Michael W. Davis is a writer and management consultant in Atlanta, Georgia. Michael has been collecting and testing fragrances for fifteen years, and is an active contributing member of Basenotes. Michael holds a B.S. in psychology, an M.S. in organizational behavior and focuses on behavior modification in corporate environments. Michael also studies the effects of fragrance from a social psychology perspective.
Real Men Wear Roses
by Michael W. Davis
Real men define masculinity on their own personal
terms with little or no outside influence. They do not
need media personalities nor anyone else telling them
what is masculine. I consider myself to be a real man
in that I define my self-identity as a masculine male in
my own terms.
My self-identity as a man is partially related to some
of my interests and personal taste. Real guy stuff;
restoring vintage cars, weight training, contact sports,
motorcycles, grilling red meat, drinking single malt
scotch whisky, watching action flicks...and wearing rose - based fragrances. Yes, you read correctly, rose - based fragrances. I'm not referring to those that have a hint of rose buried by woody and spicy notes either. I also include rose soliflores and other fragrances in which the rose note plays a dominant or featured role. Dominance is a so called 'masculine' trait!
Assigning gender to specific notes or fragrances is based on culture and personal taste. In western culture, there are many men and women who consider rose fragrances for women only. A common stereotype is that rose scents are 'old lady', 'pretty' or otherwise 'too feminine' for men. This is not true of other cultures and groups. Rose fragrances have always been popular among men in the Middle East. Many of my friends who are perfume aficionados have been wearing masculine and feminine rose fragrances for years.
Fortunately, for those of us who are open-minded about fragrances, there are some exceptional choices en niche. Paestum Rose from Eau d'Italie is a spectacular rose fragrance that defies gender stereotypes and wears beautifully on both men and women. It is a fragrant experience of sun-warmed stone, wood and earth infused with incense, flowers, and spices.
Paestum Rose was created by master perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour who is noted for his exceptional use of layering accords, rather than adding note atop of notes in his creations. Subtle spicy blend of pepper and coriander awaken the senses; a light touch providing a warm introduction rather than a heavy hand and a bracing bite. Incense, tea and myrrh lend a resonance of timeless wisdom. Elemi oil provides a sense of calm and peace. The floral notes in Paestum Rose are the highlight, exuding a lyrical, realistic hint of sweetness avoiding the false pretense of artificiality that has been the ruin of many floral fragrances. Turkish rose which is a key material, is voluptuous, luscious and succulent. This fragrance is a holy grail for those men and women searching for a perfectly rendered rose with a kick. There is a base accord that is quite woody and at the very foundation are the aqueous and earthy accords, evoking the damp, fertile earth that allows for this uncommon rose to flourish; damp earth grounds the fragrance.
Perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour masterfully blended the accords in Paestum Rose using notes of davana, cinnamon, pink and rose pepper, black pepper, coriander, black currant buds, osmanthus, peony, Turkish rose, tea, elemi, incense, myrrh, opopanax, cedarwood, papyrus, patchouli, Wenge wood, vetiver, musk, and benzoin. However, describing Paestum Rose in terms of notes only is facile and belies its complexity and the many levels on which it stirs the senses. It is a fragrance that one must wear, experience and feel to develop his or her own personal understanding of this tremendous accomplishment of perfume art.
Available at Lafco New York
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