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i visited the AEDES shop today....

post #1 of 21
7/24/08 at 8:30pm
Thread Starter 
after meeting my wife for lunch, i wandered 4 blocks from where she works to the AEDES shop! i'd been meaning to go there for ages, but today i finally found the time...

first of all, what a GREAT little shop. It's tiny, but it's packed with amazing scents....with huge selection, and covering through every major niche brand (Lutens, Montale, Tauer, L'Artisian, SMN, L'Empire, and the list goes on and on and on and on....)

i think they had pretty much EVERY Montale scent....i don't have alot of experience with 'niche' stuff.....i do know that i dislike Creed's stuff....however the only 'niche' scent i really own is Encre Noire.

stuff that i really did end up liking:

Parfums D'Empire Cuir Ottoman
Dyptique Philosykos
Tauer Lonestar Memories
Santa Maria Novella Nostalgia

i got to try ALOT of things that i've read so much about on here at Basenotes, and some stuff that i haven't heard about ever....here's some of the stuff...


Cuir Ottoman is a GREAT leather scent....it reminds me alot of the 'old' Bel Ami that everyone's always talking about...a smooth, leathery, charm. I LOVED it....i've ordered myself a bottle.....they were out of stock right now....but they gave me a sample to take home while i wait for my bottle.

I liked Aoud Lime, BUT i have major MAJOR issues with the "Aoud" scents of Montale. They've recycled an indian/pakistani scent that is EVERYWHERE in those countries....if i wore Montale Aoud scents around my grandparents, they'd laugh at me because i smell like supari/paan (traditional food from that region, sort of like chewing tobacco, but made from leaves and strange nut/bark derivatives). it smells like my grandparents! So the Aoud scents are off limits for me.

"Dzing!" was hugely dissapointing. A one-dimensional rubbery derivative scent with minimal leather (i was expecting much much more leather), and an annoying drydown....i expected much more from this.

SMN Nostalgia is one of the most intriguing and strange scents i've smelled recently. I had asked you guys many months ago for a scent which has petroleum scents, and was recommended this by a few people.....however Robin from Aedes and myself realised together that this scent primarily smells like SHOE POLISH! it smells exactly like shoe polish! she gave me a sample to try out at home, however....so i'll have a go and see if anything changes in the drydown....

I smelled Tauer's Morocain Desert stuff....and wasn't impressed much. I was however impressed by the suede/leather charm of Lonestar Memories by Tauer.....a very nice, smooth, OLD leather scent.....

checked out the Escentric molecule stuff 01 and 02....neither of them did anything for me......they were too benign and blah.

Daim Blond was quite nice....however it was a tad bit too Vanilla for my tastes. I did smell some leather, however it was overshadowed by too much sweetness....

Ambre Sultan; YUCK! why anyone would want to wear this...i have no idea.

Miller et Bertaux's A Quiet Morning is a fantastic, slightly incense-y fresh scent...it says 'basmati rice' on the front, which has a certain fragrance to it when it's delivered in those big rice bags....this one combines some spiciness with freshness for a light and pleasant scent.....really interesting i thought.

Pierre Frapin's Terre De Sarment was a clove and cinnamon-infused citrus attack....very nice stuff.


THE FUNNIEST part about all of this is that, 4 hours after visiting Aedes....i ended up going to the 'perfume district' in the shitty area of 30-33rd streets on Broadway...and finding a(nother) bottle of Cuiron for $15 and Varvatos Vintage for $20. they had so much stuff for piss cheap....that'll hold me over till i get my bottle of Cuir Ottoman
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post #2 of 21
7/24/08 at 10:34pm
lolz everso, nice Description seems like you had alot of fun, I was at Aedes like a month an a half ago when I was ordering my GIT.... which ironically was also out of stock at the time, and sadly is still out of stock till next week... so you didn't like the montales?? me either well I never asked for the samples cause yea they smelled to "brown" for me...(I'm brown also)... so I didn't see a reason to explore the more exotic side of middle eastern notes/perfumes/house....... but I was pretty 1 deminsonal when I was there... only looking at kilian....montal....essentric molecule...creed...parfums, but when I finally will pick up my GIT I'll ask for some samples for exploring some other niche houses.... all in all it was fun... but a side note they are kinda lazy when it comes to ordering, keep on top of your order... even though I call ever sunday, my GIT took almost 2 months to get......I'm not bashing them... but be on top.... my advice...;-)

p.s.-where are you from????... you talk about the supari notes in the montales pretty much like you know them from your childhood.....
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post #3 of 21
7/24/08 at 10:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by everso View Post

Cuir Ottoman is a GREAT leather scent....it reminds me alot of the 'old' Bel Ami that everyone's always talking about...a smooth, leathery, charm. I LOVED it

Completely agree, I loved it a lot too. It's on my to-buy list.

