Chandler Burr Untitled S01E02

Sweet!

At $50, I couldn't really swing it. But at $25, I decided to jump in and buy a bottle. Yay!

(Also, for those wondering, it includes shipping)

Windblownhair- did you order one too?

Actually, shipping is free only if your order is $75 or more. I just ordered S01E02, and the shipping for me was about $7.

I ordered one - can't wait for it to get here!

Only took a couple of days last time - I was surprised. They're sending out tracking codes with this shipment. I figure we'll all be getting them this week or early next.

I read his latest, fullest description. I don't think I have this one in my collection, actually, but I've found a candidate fragrance, and it's something I had wanted to sniff. Either way, I intend to fully enjoy this. There are two vaguely similar fragrances that I'm familiar with - one of which is in my collection. Both were very impressive scents, so I think this one could really hit the spot.

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Anybody else get theirs today (Friday, 07/06/12)?

S01E02 is in the house!

Nervously, I prepare to take that first sniff.........

I got a lot farther than I expected. I've decided to save a lot of what I want to say for later. But I'm also hoping that my mistakes may be avoided, so I'm going to talk at some length about my experiences now.

First of all, the technical details. I like it. I spent a good 8 hours sniffing it - almost blew my sinuses in the process. I really followed the scent. I wasn't really connecting it to Burr's description - mostly because I was trying to identify trees, instead of looking for the outline of the forest. No matter what I did, I just couldn't make it jibe with what Burr had said. It seemed SO wrong.

I was not getting green. I was not getting futuristic eau fraiche. I was not getting space, or glowing lights, or ANYTHING Burr was talking about. What I was getting was soft white musks in the base - a pleasant soapiness that is present throughout, a bit of spice, and a burst of nondescript citrus. I'll be honest. I was looking for notes, and *could not* change focus.

It was VERY disappointing. Not the scent - I liked it. But I was very disappointed that I couldn't see what Burr was seeing. (I did figure out later where I went wrong....)

Anyway - I decided to screw the art momentarily, and just go back to trying to figure out what it was. And no hold barred, this time.

I had no idea at first. It's similar to something I own, and I almost immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was just a maceration/age difference, like S01E01 had been. Looking back, I understand the similarity of the scents. But I wasted a LOT of time comparing it. When it became obvious it wasn't what I thought it was, I decided to check all reasonably similar works by the same author. ANOTHER huge waste of time. I sniffed a good half-dozen more scents, including some brought out of my vintage fridge. I was left looking at three scents that seemed reasonable. One was in my collection, but no - not it. Of the two left, the most reasonable one wasn't even by the same artist! At that point I figured it was time to assume it could be anybody, and go back to wildcatting. I went to bed.

The next day, I got back into some sniffs, and re-read Burr's description. I got a couple more ideas, and added them to the two scents I was going to check out. And then I headed out for a lovely day of sniffing.

BAM!

Anyway, I have a GREAT story on what happened next, but it has to wait until after the reveal. Bottom line - I am almost positive that I know what it is. If I'm right, it was something already on my FBW list that I had *almost* bought in the past, but got sidetracked. But not this time! I got lucky, actually, and found and bought a bottle, because I do like it.

Going back with what I think it is, Burr's description makes loads of sense. If so, then he is not overreaching on his assessment, either. I have to say, he has made some highly pertinent points, and I agree. Yes, yes, Yes and YES! Even though I didn't see this thing correctly at first - well, that's what curators and museum volunteers and art critics are for.

The thing that's funny, however, is that now I have more respect for everything that has been said in the process, since I know (or think I know) what it is. And THAT brings me to the conclusion that the REVEAL is the learning point. That's the teaching moment. We need to be spending more time deconstructing the reveal, so that we can THEN go back and see what we should have been noticing about the scent. We have to see where we went wrong - we have to learn by our errors.

When the reveal comes, I'll explain how I screwed up - but how in some ways I can blame it on my nose. In my opinion, this is not like a normal visit to a visual arts gallery, where we can all walk right up to the painting and see the individual hairs in the brushstrokes. For me, it's like looking from the Gallery Exit Shop, as I consider buying a replacement Bleu de Chanel lava lamp, to see what all the fuss is about, 100 feet away in the Astronomy-Influenced Modern Art Room. I can't see things clearly. I almost NEED somebody to say "Oh! They're all looking at Satellite Vine .42 by XXXXXXX. You know - it's that installation pictured on the front of today's program. The famous one that you have surely seen..............." And then I say "Oh yeah - I remember now. GOTCHA. Wow! I didn't even know that XXXXXX did stuff like that!"

So - my advice - DO NOT even try to perceive notes. Don't analyze. Experience the scent based on the short blurb in the program that Burr gave you. Try to feel the scent. Try to feel the stuff he talks about. That will take you straight to the stuff that really matters in this scent - the most important aspects of its construction - not some distortion based on identifiable notes. I really feel that his description is very fitting with my initial impressions of the scent years ago, when I knew what it was - BUT - that there are certain aspects seen more clearly now after hearing what Burr had to say.

And one more thing in that respect. There is an important aspect of this scent which is NOT normally discussed or appreciated, IMO. Burr saw it. It's a bit of a face-palm moment for everybody, when I think about it. And I think it would be great to talk about it after the reveal.

Good to read your comments, RP, and very curious about it now!

By the way, there was an interesting comment by Chandler Burr on the Open Sky page. In response to a poster who said she thinks she may have owned the fragrance, he said he doubted that for a couple of reasons, which he'd have to explain later. Adds an intriguing twist.

