin Pluriel interprets a classical theme in a contemporary setting but still retains the timeless expression of the fragrance.

Masculin Pluriel starts with a beautiful note of lavender on a light, woody background. The lavendernote is the featured note during the rest of the dry down and it shows off a bit different at different stages, influenced by the surrounding and supporting notes. Masculin Pluriel is truly aromatic, lighter in the begining and darker in the later stages. The woody notes never get sharp or chemical and interacting with the herbal notes, the fragrance explore both dark and light accords, bitter and even if an overall non-sweet fragrance, there are some sweet elements, I can smell some woody vanilla, the vanillic note coming from wood, in the middle of the fragrance. There is also a very light, smoky element present in the fragrance but it's almost not detectable as smoke, there is absolutely nothing sharp or offending about it. The patchouli in the base are dark and desert-dry, like dried patchoulileaves, no moisty texture but anyway it lends a slight earthy impression to the mix. The patchouli blends perfectly and highlighting the deep and dark facets of the lavender, here the lavender reminds me partly of the lavendernote of Vero Profumo Kiki Extrait. There is something, the bitter, slight smoky impression, in Masculin Pluriel that reminds me of  the new By Kilian "extreme" Smoke for the Soul where Masculin Pluriel is the polished, elegant and wearable one. I read on Fragrantica that the fragrance trend for the coming years are woodsy and piny notes, as for example birch and likely  there is room for woody-aromatic fragrances in this trend which Masculi Pluriel and Smoke for the Soul could be some of the forerunners to. Another fragrance that comes to my mind testing Masculin Pluriel is the classic Aramis Tuscany (vintage) even if that one is bold and big compared to the former.

Picture: Masculin Pluriel
Photo: PR Maison Francis Kurkdjian (c)

Masculin Pluriel is an elegant, understated, very wearable choice for daytime officewear. There is something dandy-ish over the whole composition. The longevity is very good, for over a day and the fragrance is suitable for every season except the warmest summermonths. As Masculin Pluriel is a very well constructed and easy to wear fragrance, it should have been included in my best of 2014 list if I had tested it properly on myself and on Mr Parfumista before year end.

Rating: 5

Notes: Lavender, cedar, patchouli, vetiver, leather, woody notes

Best of 2014

Picture: Grape hyacinths in spring 2014
Photo: Mr Parfumista (c)

Best of 2014 is not an easy post to write (and should not be as long as the perfume industry has not collapsed compleatly :-) as I have tried a bunch of good fragrances released in the market this year. And as usual, I've just tested a fraction of the thousend+ releases on the international market.

Best Feminine:
Vero Profumo Rozy Voile d'Extrait, an retro styled but still contemporary deep, balsamic, oriental rose.
Close contenders: My Burberry and Maison Francis Kurkdjian Féminin Pluriel both contemporary, beutiful floral interpretations by Francis Kurkdjian, the former a  though, urban flower, the latter a contemporary but in the same time timeless flower creation. Le Galion Iris a magnificent, iris-lily dominated floral bouquet, review will follow in January 2015.

Best Masculine:
Le Galion Special for Gentleman, an elegant, retrostyled, very masculine aromatic/chypre.
Close contenders: Oriza L.Legrand Vétiver Royal Bourbon  unisex but leaning IMO to the masculine side. Chalky, brisk, light green vetiver, nautral smelling with some traces of Terre d'Hermes, the chalky tone. By Kilian Smoke for the soul doesn't suit me personally but the fragrance is very original and innovative to be a member of the Kilian line. Therefore it's the stand out in the "The addicted state of mind" trio.

For both:
Serge Lutens L'Orpheline is totally unisex to me, fits equally fits equally well for me as for Mr Parfumista. It's a fragrance that is a growing liking for me. I like it much better worn in colder tempratures than when tested it last summer for the review. A new and appealing interpretation of incense. Frapin Nevermore, this decades interpretation of the iconic dark rose of the 1990s; L'Artisan Voleur de Roses. Nevermore is leaning to the masculine side but I admit I notice a growing appreciation to wear it myself.