Quote:
Originally Posted by everso View Post

I liked Aoud Lime, BUT i have major MAJOR issues with the "Aoud" scents of Montale. They've recycled an indian/pakistani scent that is EVERYWHERE in those countries....if i wore Montale Aoud scents around my grandparents, they'd laugh at me because i smell like supari/paan (traditional food from that region, sort of like chewing tobacco, but made from leaves and strange nut/bark derivatives). it smells like my grandparents! So the Aoud scents are off limits for me.

Completely agreed, again. You should read my review of Aoud Lime.

Quote:
Originally Posted by everso View Post

"Dzing!" was hugely dissapointing. A one-dimensional rubbery derivative scent with minimal leather (i was expecting much much more leather), and an annoying drydown....i expected much more from this.

Disagreed here, I do get a TON of leather from Dzing! .. Raw animalic leather and something like Fur too, almost like I'm pressing my face against a live cat's belly. Totally love it, I got what I expected from it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by everso View Post

Miller et Bertaux's A Quiet Morning is a fantastic, slightly incense-y fresh scent...it says 'basmati rice' on the front, which has a certain fragrance to it when it's delivered in those big rice bags....this one combines some spiciness with freshness for a light and pleasant scent.....really interesting i thought.

You should try their No. 2 Spiritus/Land too, really nicely done Incence fragrance. It starts out with beautifully mixed notes of Tabac, Ginger and quickly strays off-path into something deeply mossy with LOTS of green spices and woods, mossy WET wood.. before gettng back on path with the woodsy Incense theme. It reminded me of CDG2 which has a mysterious smelling Sumi Ink note.
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post #4 of 21
7/26/08 at 7:51am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by deadhacker View Post

lolz everso, nice Description seems like you had alot of fun, I was at Aedes like a month an a half ago when I was ordering my GIT.... which ironically was also out of stock at the time, and sadly is still out of stock till next week... so you didn't like the montales?? me either well I never asked for the samples cause yea they smelled to "brown" for me...(I'm brown also)... so I didn't see a reason to explore the more exotic side of middle eastern notes/perfumes/house....... but I was pretty 1 deminsonal when I was there... only looking at kilian....montal....essentric molecule...creed...parfums, but when I finally will pick up my GIT I'll ask for some samples for exploring some other niche houses.... all in all it was fun... but a side note they are kinda lazy when it comes to ordering, keep on top of your order... even though I call ever sunday, my GIT took almost 2 months to get......I'm not bashing them... but be on top.... my advice...;-)

p.s.-where are you from????... you talk about the supari notes in the montales pretty much like you know them from your childhood.....

i do know them from my childhood! i was surrounded by older indian women, sitting around, eating supari and paan....and folding saris and putting them in old creaking trunks while they sorted out what to wear to weddings

that smell is SO old fashioned....i am shocked that Montale has the balls to try and charge $200+ for a smell which is among the most common, cheapest smells in countries like India....

my parents are indian and kashmiri...

i will definitely call Robin from Aedes in a week or two to see if they got the Cuir Ottoman....cheers!
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post #5 of 21
7/26/08 at 7:52am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by javagreen View Post



Disagreed here, I do get a TON of leather from Dzing! .. Raw animalic leather and something like Fur too, almost like I'm pressing my face against a live cat's belly. Totally love it, I got what I expected from it.