Yes, I saw that! Not knowing the poster, if it's what I think it is, I'd have to agree. And I also have a back-up possibility that is even more obscure than what I think it is.

Obscurity is relative. He may mean "you ain't gonna find it in Macy's." Or he may mean, "you ain't gonna find it, and you probably never heard of it." Not sure which one he's thinking. BNers can be remarkably persistent in finding stuff. But in any case, I don't really recall too many gals owning the one I'm thinking. And - you know - he did that to the guys on the last scent, so it's fair, I suppose.

I agree - it's an intriguing twist!

Nice impressions, Windblownhair! I think we're definitely sensing roughly the same thing.

I'm still not sure about my guesses - I'll register them soon. I'm running into the same problem as last time - minor differences that could be attributed to either insufficient maceration time, or even a (re)formulation difference.

I want to post more impressions, too. My nose seems to change it's point of view on this scent every day. But overall, the green, the soapy, and the fresh remain.

I agree - unisex. Or maybe nullsex or polysex! That's part of why I think Burr is right about the basic nature of the stuff. It has that classic eau de cologne thing - which is always kinda unisex - but it's way too modern.

Enjoyable, in any case!!!

Chayaruchama posted a review on Fragrantica, here. Interesting to compare notes (no pun intended!)

I got mine yesterday.... I'm kind of thrown by Burr's comments that the fragrance has been around for years and that the perfumer makes billions of dollars for the companies.

Yes - that kinda threw me as well - even though I agree in retrospect. Another way to phrase it that makes more sense to me as a frag-head is that the perfumer has made a bunch of moneymakers, including some big hits, but yet this scent is not among them - being neither a huge moneymaker, nor known to the general public. That doesn't necessarily mean that people who post and peruse each other's relatively obscure SOTDs on Basenotes never heard of it. In fact, I'll bet that you have.

Interestingly, when I went looking to compare S01E02 with several scents that I thought it might be, the one store I had seen my ultimate pick in, no longer had it. But I lucked out, because I dropped by a store that I rarely visit, and they had 2 bottles left. The bottle I bought had no wrapper - probably a return or a demo.

Burr's big point makes lots of sense. It's an innovative scent that - even if it never got accolades from the buying public - certainly deserves more talk than it gets. The problem is - and this is a tough admission - I don't think I would have seen that innovative character without being told what it was. The things that I was comparing it to initially were artistic, but not in the way that is ultimately apparent. I feel like a teen-ager in an art museum. If I was younger, I would react naturally, and "get it". If I was older and wiser, I would have learned to go back and sniff with a young and foolish nose. Instead, I have just enough knowledge to get myself into trouble.

Neil,

Just was going over Katie Pukrick's blog, regarding the post-reveal of the first frag, and the sorts of critiques that were there were of the sort RP mentioned : was it actually a GOOD iris or not, etc etc.

I imagine it must be a little frustrating for CB to see people missing the point, when he consistently does his best to encourage people to experience these scents in an impressionistic way.

Honestly, any Joe or Jill on the street with a sense of imagination could do that, without the slightest knowledge of notes, price, hype or brand.

Also curious that Burr selected something for his first frag that could be confused with an Elena creation, and has now backed it up with this one, which could be construed as something even more ephemeral still.

Being really poor right now, I'm not participating in this, but I find it fascinating. It feels like everyone is doing what they want with the anonymous perfumes. Some people really just want to guess what they are, while others want to judge them, free from bias. Others just want to figure out what Burr thought was so special about his picks. As a person obsessed with technical thinking, I find Burr's call for people to recount their emotional reactions to the scents a bit outside of my comfort zone.

Honestly, for years now, I've been trying to figure out an affordable way to do something like this as a Basenotes thing, but I had imagined it more as a sort of blind wine tasting. Send people samples of 5 or 6 similar scents (maybe all vetivers or all GIT-inspired aquatics) and have them judge them blind based on basic criteria like longevity, strength, and quality, as well as scores for how much people liked them or found them artistically pleasing. By removing brand history, price, "niche" status, and every other prejudicial factor from the scents, I've always been curious what experienced (and not-so-experienced) sniffers would actually think.

This is what I had hoped Burr would do, but concentrating on the emotional artistry fits with his current status as a museum guy, so I suppose it makes sense...

Yes - I also feel like I personally need to be more impressionistic. I had an idea about reviewing it more that way, and I may follow up on it.

Agreed about the "Ellenaesque" nature of these scents. It makes me wonder if artistic frags simply lean that way - or at least whether the modern ones do.


We'll see about that! PM sent!


Yes - it's a bit outside my comfort zone, too. More so, since my view of the scent has changed in several ways since I first smelled it. But now I'm beginning to think it's all blind guys and the elephant, and - you know - just because Chandler is calling out the trunk, doesn't mean it's not big and round, with tree-like legs and massive pokers. So I wish more people would be willing to - correctly by mere fact of honesty - see it from different perspectives.

For me, though, it's hard to get emotionally involved with a scent without some cues. I know that Chandler has given us some by his description, and I'm thankful. Perhaps those are ideas from the brief or the patron's vision - perhaps they're how Chandler sees the scent. Either way, sometimes just knowing a bit about the brief or the theme - where things were going - helps one to see the whole picture, and how it was interpreted. This is one of the most critical functions of the title of a work of art, IMO - a minimal point of entry, from which the magic of the artistry can become apparent.


