Marquis (1928)
by Anglia Perfumery (orig. by Crown Perfumery)

I first smelled this and thought, what? 1928? This smell like half a million modern fragrances out now. At its barebones, it's ctrus and woods. Sounds familiar... a nice scent but just doesn't evoke a feeling of desire for it. Good for casual wear.

This fragrance seems to have been lightyears ahead of its time. To my nose, the lavender stands out prominently from first sniff; it dominates the accord and the citrus and conifer take on a supporting role. I’ve smelled pretty much this same accord in dozens of those late 80s – early 90s fragrances, and as often as not, I do not enjoy them. In the 90s fragrances the opening is often followed by a combination accord that is chock full of every green and/or herb and/or flower under the sun—this one sticks to greens and herbs, and there’s a multitude there. I think Marquis is much better than most of the ‘90s reincarnations, and for that it deserves points for originality, but I still am simply not a major fan of the opening accord or the conglomeration that follows. The dry down is excellent and stays close to the skin, but the olfactory combinations that Marquis presents in the opening and the heart just do not enchant me…to my nose it’s an “ehh” scent. Okay…this is a pleasant fragrance with high quality ingredients and an excellent progression, so don’t listen to me about the accords—try it for yourself.

Being no longer produced by Crown/Clive Christian, this classical scent is nowadays produced by the Anglia-Perfumery. Never having smelled the 'original' one, I dare not saying, whether this version is absolutely similar to the Crown perfume, but anyway, I like it. It has very fresh, Farina cologne water-like notes, ideal for refreshment in the warmer season but after a while it turns into a quite diffuse, but very pleasant heavier direction, which are quite more unique than the citrus notes in the beginning.

Another fine offering from the sadly discontinued Crown range of fragrances. Marquis has quite a modern feel to it and has a pronounced tangy, astringent green quality. My nose tells me that it has affinities with several other scents but my head can't quite put a name to them. Azzaro Chrome? Davidoff Good Life?

This really is a green fragrance: it smells like bamboo and mint. I had to choose between this and Sandringham, and opted for Sandringham, but if I had it to do all over again, I would definitely take the Marquis.