LOL! that's quite a bizarre image, the pressing your face against a cat belly!

i dunno...i didn't get much leather, and i'm a leather fanatic. i got a ton of rubber......with a little spice. will try it again sometime though...
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post #6 of 21
7/26/08 at 8:03am
Even so, if Montale is just a high priced scent of what is commonly worn in the Indian/Pakistani communities, many Americans do not get a chance to smell that, and so when we do, it is very exotic and different. Remember that many of us have just Macy's and Dillards and so we get designer scents that are geared to the 19 to 34 crowd usually, and when we smell a Creed, we get more essential oils and they are different then aldehydes. And then a Montale with that aoud hits us and it is totally different still. I am working on some Montale samples, and yes, that aoud note at first smells so totally off, not quite medicinal as in Ben Gay or Vicks Vapor Rub, but also not rubbery as in Bulgari Black. Yet the aoud wears off a bit and then I get some sweet roses in the Aoud Damascus I wore last night. Kinda like a kicked up version of Acqua di Parma Colonia, and longer lasting!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, $210 for 3.4 ounces is a lot, but Maisonstinky can match the price of about $150 for it, and that includes free shipping, so it is not that much more than say having to order Piper Nigrum which is now $120!!! Heck, Dirty English retails for $70 for 3.4 ounces, and I dont feel that $150 is all that much gouging. Anyway, I did like to read the reviews.

sam
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post #7 of 21
7/26/08 at 8:16am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by finsfan View Post

Even so, if Montale is just a high priced scent of what is commonly worn in the Indian/Pakistani communities, many Americans do not get a chance to smell that, and so when we do, it is very exotic and different. Remember that many of us have just Macy's and Dillards and so we get designer scents that are geared to the 19 to 34 crowd usually, and when we smell a Creed, we get more essential oils and they are different then aldehydes. And then a Montale with that aoud hits us and it is totally different still. I am working on some Montale samples, and yes, that aoud note at first smells so totally off, not quite medicinal as in Ben Gay or Vicks Vapor Rub, but also not rubbery as in Bulgari Black. Yet the aoud wears off a bit and then I get some sweet roses in the Aoud Damascus I wore last night. Kinda like a kicked up version of Acqua di Parma Colonia, and longer lasting!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, $210 for 3.4 ounces is a lot, but Maisonstinky can match the price of about $150 for it, and that includes free shipping, so it is not that much more than say having to order Piper Nigrum which is now $120!!! Heck, Dirty English retails for $70 for 3.4 ounces, and I dont feel that $150 is all that much gouging. Anyway, I did like to read the reviews.

sam

i see your point...HOWEVER if you want the smell of that stuff, you'll be able to find those essential oils for about $4 at an indian shop!

or you could just buy a pack of Supari for 25 cents and smell it all day long!
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post #8 of 21
7/26/08 at 8:32am
Indian shop in Memphis? I'm on the hunt for one, because I am told they carry Yardley Sandalwood talc and soaps and I love that smell!!!
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post #9 of 21
7/26/08 at 8:44am
everso,
What a wonderful day you had! I envy you!
I understand your point about the Montales (and anything in general like that) but remember that each person associates a certain note with something or other. The same way you're hunting for leather, many other people may be running away from it because all their life, etc. etc....
On the same token, you may be attracted to the particular notes for the very same reason. Because they remind you of your wonderful childhood experiences.
The point is everyone can find something to enjoy and we all share the love of fragrances. I enjoyed just reading about your experience as if I were there. Thanks for sharing.
RM
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post #10 of 21
7/26/08 at 9:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by everso View Post

i do know them from my childhood! i was surrounded by older indian women, sitting around, eating supari and paan....and folding saris and putting them in old creaking trunks while they sorted out what to wear to weddings

that smell is SO old fashioned....i am shocked that Montale has the balls to try and charge $200+ for a smell which is among the most common, cheapest smells in countries like India....

my parents are indian and kashmiri...

i will definitely call Robin from Aedes in a week or two to see if they got the Cuir Ottoman....cheers!

I don't know what you are talking about. I have tried many of these paan masalas and suparis/saunf suparis (betel nut mixtures) and they smell nothing like Aouds. The key ingredients of these suparis are betel nuts, anise/fennel seeds, sugar coated fennel seeds, elaichi(caradamom) and a few other things none of which combined or in isolation smell like aoud.

And good grade aoud oil is expensive everywhere .. the types commonly found must be adulterated.
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post #11 of 21
7/26/08 at 10:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Renaissance_Man View Post

... remember that each person associates a certain note with something or other. The same way you're hunting for leather, many other people may be running away from it because all their life, etc. etc....
On the same token, you may be attracted to the particular notes for the very same reason. Because they remind you of your wonderful childhood experiences.
The point is everyone can find something to enjoy and we all share the love of fragrances. RM

An excellent point that bears repeating, RM.