I do like that Burr has lowered the requirements for criticism, so that really anybody can take part. You don't have to be a notehound. You just have to care.

I know that a lot of technically oriented people would like to see this done a bit more technically - and there's nothing that says Burr can't offer something like that, someday. After all, what good museum doesn't have a continuous program of ever-changing fare? I think that would be a great idea. Personally, I think this is a good place to start, and I'm glad he has made it very inclusive for his first such project.

While we're on the subject of impressions, I want to mention one of mine, which does NOT fit in with what Burr has said - but which DOES fit in with the [presumed] patron.

There is an accord in this stuff that I sensed at first, but did not "put together" from the components, so to speak. I was sniffing the individual components - not the accord. But the more time I've spent with the scent, the more I get this accord. This thing is very "patronesque", because the person I think is the patron has done something similar - but more recently than the release of this scent. I don't want to say what it is yet, but I somehow want to say something. I do not get this note in the bottle I obtained from the store. I get almost everything else, but not this note. I am REALLY looking forward to the reveal, because one way or another, I hope for resolution. Is Burr giving us the original formulation, or something approaching it? Or is it a newer one? Or am I just totally off base? AUURRGGHH!

I think a lot of people feel the same way. If you look at the OpenSky Facebook comments you will see that *very* few people dared to "go there", dispite the fact that that's what Burr is clearly asking for.

But I know what you mean. For something as clearly sensual as perfume, yet which comes in thousands of different iterations, it's hard not to be drawn to the many subjective ways a person might choose to judge them....particularly for us analytical sorts.


And yet given it's outright sensuality, I think it's more than fair inquire about people's emotional reactions.

Emotions and impression are admittedly a lot "softer", and inherently subjective as well, as far as analytical approaches go, but considering the purely sensual aspects of the thing, I believe they are every bit as legitimate, as far as one of the several "sets" of ways that a thing can be considered.

I think it's sort of like.....fragrance as a painting : an expert might analyze the brush strokes, the type of paint that may or may not have been used, the school of painting the artist comes from.....but then there's the part about the feeling the painting imparts. Which is probably what the artist himself would tell you was the main thing.

Maybe people worry that emotional impressions reveal too much of themselves ?

Parts that even they themselves may be unsure of.

You've made some great points here, Bob.

Sometimes I like to process a scent by just free-form writing about it in a way that barely makes sense. I'll just take some idea that pops into my head and run with it. A lot of times, that amounts to a personification of the scent. I think the thing that is most beneficial about doing this, is that it let's me really *feel* what it is about the scent that I like. It can be hard to put a fine point on the passionate part of perfume, but if I take it to story or poetry, no matter how bad it may sound to others, it at least makes my feelings visible to me. I'm sure it seems a bit goofy and cringeable to many, but it leaves me with a deeper and more durable respect for the scents - something that I just don't get by more objective forms of reaction. And more than that, I think that it encourages others to *feel* about fragrance, which we all do, but we don't all admit. A lot of times these things just end up as fodder on my laptop, but occasionally they become reviews or blog posts.

I'm working on a reaction to S01E02 that I'll share after I clean it up a bit. But I'd encourage others to dive into the pool, even at the risk of a bit of scandalously revealing "wardrobe malfunction"! After all, who among us didn't enjoy shrieking with delight as kids at the pool, when such accidents happened to ourselves or our friends? I remember those happy days, when it was OK to feel.......

Recently received my bottle and while it isn't anything I own, I'm almost certain I know what it is. Which does nothing to diminish my delight. It's beautifully constructed, with a particular cologne-like structure that I really respond to, both on an emotional as well as aesthetic level. For years I have maintained an arsenal of these kind of citrus/green/herbal frags that I trot out during the summer months. They all have an expansive, airy quality that reminds me of sun, heat, water, salt, sand, and sweat, while at the same time serving as their cooling antidote.

Curious to read/hear what others think of it. So far, there aren't many comments on Open Sky.

What I find particularly fascinating is that people seem more concerned with the label than the juice. Everybody wants to know what the name of the scent is, and that's understandable. But I don't see many people enjoying the scent. It's almost as if people need to know the name before they can commit to what they think of the juice. So odd.

I think the idea of (re)discovering a scent without any marketing or branding to color one's opinions is brilliant. Just discovering for the sake of the scent.

Yes, I'm starting to wonder if this project is doomed. It doesn't seem to have generated the kind of discussion that Burr intended; everyone's either trying to pick out notes or guess what it is, or brag that they've guessed what it is. There are few exceptions - Redneck here, and Katie Puckrik's blog for E01, but not really enough to sustain interest.

Or am I wrong? Is there someplace else where it's happening?

I think it needs more time, and that's fine since he's doing it for a year, isn't he? Or maybe I'm just assuming that. How long is this series going on?

I think it's going to take some time to remind people that they're actually allowed to have their own opinions, and that they can judge a scent based on the juice rather than the bottle or the name or the ridiculous advertising that always has a mostly naked man and woman, usually shot in dark lighting, often in black and white.

I own fewer than ten scents, but the current one sounds like something I'd enjoy, so I'm tempted to buy it. I was really hoping to read people's reviews of it, but like I said, most (note that I said most, not all) are afraid to commit to their own thoughts.



THIS.

I think adults are just middle schoolers in older bodies, often afraid to give opinions for fear they'll admit they like something that isn't "cool" with the in-crowd.

Thanks for your comments, PPM - and welcome to Basenotes! Nice thoughts here.

