Angelical demons or how something so dark can smell as sweet?
As is often the case with Perfume Shrine, obsessions take on many forms, one of which is cinematic. Helmut Berger, né Helmut Steinberger in Salzburg, Austria in 1944 was director Luchino Visconti’s preferred actor and also partner for the length of Viconti’s last 12 years of life.
In the latter’s magnum opus “The Damned” (also featuring a very young Charlotte Rambling, another one of Perfume Shrine's fixations; the film is originally named “La Caduta degli dei”, meaning Fall of the Gods, and has influenced both “Cabaret” and The Night Porter artistically) he plays the role of Martin Von Essenbeck, black sheep of a rich family of pre-WWII steel industrialists, marxistically scrutinized in their entrapment into the Nazi rise and their role in history as they first resented Adolph Hitler, then accepted him, and at last embraced him.
The sight is compelling, disturbing and alarming to watch as real-life bisexual Berger, dressed in transvestite attire, down to the hat and stockings of Marlene, performs a dance and song at the beginning of the film.
Angélique Encens has an uncanny way of reminding me of that performance in its haunting quality. Created in 1933 by the house of Creed it ties in with the background of the Byzantine plot of the film as well, which contributes to my fixation. Apart from Marlene Dietrich, less mysterious Marie Osmond is a great fan as well, which is perhaps something you were better off not knowing, if you recall the cute image of the latter from 70’s shows.
Today the fragrance is part of the Private Collection, a collection of scents by famous patrons, which basically translates as very expensive and hard to get perfumes, if only because they come in truly huge bottles of 250, 500 or 1000ml. That’s a lot of jus! Enough to bathe in it literally. Luckily my sources are more cunning than that and I was able to procure a "decant", perfume-talk for a small quantity taken from someone’s larger bottle; naturally at a more reasonable price than that for the entire bottle.
Although Angélique Encens was created for a woman -albeit a woman that proved to be an icon for homosexuals for so long, still to this day- I can see it effortlessly worn by discerning and adventurous men, even if they do not share Berger’s sensibilities.
Built around the dark green of the strange angelica plant, the harsh green of it tied to Chartreuse , here it couples it with sensuous vanilla and incense. Angélique Encens is an anomaly in the house of Creed, because it lacks the shrill metallic note that most of the other offerings possess; sometimes to their detriment (Spring Flower), other times to their advantage (Silver Mountain Mist). Instead it is smooth and rich from the very start, which makes for an orientalised feeling right away. The vanilla shows itself through from the very beginning. It’s as if one has taken the peeled black pods and immersed them in a seemingly innocent beverage quickly under the table, adding dashes of alcohol; some person who is trying to hide the darker side of an addiction with a wide smile, seemingly appreciative of all your jokes and ramblings but with a too bright, crazy eye.
The inclusion of carnal tuberose takes an unexpected turn that astonishes with its intricacy and pairing with the herbal aspects, as it only reveals itself sporadically at the mid phase of the development of the glorious bouquet. Each unfolding stage is a wonder of velvet plush and baroque that entraps you in its spin of strange twisted comfort (an oxymoron if there ever were one). The inclusion of ambergris and unidentified precious wood and resins makes the perfume mysterious and mesmerizing, completely fit for the colder season, just likeThe Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky is too. A little childish amusement, a lot of dark russian soul. The final drydown of vanilla and amber lingers on and on and on, making us doubt our ability to disentangle ourselves from our obsessions.
Official notes: angelica, tuberose, amber, incense and vanilla
Available from Bergdorf Goodman in the US, Les Senteurs and Escentual.co.uk (later by phone or mail order only and not on-line)
Mail [email protected] or call 02920 437343 (shop: 63-67 Wellfield Road, Cardiff, UK)
Top pic of Helmut Berger courtesy of Robinson Archive. Pic of Visconti's The Damned DVD jacket from Wikipedia. twelve comments
Oh, Helg !
YES !
All my favorite references [excepting, of course, poor Marie O.]...
Try layering this with vintage Tabarome, and you'll weep...
I have no regret that I purchased the biggie for both of these- and am hoping for a good deal soon on Cypres Musc, which is amazing [ plays well with both of these, to form an inimitable beauty that ignites great interest in others].
Irisia is another beauty, but I'm safe until the Spring- I won't crave that in the cold.
The Fleur de The is gorgeous as well, but I've many tea scents, too many to justify this sort of expense.
I wish I felt this way about all Creeds, but sadly, it ain't so...
And, unfortunately for the company, I find that their "representatives" don't know their line very well.
You and I could do in-service, no sweat...
[Isn't Berger a beauty...reminds me of young Michael York, whom my DH resembled when we first met, 24 years ago, in a blizzard in Harvard Sq....]
God, I used to love viewing 'The Damned,' it was always paired with 'The Devils Of Loudon', or Marat-Sade !
