SAILORS

Fine Fragrance

Sailors was originally developed as a personal request by a friend of perfumer Christophe Laudamiel's, a DJ’s olfactive remix of Jean-Claude Ellena’s iconic 1998 Cartier perfume Déclaration. It is a fragrance that has been much imitated and led to a glut of flinty, green spiced woody compositions that combined the sophistication of tuxedo glamour with just a hint of sweat beneath the businessman’s immaculate suiting. Coriander, cardamom, juniper, cold amber and orris root lay sexily over woods and a supple leather note. It became a template for cool sophistication.

Christophe has not copied or paid dubious homage as many brands do about launches that smell overly familiar. A DJ remix is a great analogy, taking something fabulous and extending the shards off a beloved track. Truly great remixes thread the original through a new vision, giving us both familiarity and the unexpected.

Sailors has a rumbling bass of Déclaration DNA and Bryan Ferry. Christophe has deepened the journey to base/bass with Wolfwood, which was used so adroitly in Mugler’s Aura, a breezy ambroxan and Helvetolide over a misty seaweed and sand atmosphere.

The pithy wonder of grapefruit is handled with just the right amount of startled brightness. A molecular violet note in the base suggests a gothic veil laid over sensual sandalwood and that coastal fiction. Sailors is and isn’t Déclaration, if you are familiar with the original there will be riffs and echoes, new to it, Sailors is gorgeous, comforting perfumery.

Composition:

• Grapefruit, Mandarin, Lemon, Violet Leaf
• Clove, Indian Sandalwood, Javaol (Sandalwood), Cinnamon Leaf
• Cashmeran, Seaweed, Wolfwood, Helvetolide, Ambrox

Perfumer: Christophe Laudamiel, 2018

inci list: Alcohol Denat., Fragrance, Water / Aqua, Limonene, Linalool, Citronellol, Citral, Coumarin, Geraniol, Eugenol, Benzyl Benzoate, Isoeugenol, Benzyl Alcohol, Cinnamal, Farnesol, Cinnamyl Alcohol