Yeah, there's a lot of good to say about it. But I have to admit that I didn't see that cologne-like structure at first. Or rather, I didn't see the beauty of it. I was comparing it to an EdT that I know, and I was thinking "I like that other EdT better - this just seems like so much less." Well - that's because it's supposed to be that way. But I didn't know it. Once I knew it, I saw the scent differently. THAT bothers me. It means that I can't see the same scent reliably from a single vantage point that makes sense. Is that good or bad? Honestly, I don't know. But it's a bit frustrating.


Part of the problem, for me, is that I love to compare scents. I find it hugely useful. I measure fragrances relative to other fragrances. Unfortunately, that's a no-no here. So my normal modus operandi of analyzing scents is out of bounds.

There's also the issue of what something is supposed to be. Consider a moped. As a motorcycle, it's an epic fail. But as a bicycle, it's brilliant. Sometimes knowing what something is actually supposed to be, takes you very quickly to a point where you can pass better judgment faster. So - while I don't exactly disagree with Burr - I do ask for some sympathy, in that - we may need some hints as to just where to start with things. I suppose he did that there - in retrospect, his comments on OpenSky make sense. But they simply weren't enough for me to see this thing right at first.


I don't know of any other place where there's real discussion. It's getting mention in all kinds of places. But discussion - no.

I think Katie and Chandler may be waiting for the right moment to fire things up again. Wait for the bottles and samples to get out to everybody, and then kick-start it hard near the end. At least, that's my suspicion.

It's a learning experience, Kagey - I think that's the whole point. I'm certainly not firing on all cylinders according to his desired scenario. In fact, I'm beginning to think that I won't be doing it right until the 3rd or 4th scent. I don't know about everybody else, but I'm still getting a lot out of this. Even if everybody else give up and goes home, I'm determined to push on - even if I'm just talking to myself.

I do hope Katie gets back into it.

I sent a sample to rogalal - but it cannot go in a plane, and has to go on ground by parcel post, and they estimate that he won't get it until the 25th - so it will be close.

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One last thought. Half of what I've ever wanted to say about this scent, I can't, without dropping spoilers. It's very frustrating. I end up just hinting at what I "would" say or "might" say or "will" say. UGH.

If the scent is an EDC rather than an EDT or EDP, yeah... that's a piece of information he should be providing up front. Going back to my restaurant analogy, it would be like presenting someone with an appetizer while leaving them with the impression that they're supposed to be judging a meal.

I suspect this is a learning process for Mr. Burr as well, but yeah, somebody should point that out to him. Certain details are necessary, otherwise, the scent would be improperly judged.

That's just my $0.02. Don't try to cash it in for more than it's worth

I still think this concept is brilliant! But even something brilliant can always be improved, as there's no such thing as perfection.

^ Are you interested in trying it? Or anybody else who's watching and living in the greater 48 states - if you want a sample, just holler. Just send me a PM with your address. If I mail it today or tomorrow, you can probably still get it in time for the reveal.

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That's a good analogy. It really points out something that I don't like about my own approach to this scent, in the context of something I don't like about other people in restaurants.

When I'm traveling overseas, I try to open myself up to new, pure experience in restaurants. I just let it happen - I don't bring my American expectations with me. When I see other people getting defensive about American culinary customs not being observed, I find it more than annoying. "Don't you have Coca-Cola?" "Can I have a straw?" "Where's the ketchup?" Or worst of all, "What is this? I don't think it's cooked right!" GRRRRRR!!! I want to whack people with the backside of my passport when I see it.

Well, damn it, I feel like I'm doing exactly that, when I smell S01E02. "Don't you have something I recognize? It doesn't smell like anything I know." "Can I have more hints?" "Where's the note list?" "Is it an EdT? It doesn't feel like an EdT." And worst of all, "What is this? I don't think it's formulated right."

OY! I'm being SUCH a chumley, it's ridiculous. Somebody should tell me to go back to the United Stores of Macy's.

I'm going to make a determined effort to get S01E03 TOTALLY WRONG right off the bat, so I can just enjoy it. I'm going to announce that it's Acqua di Gio Pour Homme, I'm absolutely certain. Then I'll say no, that's not it, and I don't care what it is. Then I'll start smelling it for real.

I think one of the problems with this experiment is that a good majority of the folks who are going to participate are already fumeheads. So the likelihood of us owning or, like I did with SE01E02, recognizing the scent, is going to be rather high.

But, I will say my response to this perfume had nothing to do with my recognition of its brand/maker. It struck me immediately as something that I would enjoy wearing, based on my personal aesthetic. My response was emotional rather than analytical, and by that I mean when I experience a work of art, my reaction to it is mainly based on how it does or does not resonate with my particular life philosophy. My perfume preferences of today are closely related as well to those kinds of 'fumes that I responded to very early in lifethe cologne/beach-type structure, one that harkens back to teenage summers spent on the beach or by the pool or cruising around at night, being one of them. So sniffing this, even though I knew what it was, was one of those "d'oh!" experiences, making me wonder why on earth I don't own it.

Actually I suspect the majority of people doing this are not fumeheads. The majority of people talking aboutit are fumeheads but go ahead and add up the actual number of different people talking about this and you get maybe 25-30. Some of those are getting theirs from sharing a bottle.
What I am finding interesting about this project is the way it is allowing me to explore perfume in a unique way. Really consider the artistry behind the fragrance.
With E01 it was easier because while the fragrance was familiar it wasn't so familiar that I felt the need to figure it out. I like iris in general and it was an interesting take on my relationship with it.
With E02 my reaction has been "Hello old friend" this time I know what it is and so I am trying to look at something I have worn many times through the POV of Chandler's description. Do I get what he gets? No. In fact I'm not even sure this is the best example for what he is trying to display here. I do wholeheartedly agree with the perfumer being the James Cameron of perfumers.
I think this is an excellent perfume but does it rise to the label of Art? That is what I am still struggling with.