Loved this post...
chayaruchama () - 08 12 06
Thank you for your piece on Angelique Encens. Angelique Encens is my signature scent. I absolutely adore it. I have been wearing it almost every day since I obtained a decant about 6 months ago. I was so upset last month when my decant had about 3 spritzes left that I asked my husband for an early Christmas present - a bottle of Angelique Encens. We drove up together to Neiman Marcus and went to to the Creed counter and I left with a new bottle of this beauty. By the way, my husband loves Angelique on me and I wear it to bed every night. He loves to take a sniff of it on me before the lights go out.
I'm not sure I have ever smelled this on a man or if I would want to. To me it screams 100% Woman and proud of it. A strong woman that is.
Gosh, I could go on and on about this perfume. I love it. It embodies everything I am and everything I am not.
I'll leave it at that.
Peace,
Dawn
Dawn () - 08 12 06
Dear Chaya,
who else but you could understand my ideé fixe?
This film has deeper reasonance than expected. Sade will be referenced in another post shortly, so stay tuned...
I haven't given a thought to combining Tabarome (which is my other favourite from Creed) with this one. I must remedy that and try it! You make it sound so enticing!
Irisia and FDTRB are two others I enjoy from them, but being no big rose fan, I only keep a decant to use from time to time.
Berger does have an ethereal and sensuous at the same time quality about him. I couldn't picture a more apt Dorian Gray even at gunpoint. And your husband must be a sight.
Now, I must try some Cypres Musc. Musk (and chypre) always makes my ears perk up and this one has eluded me. Would you care to describe it a bit, please?
perfumeshrine - 08 12 06
Dear Dawn,
I am surprised and elated to find out this glorious perfume is your signature! What a great choice and what a discerning and indulging husband. That's so sweet that you went together to buy it! And that he loves to smell it last thing at night.
Enjoy the precious liquid, it's a beauty! And from what I know about you I am sure you are just the sort of confident woman to do it justice.
perfumeshrine - 08 12 06
Hello, Helg-
Dawn always wears this, and it makes me feel close to her when I do...
SO glad her DH 'did the right thing' regarding AE [unlike that beast that you and Mando and I railed against yesterday]-
About Cypres Musc:
I really didn't want to love it. Not during the winter.
Cypress, mint, musk- but then, ambergris ! OMG, SO much more substantial than it sounds, with a lovely round greenness, fullness, and it lasts.
To blend it with others, is poetry.
A longtime friend [the only SA I know who's IFF certified- we're friends for 30 years!] observed my experiments with pleasure, even though she's a born critic...
Tabarome w/ CM, Irisia w/ CM- it adds this gorgeous quality that lifts and completes other frags without competing.
On its own, it will make hot climates more tolerable, and I'm surprised that it does well in all seasons; I didn't expect that.
About my DH-
Poor sod has changed much over the past 24 years [ haven't we all !], being a Taurus,he loves to eat and is lax regarding exercise, but he still retains his magnificent voice, and soul [5 planets in Aquarius ! I'm his anchor]...
One COULD blame me, because I fed him the night we met-
But I still put in big-time efforts to remain fit.
[I adore beauty, but I've been roundly criticized by others because I'm far more interested in all the layers of one's being- they all think I'm mad, because I see ravishing glory where others don't see any !]
What a web-hog I am...
Please forgive-
And have a great w/e...
chayaruchama () - 08 12 06
Dear,
thanks for the recount of your Creed experiences. I will seek it out and sniff it and do the combinations you talk of. I am so glad you have found a proper SA with the knowledge to back it up.
As to your husband, if you are together for so many years, he must doing something right! Like you, I like to see the entity of a person's being, not just the superficial, even though I like beauty as well. Sometimes beauty comes fro all sort of different things and directions.
Be well and it's always a pleasure to hear from you, you do not hog the web, not at all!
Have a great weekend, you too!
perfumeshrine - 08 12 06
Dear, since YOU sent me a sample of it i have been intrigued and i am constantly searching for sources on the web as i used it up very quickly.
Am i the only one to feel a slight resemblance to L'Heure Bleue (which is muskier, of course whereas AE is ambery)?
Thank you for the post and i always indulge in your cinematic effectuations. Have a good weekend!
Nina - 08 12 06
I could rhapsodise over the magical journey of AE, or the marvels of Visconti, but I'll stop right there because everyone's already read my mind and I'm busy fretting over something totally non-scent related...
Magnificent post; wonderful replies.
btw - M and I met 16 years' ago. It's still true love.
Leopoldo - 08 12 06
Nina,
I am so glad you liked the post and the scent. I thought you might, as it is a great vanillic amber with various other elements thrown in. Overjoyed that you loved it.
There is some vague resemblence to L'Heure Bleue; however that is more aniseed-like and melancholic. It's the heliotrope note that ruins it for me (sigh)
If we ever get to split a bottle you and I are in the count ;-)
perfumeshrine - 08 12 06
Thank you for the compliment Leo and of course we only attract the best crowd, I believe! (so witty replies are to be expected)
One of the things we attract here is trully loyal people as well. I am very happy for you and M. :-)
perfumeshrine - 08 12 06
Can any of these fragrances be found in any store in Portland Oregon? Especially anything worn by Marlene Dietrich. Thank You
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