It’s been a while since I had anything to write about… or had the itch to write. I’ve been pursuing more tangible things these past few weeks, such as weekend trips and new clothes (mostly via the intangible medium of websites for second-hand trade—”new with tag” is a beautiful phrase).

One of my conquests was a Robert Graham shirt that turned out just a tad too small for me, although it still works. The point collar was also not very flattering for my square-ish face, so on last weekend’s trip to Vermont, where my other half went mountain biking on the Kingdom Trails to his heart’s content, I undertook the task of sewing it by hand into a mandarin collar. It was fairly straightforward, although some of the thicker overlaps of fabric were tough to pierce with the needle.

The scent I wore during this project was Maison Margiela REPLICA By the Fireplace, of which I’d gotten a mini bottle as one of the gifts with purchase of something else. The REPLICA collection of fragrances is meant to be “the only collection that makes you relive personal memories through scents” (per the brand).

My first encounter with Maison Margiela was in 2019 (yes, I know, very late and 10 years after Martin Margiela left his own label). I was in Dover Street Market in New York when the signature tabi boots caught my eye. Of course, pretty much everything in the concept store was out of my price range, so I took in the visual feast of ideas and moved on.

Recently, the brand and I crossed paths again randomly a few times. The first was when someone at the Rose Retreat in Bulgaria mentioned it with great admiration for the brilliance of the designs. Then the mini perfume sample. Third time’s a charm—while shopping at a brick-and-mortar Saks Off 5th, I came across a pair of trousers that I thought was brilliant.

By the Fireplace by perfumer Marie Salamagne is built around a clove accord, a chestnut accord, and Cashmeran. I’m not a fan of clove in perfumery, but I didn’t pick up on it unaided. The prominent impression when smelling directly from the mini splash bottle, without the benefit of a spray to diffuse the particles, is of a synthetic cocktail of aromachemicals. Zooming in to clearer focus is something roasted and caramellic wrapped in layers of ethyl maltol. It smells thick, but when worn, it blooms into something lighter and slightly drier—probably the guaiac wood and smoky cade at work. This is the part that gets closest to living up to the name.

The top notes of pink pepper, orange flower, and cloves translate to my nose as bitterness. They soon make way for the caramelized woods, which remain pretty linear throughout the wear. The base notes of vanilla and Peru balsam seem to blend in well with the marshmallow cushion of molten sweetness that defines this fragrance. It’s cozy, but a bit too synthetic for me to get completely comfortable.

While wearing By the Fireplace, I treated myself to a maple creemee (a soft serve ice cream blended with maple syrup), a Vermont specialty, and thought that the maple flavor was more toasty than the last time I’d had one… I figured it was just variation between sellers. However, the next day, while wearing Essential Parfums Mon Vetiver instead, I had another maple creemee from the same place and it was no longer toasty like burnt caramel! A testament to the strong link between smell and taste.

*Front. The back looks almost identical, with bigger pockets. From the “Reversed” collection of MM6.