Great comments, Mark!

I am totally where you are with "Do I get what he gets? No." In fact, the only way I get what he gets is with a bottle of what I think the fragrance is - NOT with what got delivered to me in the mail. Did you notice the same thing? That the delivered fragrance isn't quite the same as what you think it is (however you determined that)? I get all the vine and all the space and all the other stuff with my store-bought bottle, but the key notes that actually carry the artistry he talks about are critically weak in what I got in the bottle from OpenSky. I'm not sure of the provenance on my bought bottle - whether it's an oldie or a recent one. But something is definitely funky here. The reveal will be very interesting. If I have the frag right, and the difference is due to IFRA, it would almost be proof of the tragedy of art ripped from its frame and run through the washing machine. If it's just maceration - then lesson learned.

But maybe his revelation is going to be that he intentionally misled us - that the fragrance and his words don't match - and that he has demonstrated the power of marketing. But that makes no sense either, because when I overdose the sent fragrance on paper, the heart is almost a perfect match for my best guess, and his description comes back into focus and everything in his description adds up.

To put it simply, how are we to feel the art, if we can't see it properly with our noses? At first I was thinking that maybe it was just my nose being a chump, but if you're not getting it either from S01E02, then something is definitely wrong here, one way or another.

PS - feel free to PM me with your guess and we can discuss offline.

Yes! This seems like a pale imitation of my bottle which I bought a few years ago. One of my colleagues at my blog also agrees with what it is and was shocked whwn she did her comparison at what a shadow this current version is of the older bottle she had. I found the right proportion was three sprays of E02 to one spray from my bottle.

Even with all of that said i am going to repeat here what I said on the Open Sky facebook thread on E02. I wear this fragrance like I do comfy jeans and an old t-shirt. If those aren't Fashion does that mean this isn't Art? The thing i am finding most interesting about E02 is how do I personally define that line for myself. Chandler thinks E02 is Art I think it is really good but not Art....not even art. I think it isn't even the best example of this style in the price range although there may be logistical reasons for the choice of E02. My best analogy is E02 is a pleasant non-challenging painting in an office hallway that I ignore most of the time but when I do look at it I think "That's not bad."

Thanks, Mark - wonderful thoughts, as always. Just for starters, I'm now very sure of what we're talking about. Down to the 3:1 ratio. The power of multiple noses is alarming, yet comforting. Enough to make me momentarily forgiving of focus groups! ;-)

I love your analogy to jeans and a t-shirt. When I first considered buying it, years ago, it was almost with those thoughts in mind. I was impressed with how comfortable and wearable the scent was - perfect for just being clean but casual. I tried to imagined how I would wear it - and a fresh set of jeans and a t-shirt was pretty much it. And yet - at the same time - there was a strange incongruity between the scent and what we might have expected (meaning more challenging) from the creative forces behind it.

I've been thinking that maybe there was an effort to make the scent so realistic, in a futuristic sense, that it was basically inevitable it would fly under the radar. Though perhaps I'm reading too much into it. It would be interesting to know the creative story behind it.

Love your analogy with office hallway art. Perhaps this is a bit like looking in the corner of such a piece, and realizing that it came from somebody we all talk about. Unremarkable at first sight, we then struggle to find the reasons that it managed to escape notice. We even wonder whether it is validly placed in the artist's portfolio.

Again, thanks!

When I first read the description, two or three scents immediately popped into my head and I almost didn't order it because I was certain it just had to be one of those. So I was pretty thrown when it first arrived. Although, I have to admit, I get where Burr is coming from much more now than I did when it first arrived. Still, how much of that is me looking at the scent through his eyes? Perhaps he should just give us a bare bones sketch of what he's sending us and leave his personal opinion for after the reveal.

I think if one is going to accept perfume-making itself as an art, then one has to accept all scents as such. Which is not to say they are all necessarily GOOD, or even great, art. Art can, in fact, be downright awful and still be art.

Great point, PPM. One of the positive things I got out of my first, misidentified comparison of S01E02, was to actually begin to see the scent in a completely different light, outside of the context of what might be called Chandler's re-marketing ad copy. As such, I realized that I loved another scent more for its more ornate structure, which speaks to my general love of that sort of thing. But it was later, in viewing S01E02 in comparison to still other scents, which I hold to different criteria, and which are closer to Burr's description, that the value of the greater simplicity of S01E02 became apparent.

But no matter what, it has all been a very worthy exercise.


I strongly agree with your idea, PPM, even though many of my friends and colleagues don't. I think it's because my attitude toward music has become very universally accepting - very (perhaps overly) generous as far as what gets to be called music. That said, I'm also comfortable with the idea of art being expressed to different degrees, or obvious to different degrees.

Personally I found it very helpful to have something to compare this scent with. I suspect I'm just as stuck in the analytical mode as many of the rest of us, but still, also having the "I think it might be this" sample gave me somewhere to stand when trying to make sense of S01E02.

As you said, perhaps that's not the place Burr wants us to go, but as someone who's still trying to get a handle on scent, and who's still not particularly familiar with summer-type scents, or more to the point, the quieter stories they seem to attempt to tell, it did help me to have something to reference it against.

