Tuesday 19 January 2010

Maison Francis Kurkdjian: Cologne Pour le Soir



Ever since I published my city shopping feature with a focus on Maison Francis Kurkdjian, I have had only praise to sing for this inspired collection. Whilst it is hard to choose a favourite amongst the diverse products offered, the stand out scent for me is Cologne Pour le Soir... an eau de cologne that shatters the "citrus splash" stereotype of most colognes on the market.

Recommended as a scent to apply liberally in the evening to evoke sensations of comfort and love, Cologne Pour le Soir shares the resplendent style and tenacity more befitting of an eau de parfum. A fragrance that opens with smouldering accords of rose honey, amber, benzoin and husky incense; it has a marked "hollywood glamour" feeling to it which conjures images of vintage rabbit fur coats, facepowder and lipstick. It evokes a delightful impression of familiarity and admiration... as one might feel toward ones mother or a beloved grandmother perhaps.

What I find conceivably most engrossing about this fragrance is its underlying damp and frigid alter-ego... one that exists parallel to the opulent honeyed warmth, and isolated by an imaginary diaphanous membrane.

Here, there exists a darker vein that is maybe less apparent at first... it is the scent of eerily dark corridors under the earth, where the ambient temperature is far colder than the surface above, and where the air is trapped inside and stale. It is a gloomy atmosphere that lends a somewhat gothic feeling to this cologne.
This masterful chairoscuro between the warm and comforting and the musty and bleak is what sets Cologne Pour le Soir apart from other fragrances in its genre. It represents a very clever marriage between opposing sensations, and in doing renders it a release to be enjoyed by men and women alike. In terms of innovation, I have come to expect no less from master perfumer Kurkdjian.

Cologne Pour le Soir is an atypical cologne release, and hence must be explored. Visit the new online shop on www.franciskurkdjian.com for more information on ordering.

3 comments:

Mystic Knot said...

Dimitri- another fatanstic article ! SMM and you are just egging me on my my MFK quest. I really love the sound of this one - an 'atypical cologne'.

KVD said...

Dimitri!!! Love your description of MFK Pour Le Soir! I wonder what you think of MFK Pour Le Matin! And APOM! And Lumiere Noire! That last one is where FK specifically plays with opposites (hence the name)! :) Your new reader and a friend of Rafe's! :) KVD

Blog Author said...

Thank you Kim-Van. :)

Kurkdjian is one of my preferred perfumers - he has created some of my very favourite perfumes!
I found the entire MFK range to be spectacular... you might have seen my previous blog also on visiting his MFK store in Paris. I adore Lumiere Noire PH - there is magnificent chaiaroscuro at play there; and am also a big fan of APOM pour Femme: a delightful ylang scent that leaves me wanting more!