Christopher Street, the first fragrance from NYC-based indie line, Charenton Macerations, celebrates the spirit of the Greenwich Village locale and its history. Evoking the people, colors, and atmosphere can take many routes. Douglas Bender, the creator of Charenton Macerations, together with perfumer Ralf Schwieger, took a fizzy sparkling direction without a hint of darkness, dirtiness or debauchery. Their reflection of Christopher Street is pure fun.
Two notes stand out to me in Christopher Street: citrus and tobacco. The citrus here is among the most interesting interpretations I know of lime and lemon. It's a bitter lemon, the stuff of summer cocktails and rooftop parties, all rind, no fruit, a grownup drink, not a hint of a pink umbrella in sight. The tobacco is enriched with dry spices. There's no exotica there, though, but enough richness and complexity not to make the fragrance austere. It's intriguing and beguiling, there's enough leather there to be suggestive, but in a very restrained way. This isn't one of the early ELdO perfumes (which I do like a lot for the most part) with their wink-wink-nod-nod names and imagery. Christopher Street is civilized, tasteful and very approachable, while still offering us a lot of substance.
Hesperidic notes are often too volatile to make a long and lasting impression. Not in this case. As a matter of fact, while tobacco, clove, and dry patchouli play a major part in Christopher Street, the citrus makes a vivid statement that can be felt throughout the perfume's development. Christopher Street is very much alive and bursting with excitement. It doesn't have a particular gender or a day/night label. It just is-- exuberant and present, very long lasting (12 hours and then some) without crossing any taste boundaries. It's a very wearable perfume that should appeal to many.
Notes: Lime, Bergamot, Bitter Orange, Leather, Tobacco, Cinnamon, Clove Bud, Orange Blossom, Incense, Moss, Musk, Myrrh, Patchouli.
Christopher Street by Charenton Macerations ($100, 1oz) is available exclusively from charentonmacerations.com . A press sample was sent to me by the creator.
Images:
Christopher Street Day Parade by Bueh B.
Christopher Street, Greenwich Village by Beulah R. Bettersworth, 1934
Christopher St, looking west at Greenwich St., 1940, via warofyesterday.blogspot.com
Christopher Street/Sheridan Square Subway Art via scienceblogs.com
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