I do hope that Burr continues to move ahead with this project. It seems the first one sold out pretty quickly, but that the second one may still be available. I'm not sure if that's an indication of interest or not. I didn't check to see if he mentioned how many of this second one there was to go, but my assumption is that they hoped to not sell out so quickly this time, and thus may have made up more bottles of this one.

I would not be surprised if interest was growing, to be honest.

Also, it may be that he's lulling people into a sense of safety with these first ones, with the thought of springing some surprises on us later.

I kind of hope that's the plan, to be honest.

Me too. Good - that's at least two people who are committed to sticking it out!


Me, too. I think this scent is just throwing people. I think people are hanging back, but I think more people have their eyes glued to the screen on this one.


Heck - I think this one may even be the first ringer!

Seriously, there does seem to be a mismatch between his description and the scent I got in the mail. What the heck is going on with that?

There may be a lot of questions, but I'll say one thing - the uncertainty has definitely captured my interest.

Not that I'm too worried about what I SHOULD think of this scent, but given the way that Chandler spoke about the nature of this one....well, I'm glad that someone else found it mostly.....pleasant.

Yep, I suspect that's one of the illuminating surprises he could pull on us, if he truly wants to make the point he seems to be wanting to make.

Because if he wants to hear our personally subjective impressions and experiences, free from any external influences, it's still a bit of a puzzle to me why he puts so much energy into giving us his description of it to us before he sends it out.

Part of it may be....as a means to demonstrate to us the style of response he hopes we will attempt to make, by providing us with his own example. Which is legitimate I think, if that is indeed his purpose.

But still, I suspect if many of us with blunter noses, who honestly may not have experienced the out-there space-age science-fiction vibe that he so graphically described, were likely to keep our lesser impressions to ourselves.

Which I suspect is the opposite of what he wants to encourage.

I also have a sample of one of the things that RP thinks it might be, and if it is indeed that stuff.....I'm with you guys : some kind of big reformulation has happened.

As a PS, it's nice to see your face here again Mark.

That's what I was thinking, too - welcome back!

Count me in on that!


I have thought the same thing, and I agree. I think he's leading by example.


Totally agreed. But your nose may not be that far off, my friend. Like me, you may simply have a nose for trouble.

I am now adding a fourth guess.

I reacted to the scent that I think this is supposed to be - the one that matches Burr's writing, with a sci-fi story. That may go out after the reveal. But I will react to S01E02 - meaning what I got in the bottle - shortly.

My guesses, in the order they happened....

ae60720f51f2e15b3e7a01fea80fadc361674d57a760971d1e 9f3885458db118
05ccbc1eb5ae5a7c37c2f45efd53351b012558333fbb864b73 75fef5853b5797
28047ac8799dc284b0f73d5fbe9fbc8265139cb0dae06abef7 a72234a31b8d3a
6425ea186248b155d3792881eb962c275a59da44ba5ad610c0 1e68436a72fc7b

Thanks guys.
I needed to talk about this and I knew there was one place where I could find someone who was interested.

The little tease Chandler dropped on the Open Sky page about it being unlikely that the person had ever owned this concerns me a lot.
I think many of us are in agreement on what the identity of E02 is.
I think many of us are in agreement that E02 does not smell the same as the bottle of E02 we own.
I am really hoping it is a concentration effect as I said when I sprayed three shots of E02 to one of my bottle they pretty much lined up.....but not exactly and there lies the concern.
According to Chandler he gets them to make fresh juice and are we seeing the real time diluting of a perfume.
Could the producer be making a watered-down version to keep the price down or for some other reason?
There is no doubt in my mind that this is not the same concentration as the juice in my bottle.
A watered-down version misses some of the subtle interactions and finally it really isn't what Chandler is talking about as it is more like getting a lithograph of a Monet or a Chagall. The visual is the same but it lacks the texture and contours of the original.
I'm fascinated to see what comes of the reveal.

I can't begin to tell you how comforting it was to realize that somebody else was smelling the exact same problems.

And this part....


I thought I was being so paranoid when I sniffed this stuff and thought the same thing. My inner 1970's teenage delinquent was saying....

"WHOA...... DUDE! Who stepped on the juice, MAN???!!!"

I know we were asked not to deconstruct the scents, and in some ways I apologize for the fact that we clearly are. But who is to say that any kind of reaction is invalid? Looked at simplistically, we may even be ruining the expected result. But on the other hand, if there is one thing I've learned from coding, it's that we learn more from the unanticipated than from what we (or in this case, "they") expect. Among the obvious conclusions we can talk about prior to the reveal: Why they call in multiple experts to verify the authenticity of artworks, hand-written wills, and dictator diaries. We may not be experts in the same sense as the perfumers who would likely be called in to verify a lost XXXXXXXXXX, but we may have the same wherewithal as the art house employee who takes a look at a presumed YYYYYYYYYY and says "I don't know. Something about this one bothers me."

And who knows - perhaps all this confusion IS the expected result. No matter what, it is a fascinating result.

On a personal level - at least for me - I think this project has been a huge success. On just the second scent, my entire view of fragrance has been completely shaken up, but it is somehow ending up on more solid ground. I've never had to question as much of what I thought I knew about fragrance, in any kind of review, art project, or other high-pressure sniff. Could we ask for anything cooler? And I have to say, the telltale signs of fragrance as art are simply dropping out everywhere. Your comment about getting a lithograph of a Monet even has some kind of power to make me forgive all the sins of S01E02.