Disappointments of the year:
Both are very good fragrances but apparently in practice the don't fit me even if they should, in theory.
Editions Parfums Frederic Malle Eau de Magnolia: Even if a well constructed fragance and probably a hit commercial, it's just too shrill to me, and honestly, to me this fine fragrance is boring in the long run.
Cartier La Panthere: Probably I havn't tested it enough, but even if well constructed etc it doesn't leave a lasting impression, I can't remember at all how it smells.

Wishing you a great New Years Eve and a Happy New 2015!

Maison Francis Kurkdjian - Féminin Pluriel

Picture: Portrait of a young lady with a white veil,
oil on painting, unknown french painter ca 1800

Féminin Pluriel is the feminie part of the Pluriel compositions of Maison Francis Kurkdjian, with Francis himself as the nose. The masculine Pluriel will be reviewed in a coming post.

Féminin Pluriel starts with a bright, clean iris where the carrot is present but very well balanced, it never reaches the deep, rough, earthy territories like for example Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist. Soon bright and almost sparkling violets and roses apperars, I imagine the roses as elegant creme colored ones and the violets in a pale violet nuance. Further in the dry down the flowers mingels in a beautiful, bright and uplifting boquet, subtle, trasparent and very elegant like a creme colored silk chiffon scarf flapping in the wind or the veil of a bride.There is something the overall impression that reminds me of two Jean Patou fragrances: EnJOy and Un Amour de Patou, mostly of the latter. From EnJoy there is something similar from the basic structure, a contemporary chypre with a patchouli-vetiver base. EnJoy is rougher, louder and have some frutiy  notes (which mixed together reminds) me of pineapple, these notes are not present in Le Pluriel. The flowery light rosy bouquet is in the same style as in Un Amour de Patou, even if not smelling the same, they mediates a similar impression. A note that is distinguishable when  I'm wearing Pluriel is the Lily-of-the-Valley, the spontaneus reaction from the kids are "Your smelling like grandma" and as Dior Diorissimo is my mothers it signaturefragrance there must be the LOTV. Even further in the dry down, a very light powdery impression with a glimpse of a soft lipstick note, apperars and when reaching the base, the vetiver steps forward making Pluriel a tad greener. The vetiver is dry and gentle and not of the rougher, masculine kind, the patchouli is in the clean, contemporary style, which is not dominating the base, just adding some slight earthy dept to it. There is also a balsamic quality in the texture, not the smell, of the base, despite all traces of balsams and resins are missing in the composition. This "balsamic"quality is also present but more pronounced, in another MFK favorite, APOM Pour Femme. There is also something common in style, not much in smell, with Jour d'Hermès but the latter is greener, harsher, sharper and more tangy in its scent.

Picture Féminin Pluriel
Photo: PR Maison Fracis Kurkdjian (c)

Féminin Pluriel is a very wearable fragance, both for business and for pleasure including occasions that deamnds an elegant outfit and fragrance. The sillage is medium and the longevity for a day, and when wearing Pluriel one could be sure it's attracting compliments. Pluriel is not as complicated as the earlier MFK fragrances so it will probably reach a greater audience than the more extreme ones.

I was very curious to compare Pluriel PF with an other great Francis Kurkdjian composition of 2014: My Burberry and thought there would be more similarities than it really is. Pluriel is very clean, innocent without any dirty notes, compared to My Burberrys urban garden and asphalt notes, Pluriel is an unspoiled country girl where My Burberry is the casual chic and though city girl. Taken as a whole My Burberry has more interesting twists with the contratsing flowery and urban notes but Pluriel is much more beautiful and elegant. Just as with My Burberry, I find Féminin Pluriel to be one of the best and most wearable fragrances of what I have smelled from the 2014 releases.

Rating: 5

Notes: Iris, violet, rose, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, orange blossom, vetiver, patchouli leaf