Perfumery

Oud in gentle disguise (Closer by Atelier Oblique)

The complex ones are the most intriguing… and often also the hardest to write about, for me at least. Closer eau de parfum by Atelier Oblique is a prime example, being all things to one person—the wearer—at different times.

The brand copy reads:

CLOSER celebrates oud in an unexpectedly fresh way. This scent is literally close, sexy, deep, woody and yet fresh, free and floating.

I have to agree.

Notes are lemon, grapefruit, blackcurrant, fig; rose, violet; vetiver, oud, leather.

They form a mosaic rather than a blend. The first note I perceive on a casual wear is actually nectarine, similar to what I get from Fico di Amalfi by Acqua di Parma. The fig note does eventually assert itself, along with the blackcurrant, in a verdant aura. Before then, though, the opening feels like “nectarines and cigarettes,” without the noxious aspects of the latter. The ashy smokiness (courtesy of vetiver?) isn’t suffocating, but more as though sitting outside on a warm, lightly breezy day next to someone who had just been smoking.

If I undertake the academic exercise of sniffing for every note, the lemon and grapefruit are sharp and fleeting, like ushers leading the wearer directly into the next stage of darker fruits and velvety florals. The fruitiness, in turn, invites one to sink into a gratifying base of wood and leather, while it remains intact and afloat above the surface of skin or fabric.

Now for a confession: I wouldn’t think of oud unaided. It is a very gentle, almost watercolor interpretation of this material that is usually represented with strength and volume. Perhaps it’s been deconstructed, and each facet reenacted by one of the surrounding notes. Rather than a rich shade of brown, we get to smell yellow, orange, pink, red, purple, green, blue, and a tinge of gray… and only upon a deep enough inhale past these distractions does the oud note reveal itself, nestled in the base.

The projection seems low to moderate, and I keep drawing my nose closer to my arm to experience the contrasts again and again. Closer by perfumer Karine Vinchon Spehner is certainly one of my favorites from the Atelier Oblique discovery set that I purchased in Berlin.

11 thoughts on “Oud in gentle disguise (Closer by Atelier Oblique)”

  1. I rarely like perfumes with agarwood (unless it’s a synthetic one – then we get along much better), but the rest of the notes sound promising, so I’m not writing it off completely.

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  3. Ever since the increased use of oud in perfumery began, I’ve struggled with many perfumes that build a structure around this ingredient. It’s a careful dance, and sometimes the other elements just don’t evolve into great friendships. This one sounds intriguing.

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  4. I agree with the academic sniffing of the notes idea. Do you find this exercise enhances or detracts from you enjoyment of the fragrance & appreciation of the artistic endeavours of the perfumer?

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    1. It’s hard to say. It can feel like work or like checking boxes, and I feel uneasy when I have to convince myself that I smell something. That’s why it’s a relief when I can also perceive notes that were not listed, because then I’m being led by my nose and not the marketing copy. The exercise certainly makes me pay closer attention, though, which is a positive aspect.
      How about you?

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      1. If I seriously fall for a scent I don’t care a flying fig what the notes are. These fragrances engage my imagination & artistic appreciation. I have found that trying to parse their notes can ruin these fragrances for me.
        Looking back at alitykescents it is easy to see which fragrances I adore.

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