I think the reveal is going to generate HUGE discussion.

My wife invited me to go to the art museum this afternoon, and I wanted to respond "I've been going all week - how about a rest day?" Truth is, however, my interest has been primed by all of this - I'm excited to go.

I see Katie Puckrik's blog is now picking up this discussion!

Boy, if I were a perfume producer, and was pointedly acting in cooperation with this project (which they indeed have to put some real effort into, what with being asked to use Chandler's special bottles and all) and I knew that it was going to be set before some particularly interested and knowledgeable frag heads, the last thing in the world I would do was anything that might cause my product to be seen in a bad light in that sort of group setting. Maybe they hope to get away with reformulations when they know they are selling to individuals, but to present weakened juice to a group of discriminating people who are being pointedly asked to give their impressions, and then compare notes in a very public setting....I'd want to be on my very best behavior in an instance like that.

I can't claim to know what it is myself, but the unidentified "guess" sample that Neil was so kind to share with me....I simply can't can't bring myself to believe it's that.

I can't imagine it. Think about this from a production standpoint. We're only talking about a run of 200 small 30ml bottles sold at $25 each if I'm not mistaken. That's only a total of $5,000 minus the cost of the bottles and shipping. I could see a perfume maker altering a recipe for a run of thousand upon thousands of bottles to be sold worldwide at retailers... but to put time and effort into altering a recipe for less than $5,000? I can't imagine it.

If Open Sky was selling these for $250 a bottle it would mean $50,000. Even for $50,000, would a perfumer really put that much time and effort into reformulating a recipe? I wonder how much a perfumer earns for a reformulation.

The real question will be: Is everyone who guessed wrong? Or, is this a 2012 reformulation that is in the process of going worldwide in the real brand?

RP- I'm really glad you're spearheading this discussion. I wanted to pop in and give my completely uneducated thoughts. I have no guess as to what it is. Thankfully, I don't have it in my collection, and I don't think that I smelled it before receiving S01E02. It's been relatively easy to wear it without guessing at what it is (I thought I'd be obsessed with trying to guess, but it hasn't been a problem). I'm trying to experience it without comparison to other fragrances--- but dang! That's really hard! I'm realizing that part of the pleasure of perfume for me IS the comparison.

RP said this above, and it's the exact reaction I had the first couple times I wore S01E02: "I was comparing it to an EdT that I know, and I was thinking "I like that other EdT better - this just seems like so much less.""

Smelling S01E02 made me love something else in my collection even more. It was a strange reaction that I wasn't expecting. Burr described S01E02 as a green, sci-fi vine--- but it made me think of how well-rounded this other citrusy eau de cologne style fragrance is, how much more there is in that other fragrance, and how much I appreciate some of the notes in that other fragrance.

I wouldn't have described S01E02 as something that is green and vine-like. I'm surprised by his interpretation.

Upon initial spritzing of S01E02, in the top notes there was a note/accord that I did NOT like and still don't, after multiple wearings. This top note smells odd and unpleasant to me, but it's short lived. After that passes, I find it a pleasant/soapy/citrus/musk sort of frag. I have a lot of frags that are either green or citrusy, and I often love fragrances that smell like soap, but for some reason haven't fallen in love with this one.

Hoping to have more intelligent things to say, I wore several spritzes today, and I kept my nose glued to my arm. I put on extra spritzes (which somehow didn't succeed in turning up the volume). It's pleasant, but if I had to explain my emotional reaction, it'd be that I feel that this perfume pushes me away rather than drawing me in. Later, I think I'll spray some on my husband, to see if I have the same reaction when someone else is the wearer.

Maybe it's that the fragrance is too clean for my taste. It's missing the human/earthiness that I tend to connect with emotionally (though I'm a cumin-phobe, I like fragrances that have a 'human' aspect). That's not to say that it wouldn't be a good choice if I wanted to smell clean, but really, that's not normally my goal with perfume.

I still think the former is a strong possibility. Or at least, a couple of variations on that.

But if it's a reformulation issue? Holy Toledo! This would be a poster child for art getting thrown under the bus.

Easiest explanation is that there is an unknown scent which is very similar to the otherwise-best guess, and that Burr threw us misleading "art copy" which could apply to either, but fits the common guess better than it does the juice he shipped us. The fact that *everybody* thinks it's the common guess, would be an interesting insight into the way we "tag" things based on principal accords.

Second easiest explanation...... Not sayin'. It's almost too flakey. People think I'm crackers as it is!

- - - Updated - - -


I read this very excitedly, hoping you would see the scent the same way that I did. Your report - to borrow Chandler's wonderful phrase - does not disappoint!

I'm looking forward to the reveal so we can talk more openly about these comparisons. Very curious to hear what you compared it to, but I won't PM, as I'd like us all to know.

Pushing one away. Yes, yes and yes! From that first, disturbing note, through the blasé middle, to the phony goodbye. It simply does not compare with anything that I intermittently think it might actually be - and particularly the common best guess.

Again, thanks for this great description! Please continue posting as you have more thoughts, too!

I know exactly what you mean about that note in the opening : I had sort of an "ewww" reaction on first spritz. But as you said, it does not last long. Perhaps that's the note that Chandler makes his "science fiction" comments about ?

As someone who's still not up on the technicalities of perfume, I wonder how it comes that that it has that note ? Is it the unavoidable price we have to pay for whatever that ingredient morphs into later ?

It's distinctive for sure, so 'll be interesting to hear what Chandler has to say about it.

