Today I Will Be Wearing: Aedes de Venustas

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There are those seminal moments in life that stop you in your tracks and make your re-evaluate the things you thought you knew. As a school boy the first time I heard the Roland C78 opening bars of Heart of Glass on the radio, as a six former discovering Edie Sedgwick and the movies of Andy Warhol, in my twenties the first time I saw the New York skyline as my cab approached Manhattan, many years later literally having my breath taken away by the Aedes de Venustas perfumery in the West Village. It is strange how many of my poignant moments revolve around New York; my Manhattan moments, the fleeting things that leave you changed forever. 

Smelling Aedes de Venustas’s first release scent for the first time had a similarly profound effect on me, and it appears I am not alone. Colleagues and customers at Roullier White seem almost shaken by the initial experience of this staggering aroma; such is the impact of this stellar new scent which has taken the fragrance world by storm. 

Housed in aubergine glass the bottle bursts with individualism, its juxtaposed round and square shapes defying design convention. The composition of Aedes de Venustas’s signature eau de parfum is quite literally revolutionary - the traditional fragrance pyramid is eschewed in favour of a round swirl of a scent; at the centre of which is the green freshness of rhubarb, the axis around which the fragrance revolves. Despite the inclusion of rhubarb and red berries this scent is far from that of a gourmand; rather having the zesty notes of a chypre. There is further greenness, this time a velvety and greyish-green, from tomato leaf whilst the slight sharpness of crisp green apple is tempered by light, fragrant honeysuckle. A whirl of rich vetiver, smokey incense and slightly musky hazelnut add depth and complexity.

Perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour explains this unique architecture; “the green effect increases while the heavy dark resinous incense and chypre accord gets more abstract.” 

Many of the ingredients have been sourced by Bertrand Duchaufour; the omnipresent vetiver is from Madagascar; where the perfumer travelled to meet the farmers and validate their fair trade credentials.

It is impossible to spray it without it a raising a smile: it is fresh and intelligent, modern, sophisticated and so wearable.
Lawrence Roullieer White, London

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