Here's a business proposal for those convinced that Montale is exploiting Westerners: If in fact fragrances that smell like Montale Aouds are so common and so cheap in parts of the world, there's certainly room for arbitrage here. Buy up these Montale-like fragrances cheaply, re-bottle them under your own label, and see how well they do against Montale fragrances.
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post #12 of 21
7/26/08 at 10:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by zztopp View Post

I don't know what you are talking about. I have tried many of these paan masalas and suparis/saunf suparis (betel nut mixtures) and they smell nothing like Aouds. The key ingredients of these suparis are betel nuts, anise/fennel seeds, sugar coated fennel seeds, elaichi(caradamom) and a few other things none of which combined or in isolation smell like aoud.

Plain raw betel leaves with home chopped/ground suparis with added lime (chuna) and kattha (don't know the english word of it, but the "kattha" is the element that gives the paan mixture a RED color) gives off a heavenly aroma which CAN easily be compared to the sillage of a bunch of Montale scents. I want to make it known that I'm not bashing Montale for that, i'm just stating a fact.

The supari/saunf mixtures you've tried would be processed and packaged, and does not taste anywhere near to the kind of tastes and aromas possible with raw betel leaves with added ingredients which aren't chemically processed and laced with preservatives and artificial flavors. It just doesn't compare to the real thing.
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post #13 of 21
7/26/08 at 11:07am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by javagreen View Post

Plain raw betel leaves with home chopped/ground suparis with added lime (chuna) and kattha (don't know the english word of it, but the "kattha" is the element that gives the paan mixture a RED color) gives off a heavenly aroma which CAN easily be compared to the sillage of a bunch of Montale scents. I want to make it known that I'm not bashing Montale for that, i'm just stating a fact.

The supari/saunf mixtures you've tried would be processed and packaged, and does not taste anywhere near to the kind of tastes and aromas possible with raw betel leaves with added ingredients which aren't chemically processed and laced with preservatives and artificial flavors. It just doesn't compare to the real thing.

exactly!

it is strikingly similar and i would even dare to say the same!

and the REAL stuff....is well, some hardcore stuff
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post #14 of 21
7/26/08 at 11:46am
Awesome! I would love to go to Aedes as I browsed through the website and they have a lot of killer stuff...But I guess I can't really complain about finding niche fragrances living in Los Angeles.
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post #15 of 21
7/26/08 at 11:55am
Uli,
Business proposals don't justify either the quality or originality. I am sure Sean John Unforgiveable has sold a whole lot more than Creed MI. But does that prove anything? Trying to copy is very flattering, but it loses its charm and borders disgust if commercial factor is the only thing behind it.

I can get you some pure traditional oils that smell very similar to Montale's Black Oud, Oud Damascus, Attar and Cuir de Arabie. I am sure there are others as well, but these are the ones I am 100% sure about. But would you be interested in buying them because they smell so good? I doubt that. Most of us wont even touch them even if they were 1/10th the price. In order to be a successful commercial enterprise in the fragrance industry in the west, the quality and originality take a back seat to the story line and marketing. I very much doubt his story of him being associated with developing fragrances for the royalty in middle east. But he has successfully sold it to us. I doubt he would have had much success had he not separated his other businesses from the fragrance business.

Quote:
Originally Posted by uli View Post

An excellent point that bears repeating, RM.

Here's a business proposal for those convinced that Montale is exploiting Westerners: If in fact fragrances that smell like Montale Aouds are so common and so cheap in parts of the world, there's certainly room for arbitrage here. Buy up these Montale-like fragrances cheaply, re-bottle them under your own label, and see how well they do against Montale fragrances.
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post #16 of 21
7/26/08 at 12:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mudassir View Post

Uli,

I can get you some pure traditional oils that smell very similar to Montale's Black Oud, Oud Damascus, Attar and Cuir de Arabie. I am sure there are others as well, but these are the ones I am 100% sure about. But would you be interested in buying them because they smell so good?


Certainly. Some of us go by the smell, not the hype.

Putting aside any issues of intellectual property, I would have though that your reference to Unforgivable reinforces my thesis.
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post #17 of 21
7/26/08 at 4:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zztopp View Post

I don't know what you are talking about. I have tried many of these paan masalas and suparis/saunf suparis (betel nut mixtures) and they smell nothing like Aouds. The key ingredients of these suparis are betel nuts, anise/fennel seeds, sugar coated fennel seeds, elaichi(caradamom) and a few other things none of which combined or in isolation smell like aoud.

And good grade aoud oil is expensive everywhere .. the types commonly found must be adulterated.