Yes! I literally thought, "Ewwww!" I am so glad to hear that someone else had this same reaction! I thought it might be my pregnancy affecting my nose! It immediately called a few real-world things to mind, but I don't think it'd be appropriate to type them here.

And yes! WHY is that there? Did the perfumer include that note ON PURPOSE? Wouldn't it be great if we get to learn about that, at the reveal?

- - - Updated - - -


Yes, it'll be interesting to hear about the details of your search and the one that you think it is. It's funny how you tried to figure out what it was, and I tried to figure out which ones from a similar category I like MORE than S01E02.

A couple of thoughts...

I still haven't smelled this and am looking forward to it, but I really really hope it's NOT the scent everyone thinks it is. We all know that perfumers constantly copy each other and release pretty much identical formulas to more than one house. If that's part of the point Chandler is making, I think that's brilliant.

My best guess is that this is a tomato leaf fragrance. Both from Chandler's vine commentary and the notes from sniffers about a groos undertone to the topnote. Tomato leaf in perfumery has a quiet bile smell to it that perfumers have to work very hard to cover up or blunt with soapy musks. It's a note that a lot of people just don't like because of this.

When Chandler first put out his description, all I could think of was (untitled) by MMM, which is a citrusy cologne topped with tomato leaf drowning in a vat of fabric softener. It's clearly influenced by Ellena's Eau de Campagne, but remixed for 2012 tastes. The more people talk, the more I wonder...

That's now three people who mentioned the unpleasant topnote. And not just from my bottle, too. That is such a relief. I thought that I was quite bonkers in smelling this. I was hesitant to say anything, for fear of looking completely nutso.


OY - do I hear you about that! Un. Mentionable.


That's another thing that's actually spinning this ending badly. It's easier to imagine certain patrons doing this. One jumps immediately to their lineups, and - OH - guess which one did something kinda similar that everybody kinda suspects but nobody talks about? Were they both subliminal efforts? Who knows.


Sadly, I figured out quickly that I liked *everything* I compared it to, better than S01E02. Granted, these were all things that had made it into my wardrobe, or my "must-have, famous, travel-size, big-ART, reference collection". But I was most disappointed in comparison to one wardrobe fragrance. I thought, "My goodness - this stuff is beautiful, and I've been overlooking it. I should be wearing it every day." Trust me - when the reveal comes, I will be singing its praises!


Trust me - you will not think it smells like what everybody thinks it is. And yet - there seems to be no better explanation - particularly when the real McCoy fits the billing to a T. What's up with that? It's a fantastic mystery.

I agree. I hate when patrons get blamed for copying, when what's really happening is that a great perfumer is working a powerful idea, and mining the possibilities for all they're worth. One diamond? Great. Two of a kind? Better!

If we were to include failed minor launches in all the possibilities, there are a lot of odd ways this story could unfold. Pretty exciting.


I know tomato leaf, but not in all its devious forms, so you could be right. I have a real love-hate relationship with it. I bought a bottle of Sisley 3 because of it, but days later, turned against it. And yet - my memory of loving it is so strong, I simply cannot part with the bottle. I just want to hold onto it until I can love it again.

However, that side of tomato leaf is not the grossness here, at least to my nose. But if that's the way tomato leaf appears at LOW concentration - well, maybe. I'm not familiar enough with the note to make that call. And if the musks are working overtime, well, maybe.


Not sure if we're talking about the same fragrance - what you're saying does sound much like the one people are thinking. Which is also something that has been on the market a while - and I'm pretty sure Chandler said as much.

Kinda funny you mention Eau de Campagne. S01E02 could use a healthy dose of it, IMO. That's the whole problem with S01E02. It's not as interesting as my bottle of (whatever). Good, grief. I would be tempted to ascribe it to the plain old bottle with no label, except that S01E02 sucks next to stuff that comes out of ANY bottle. Including S01E01. The POB effect can't be THAT big.

Remember the Clara Peller ad? I want her to run up to Chandler and go "Where's the vine? Where's the vine?"

Keep on talking you guys, I'm really curious to see how this all plays out. And thanks for all of the in-depth analysis RP!

No problem, SOS - thanks for dropping in!

(I should mention that SOS - without ever sniffing S01E02 - has guessed my top contender. Impressive! )

I think I'm going to go check out Katie's blog now, and see what's happening in that neck of the woods....

I've got to re-read the thread now with this guess in mind!

Well, that was fast. There's some great discussion - but that troll is just stomach-turning. I refuse to enter the premises.

And I'm buying a round for the BN mods.

At some point during this Untitled series, Mr. Burr is going to throw an absolute curve ball. I really wouldn't have thought it would be with the second sample... but perhaps he has. We're a week and a half away from finding out.


Off topic, but... I wish we were all in the same city. I'd love to be able to call one of you up and say "Hey, let's meet for a beer. Oh, and bring your bottle of Fahrenheit Absolute because I want to sniff it... and I have something interesting for you too. Two things, actually."

Aww, that would be fun! I have nobody in the real world who wants to talk about perfume!

I just can't wait until non-US people can participate, because I'm dying to smell along. It's been fun reading the commentary so far, although without all the knowledge you guys have (and the bottle to smell), it can feel a bit like an inside joke. I hope they sort it out next month!

I've always wondered what people would really think if they got an unlabelled sample of Secretions Magnifique. Minus all the hoopla, how many people would think it was THAT gross...

Oh, and Red, as for my never-smelled-it-just-based-on-descriptors guess, I meant this one: http://www.basenotes.net/ID26131404.html