Hermes for Spring/Summer

I must add Hiris to your list. Certainly springtime and summer that isn't densest heat summer, Hiris is dark iris in cold shadows. Just fantastic juice and completely different from Terre and the Jardins.

Of course one could wear it in steam bath heat, just like you could wear anything there if you were to make it a signature scent, but my instinct is that it will be better in all times when the nights are still cool. If the weather makes you sweat in your bed, I'd not use Hiris, but I haven't tried it either. I think the stuff is cool, sly, spring/summer triumph. Also, in my springs, the flowers are blooming in the boulevard medians I walk past, and the bushes around the old apartment buildings that are now condos. So springtime smells naturally of light flowers. Hiris takes this and makes you king of the season.

Equipage is pretty good for these seasons too, and I think one could be pretty cool trying out Bel Ami three times through a summer.
--Chris

Yes nthny - Hermes scents do smell quite good when there's lots of sunshine and heat in the air. I think that's why they're so popular in Miami, where it's mostly warm year round.

Of course there are many I would NEVER wear in the heat (Ambre Narguile, Parfum des Merveilles...) but then there's the clear, crystalline, pimento-salty iris of Paprika Brasil, which almost smells better when you're sweating. Or Concentree d'Orange Verte which is almost a staple after a shower, on a sunny warm weekend morning.

nthny - if you haven't already, invest in some of their shower gels. I have been showering with Kelly Caleche and Eau des Merveilles this week, and the sharp, tangy smells of the scents mixed with hot water and steam is a great combo.

I was at Saks yesterday sniffing the Bonds for a gift for my wife. after I'd decided on a gift, the SA was nice enough to walk around the counter with me, just sniffing some other things - we got around to the Hermes section, and all of the testers were on a little tray, but there was a small display for the Mousson - immediately I pointed and said "Can I smell that?"

"Sure," she said, and sprayed a card for me. I waited a while for the alcohol to dissipate, because I didn't want my judgement to be marred by a premature sniff. I lifted the card to my nose . . .

Instantly I was transported to a recently rain soaked and wind battered Tuscan garden - I could smell the wet and battered flowers, the humid air, and the soaked earth beneath my feet.

"Wow." I said out loud. The only other time i've said that out loud was when sniffing Himalaya. Even that experience was more of a harmonious meeting of skin and scent, like two long lost siblings reuniting after years apart.

This was different - this was another time and place, preserved in a simple little bottle with a simple little cap.

"That is a very accurate description," I told the SA.
"What is?"
"The name - A garden after the monsoon."
"Oh, yes. It's their latest."

I asked her a question that I have since forgotten, but it caused her to go off looking for something, perhaps an information card. I decided I must see how this reacts with my skin, so I gave my wrist a single, strong spritz, and watched as the alcohol faded away and the scent dug its heels into my pores.

Another whiff, and I'm back in Tuscany. This time though, I'm not in a flower garden - this time the spices that were growing here had been pulled from the Earth, and came to rest on top of the wet soil. Ginger and cardamom and pepper filled my nostrils, hinting faintly at the petals that were once peacefully basking in the sunlight.

I bought the bottle.

Fast forward six hours, and the scent is just as strong as it was when I took that first spritz. A passing breeze floats the scent into my nose, and I notice how different the sillage is - it's green, but it's not as heavy, not as wet. It's lighter, and a little bit more floral than getting a strong sniff from inches away - a good thing too, because if it were stronger it could be headache inducing. I wash my wrist vigorously, but the scent is still there, albeit a bit lighter.

This is not a scent for everyone - it's quite linear, VERY green, VERY spicy, slightly synthetic. This is NOT a blind buy candidate. I think it's a good one to layer, although i have yet to try it [as this one is gift wrapped]. If anything, even one spray can be a bit much. i recommend this layer technique - spritz, then immediately wash the spot to "lighten" the scent, then apply a complimentary fragrance. I'm also curious as to how it will perform in cold weather.

If my wife doesn't like it, I'm keeping it for myself. If she does, she may find that her supply curiously diminishing over time.

If you do like it, get the small bottle - it will last longer than anything else on your shelf, because you need to spray so little.

P.S. - I think this will be my review! God bless copy & paste.