I sure don't see how the new ultra-expensive niche lines popping up daily can survive the current economic crisis, but they just seem to keep coming. The latest contribution from Germany takes Creed's high falutin aristocratic imagery to new level, along with the price. You can read the English summary of the PR spiel here
Dating themselves to 1782, when some minor count by the name of von Sierpstorpff played around with perfumed waters (probably trying to get around having to buy Farina EdC), the entire marketing approach is centered around a painfully faux projection of nobility. The free sample I ordered from their website, a nice 5ml miniature, came with a letter on imitation handmade paper phrased in a pseudo-19th century stilted German, including major errors (missing subjects, pronouns) which didn't exactly help in the suspension of disbelief. A similarly styled brochure describes the rediscovery of the long-forgotten formulas in 2005 (Carthusia anyone?) by the current count, who runs a luxury spa in Bad Driburg at his residence. It ends with the English motto "The Prevailer of Individuality" - perhaps they meant "Purveyor"?
The whole thing comes across like someone trying to sell you a title of nobility or a Franklin Mint product, both of which, as we all know, come at a hefty price for the tinsel you usually you get. The 100ml prestige flacon with a solid silver cap and individual serial number runs only € 250, the 100ml travel flacon € 120.
While the perfume has nothing to do with a typical 1780 composition, it's actually not bad. From my first impression I'd say I'd wear it again. A decent citrus top, a green, spicy-balsamic heart with noticeable cardamom, reminiscent of Jil Sander Background, a demure base with tobacco, frankincense and synthetic woody-amber. The ingredient quality is OK and this actually smells better than your run-of-the mill designer release. It would have made a good Jil Sander Man or dunhill London, whose actual formulas shout "cheap" in your face. Of course you will smell just as, or rather more classy & gentlemanly wearing the incredibly refined Givenchy Vetyver or the unique Knize Ten, far greater fragrances at half the price, and get some real perfume history to boot. But this is a nice men's scent, a fact more obscured than emphasized by the pomp and circumstance-branding attempted here.
Dating themselves to 1782, when some minor count by the name of von Sierpstorpff played around with perfumed waters (probably trying to get around having to buy Farina EdC), the entire marketing approach is centered around a painfully faux projection of nobility. The free sample I ordered from their website, a nice 5ml miniature, came with a letter on imitation handmade paper phrased in a pseudo-19th century stilted German, including major errors (missing subjects, pronouns) which didn't exactly help in the suspension of disbelief. A similarly styled brochure describes the rediscovery of the long-forgotten formulas in 2005 (Carthusia anyone?) by the current count, who runs a luxury spa in Bad Driburg at his residence. It ends with the English motto "The Prevailer of Individuality" - perhaps they meant "Purveyor"?
The whole thing comes across like someone trying to sell you a title of nobility or a Franklin Mint product, both of which, as we all know, come at a hefty price for the tinsel you usually you get. The 100ml prestige flacon with a solid silver cap and individual serial number runs only € 250, the 100ml travel flacon € 120.
While the perfume has nothing to do with a typical 1780 composition, it's actually not bad. From my first impression I'd say I'd wear it again. A decent citrus top, a green, spicy-balsamic heart with noticeable cardamom, reminiscent of Jil Sander Background, a demure base with tobacco, frankincense and synthetic woody-amber. The ingredient quality is OK and this actually smells better than your run-of-the mill designer release. It would have made a good Jil Sander Man or dunhill London, whose actual formulas shout "cheap" in your face. Of course you will smell just as, or rather more classy & gentlemanly wearing the incredibly refined Givenchy Vetyver or the unique Knize Ten, far greater fragrances at half the price, and get some real perfume history to boot. But this is a nice men's scent, a fact more obscured than emphasized by the pomp and circumstance-branding attempted here.
is their only fragrance!
