Him

What makes Him interesting is the middle passage. Tea and sage don't show up together often, they're the ingredients perfumers usually save for the end, when wearers have already made their decision. Here they arrive early, creating a smoky, meditative phase that many reviewers report as the fragrance's actual reason for existing. The sangria accord in the top is harder to place, sangria isn't a note, it's a mood. Fruit, wine, citrus, spice. Geza Schoen used it as shorthand for something fun, something with a party attached to it, without the commitment of actual alcohol.

The evolution

Lavender and rosemary hit first, that classic aromatic opening. The sangria follows, sweet, fruity, a little unexpected. Ten minutes in, the basil arrives green and sharp, cutting through. Then the hand-off: tea and sage take over, and the fragrance shifts from garden to something quieter. Smoky. Almost contemplative. The vanilla doesn't arrive until the hour mark, and when it does, it doesn't compete, it wraps around the patchouli like a blanket. The drydown is intimate, close, the kind of scent you catch when you raise your wrist to your face. Lasts moderate, most wearers report four to six hours before it fades to skin level.