Gianni Campagna, Scilla i Chariddi
Campagna is a master tailor suitable for those who find Kiton too pedestrian
He also owns the Caraceni operation. The fragrances were launched 2006, I suppose, and the only information I could find on them is from ausliebezumduft (first in fragrance). Here's a pic Campagna
Very nice packaging and the bottles based on the shape of traditional Sicilian (hash?
) pipes are beautiful – except for the caps, which should be metal rather than plastic and which have unsightly seams. That does not square with the quality image of bespoke tailoring. Of course, at 70€ per 100ml these fragrances are far too cheap anyway, while at the same time they are seemingly not being marketed at all. If the strategy here is to “down-market” the super-exclusive Campagna name to GQ/Elle readers (it’s probably too little known to draw sufficient interest except for people very much into high-end fashion) they really need better product placement. If they are aiming at super-exclusivity they should have charged double the price for 30ml flacons. Anyway, about the perfumes:
Campagna is a Sicilian and the story line is that the fragrances embody his memories of favorite places on that beautiful island. They are made by Forester in Milan, a mid-size producer (turnover under 5 million €) who also makes Domenico Caraceni, Amerigo Vespucci and Les Bains de Marais.
1st impression of this one (from a scent strip): herbal –sweet- mossy, almost resinous top, quite nice, the sweetness proceeds to become more lavendery-floral in the middle, but the clove soon comes to dominate. A very sweet and spicy clove, thankfully not of the urinal cake variety, more of a potpourri-christmassy kind, due to patchouli, rosewood and vanilla. It reminds me of the smell of a dark brown honey-sweetened spice cake. It’s quite powerful, warm, smoky-incensey, a bit soapy, but very good quality. It clearly has more of a winter than a spring or summer vibe for me, not melancholy, lonely-walk winter, but rich-harvest, warm-hearth, cornucopias-overflowing-with-dried-fruit-honey-spices winter. A bit reminiscent of Villoresi’s Incensi, which is more subtle and cinnamon-oriented, however.
What you are supposed to imagine according to the PR blurb is a totally different story, but to me the Scylla and Charybdis of this perfume are sweetness and spice, and it manages to navigate them quite well. It’s only my first smelling on a strip, but I’m quite taken. Btw. This whole line seems to be marketed as unisex / vaguely feminine, but I think this one can work quite well on a man, even if we’re not made of sugar and spice. I would even say it takes a rather self-confident woman to wear, powerful as it is. Apply lightly.
The official notes:
Bergamot, Basil, Mace, wild Thyme, Rosemary
Lavender, Geranium, Clove, Patchouli
Vetiver, Musk, Rosewood, Vanilla
Campagna is a master tailor suitable for those who find Kiton too pedestrian
He also owns the Caraceni operation. The fragrances were launched 2006, I suppose, and the only information I could find on them is from ausliebezumduft (first in fragrance). Here's a pic CampagnaVery nice packaging and the bottles based on the shape of traditional Sicilian (hash?
) pipes are beautiful – except for the caps, which should be metal rather than plastic and which have unsightly seams. That does not square with the quality image of bespoke tailoring. Of course, at 70€ per 100ml these fragrances are far too cheap anyway, while at the same time they are seemingly not being marketed at all. If the strategy here is to “down-market” the super-exclusive Campagna name to GQ/Elle readers (it’s probably too little known to draw sufficient interest except for people very much into high-end fashion) they really need better product placement. If they are aiming at super-exclusivity they should have charged double the price for 30ml flacons. Anyway, about the perfumes:Campagna is a Sicilian and the story line is that the fragrances embody his memories of favorite places on that beautiful island. They are made by Forester in Milan, a mid-size producer (turnover under 5 million €) who also makes Domenico Caraceni, Amerigo Vespucci and Les Bains de Marais.
1st impression of this one (from a scent strip): herbal –sweet- mossy, almost resinous top, quite nice, the sweetness proceeds to become more lavendery-floral in the middle, but the clove soon comes to dominate. A very sweet and spicy clove, thankfully not of the urinal cake variety, more of a potpourri-christmassy kind, due to patchouli, rosewood and vanilla. It reminds me of the smell of a dark brown honey-sweetened spice cake. It’s quite powerful, warm, smoky-incensey, a bit soapy, but very good quality. It clearly has more of a winter than a spring or summer vibe for me, not melancholy, lonely-walk winter, but rich-harvest, warm-hearth, cornucopias-overflowing-with-dried-fruit-honey-spices winter. A bit reminiscent of Villoresi’s Incensi, which is more subtle and cinnamon-oriented, however.
What you are supposed to imagine according to the PR blurb is a totally different story, but to me the Scylla and Charybdis of this perfume are sweetness and spice, and it manages to navigate them quite well. It’s only my first smelling on a strip, but I’m quite taken. Btw. This whole line seems to be marketed as unisex / vaguely feminine, but I think this one can work quite well on a man, even if we’re not made of sugar and spice. I would even say it takes a rather self-confident woman to wear, powerful as it is. Apply lightly.
The official notes:
Bergamot, Basil, Mace, wild Thyme, Rosemary
Lavender, Geranium, Clove, Patchouli
Vetiver, Musk, Rosewood, Vanilla