Thank you Z, I wanted somone else to say something before I politely butt in. I grew up in India and the paan masalas and suparis I am accustomed to them too. I also have been smelling different fragrances for a long time. I will say this when I first tested and smelled the Montale's it never ever brought back memories of any pan masalas LOL !!!. I have a pretty good nose , and I think some BN members will agree with that statement. When I smelled the Montale's I definitely smelt a winner.

Everso you had a great experience , thanks for sharing that, but your post about Paan/supari really really amused me .

Quote:
Originally Posted by javagreen

Plain raw betel leaves with home chopped/ground suparis with added lime (chuna) and kattha (don't know the english word of it, but the "kattha" is the element that gives the paan mixture a RED color) gives off a heavenly aroma which CAN easily be compared to the sillage of a bunch of Montale scents. I want to make it known that I'm not bashing Montale for that, i'm just stating a fact.

Gawd I have had a lot of paans in my life, I won't agree with you there, lets just agree to disagree .

Quote:
Originally Posted by mudassir

I very much doubt his story of him being associated with developing fragrances for the royalty in middle east. But he has successfully sold it to us. I doubt he would have had much success had he not separated his other businesses from the fragrance business.

Mudassir the points you make are very valid, but I do know a lot about Pierre Montale than most BN members , no I would say , most people in the world know about him. Trust me my friend he is not telling a story there. There was a reason he was CHOSEN to do the royalty thingy. I cannot disclose more than that.
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post #18 of 21
7/26/08 at 4:35pm
Vijay,
I had a hard time believing that because his bread and butter seemed to be his other enterprises rather than fragrances. I am at a loss as to why the royal court will enlist the services of someone obscure, and with not that much of an impressive training to fall upon either. But then again, half the population in that part of the world is a part of royalty in one way or another! :-)

The fact remains: there is not much originality about most of his Oudh line if you have ever experienced the world of attars and mukhallat.

Quote:
Originally Posted by maisonstinky View Post

Mudassir the points you make are very valid, but I do know a lot about Pierre Montale than most BN members , no I would say , most people in the world know about him. Trust me my friend he is not telling a story there. There was a reason he was CHOSEN to do the royalty thingy. I cannot disclose more than that.
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post #19 of 21
7/26/08 at 4:53pm
Mudassir, I will admit that I have not had much experience in the world of Attars and Mukhallat. You do have to give credit to Montale for taking something that most western noses were not aware of and making it a success. Whether there is not much originality about his Oud line is a matter of opinion, my friend. You have more experience in that area , and I won't question that at all . But please give credit where credit is due.

I won't post anything else in this thread about Montale , I should not have, to begin with. I don't think Everso intended this to be a discussion about Montale.

So let's applaud Everso on his experience at a wonderful fragrance shop, whose owners need to be commended for their knowledge and wonderful selection of fragrances.

Peace .

Quote:
Originally Posted by mudassir View Post

Vijay,
I had a hard time believing that because his bread and butter seemed to be his other enterprises rather than fragrances. I am at a loss as to why the royal court will enlist the services of someone obscure, and with not that much of an impressive training to fall upon either. But then again, half the population in that part of the world is a part of royalty in one way or another! :-)

The fact remains: there is not much originality about most of his Oudh line if you have ever experienced the world of attars and mukhallat.
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post #20 of 21
7/26/08 at 5:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by everso View Post

SMN Nostalgia is one of the most intriguing and strange scents i've smelled recently. I had asked you guys many months ago for a scent which has petroleum scents, and was recommended this by a few people.....however Robin from Aedes and myself realised together that this scent primarily smells like SHOE POLISH! it smells exactly like shoe polish! she gave me a sample to try out at home, however....so i'll have a go and see if anything changes in the drydown....

My SOTD today. I'm thinking about picking up a bottle soon (if I can, hard to come by) when my decant runs out. I think it smells really rugged and unkempt which I like. It will probably work great on those days where I don't care what I like look.....and don't want to smell perfumey.

Also great read...I had fun reading about your day.
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post #21 of 21
7/27/08 at 12:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by maisonstinky View Post

Gawd I have had a lot of paans in my life, I won't agree with you there, lets just agree to disagree

I had said the sillage can be compared NOT must be compared to the aromas of a traditional paan. So it's ok if you don't find any similarities, it's just fine that you disagree. Basenotes would be SUCH a boring place if basenoters go about agreeing with each other on everything.
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