The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Gato arrived in 2017 from Enrico Buccella, the Italian perfumer behind Les Voiles Dépliées, and its name alone signals something different. The collection has explored a range of thematic territory across its releases, but this one takes a different direction. The name Gato belongs to something the perfumer wanted to capture in a bottle. It's a departure from the broader atmospheric approach that characterizes much of the line. Instead, this fragrance borrows from something closer, something warm and domestic, and turns it into a scent that feels like a favorite sweater. The concept behind Gato seems to have been straightforward: take the most approachable fruit and the most beloved sweet note in perfumery, add backbone, and stop there. No complexity for its own sake.
What makes Gato interesting isn't what it includes, it's what it refuses. Strawberry and vanilla together risk becoming pure confection, the kind of fragrance that announces itself from across the street and tires the nose within an hour. The choice to anchor both with musk and sandalwood provides a decisive counterweight. The fruit gets body. The sweetness gets shadow. The florals in the heart keep things soft without tipping into air freshener territory.
The evolution
The opening hits quick and bright, strawberry carrying the lime for the first few minutes. It smells like something you'd actually want to eat, but only briefly. Around the ten-minute mark, the vanilla begins its slow take-over, and the scent shifts from fruity to gourmand without ever announcing the change. The florals arrive softly in the heart, just a general warmth that prevents the vanilla from reading too much like a bakery. The composition at this stage is at its most balanced, sweet but not cloying, soft but not fragile. The drydown is where Gato proves its intention. Musk and sandalwood settle close to the skin, creating a second-skin effect that lasts for hours. The strawberry doesn't disappear entirely, it lingers at the edges, a memory of the opening, which is a satisfying trick for a fragrance built on such simple materials.
Cultural impact
Gato occupies an interesting space within the Les Voiles Dépliées lineup. While the rest of the collection leans toward atmospheric, narrative-driven compositions, Gato is deliberately intimate. It presents itself as the house's answer to the question of what happens when you focus on pure comfort rather than story. The fragrance has found its audience quietly, without fanfare or trend positioning. Wearers who appreciate it tend to return to it repeatedly, drawn by its ability to feel personal rather than performed.
