Chandler Burr Untitled S01E06

It will be interesting to see just what Santa's Elf Chandler sends us for holiday wear. I was especially happy that the launch coincided with my $12 discount and free shipping.

Me too - the 12 off and free shipping made this an easy choice.

Good to see you and Birdboy back in the game!

I have to give the Untitled Series (and all the conversation around it) credit for reigniting my interest in trying new perfumes. During the break, I ordered about 20 samples to try.

Glad to hear that 06 is rich -- as opposed to spineless as before -- and I will be following the discussion with interest. I realize that "rich" for me and him can be different, though!

Can I get a summary of the first five? Is there a thread or website with that information?

Click on our group (see my siggy) and you'll see threads with all information on each episode. hth

I wish I could join but I doubt even if I asked someone to buy it for me, it would get here in time with all the X-mas fever. Looking forward to the discussion and the reveal though.

Out of the young(er) noses going rich I think of Daniel Maurel, Cecile Zarokian and Karine Vichon-Spehner, but CB kept saying "he". We'll see, as soon as you guys start telling what you smell.

Can you post the frag names in addition to the links? tx.

Very cool!


Even a cartilaginous vertebrate would be welcome at this point!

Who knows - perhaps it will have some real teeth!


Perhaps there's somebody doing some holiday traveling across the pond. I'll keep watching for any possibility for a hand-off!


Mmmmmmmm! With possibilities like that, this could be good!


What? Olfactory jazz? In the Arthur M. Bigboy and Ruth McNiche Conservatory of Olfactory Music?

*gasps / faints / snores*



Half of me would love it, but half would prefer Chandler to treat Josh as an Amazonian native, to be studied with care and respect, but never to be disturbed by those of us living in Aquatica and Fleuyrup.

I'm in and am looking forward to what Chandler has in store for us.

I heartily approve of the much condensed description. It will be interesting to see how our discussion is different without so much verbal packaging.

Bwahahahahaha! Perfectly said. Given the price and the fact that it took Open Sky three weeks to send me the 'fume last go round, I won't be playing this time. But I look forward to reading what you all have to say about it.

I'm out too. $50 is too spendy for me. I'll just have to listen to what everyone else says.

Is anyone receiving anything yet? Please post your sniffing experiences, OK?

I just checked my delivery status, and UPS says my bottle will arrive on Saturday, 12/15.

- - - Updated - - -

Well UPS was wrong - my S01E06 arrived today! I was already well-scented with Chanel Coco, so I can't get a complete take on it yet, but my initial impression is orange and musk. I absolutely agree with Chandler's description that it emanates light. Anyone hoping to get down and dirty is going to be disappointed; this is a well-mannered fragrance (unless musk is your idea of raunchy). I'm not picking up on the "rich" aspect yet, but as I said I can't do more than a quick sniff against the backdrop of Coco. More impressions tomorrow.

Thanks for this!!!

I have been playing since S01E02 and avidly lurking here to find out what others are thinking. Got S01E06 today. I'm smelling pineapple and coconut. Anyone else get their bottle today?

I'm not playing this round, but I look forward to hearing everyone's impressions.

I don't smell anything that overtly smells like pineapple and coconut, but I might be missing that. There is something warm and tangy in S01E06, but I'm having trouble teasing out individual notes. I'm disappointed in the longevity/sillage. The scent seems to smell different up-close than at a distance. That's not to say I don't like it - I do. It felt very cheery on a cold and wet December Saturday.

I got my bottle and wore it today. Not smelling any coconut or pineapple either. It is very similar to several scents that I have, so as you can guess, I like this one a lot. I detect several components, but I'm going to think about it before I shoot off my mouth about what I think is in it. I already thought it was three different fragrances, only to realize that it's probably not any of them. This may be new in my wardrobe. If it is one of the ones I was thinking, then there's been a reformulation.

This is, IMO, a more substantial scent. No knuckles are dragging, and no little black dresses are slinking, but it's more earthy and full-bodied than the previous five, so bravo for that.

I will enjoy wearing this!


PS - I finally saw the Art of Scent exhibit! It's great!

IMO L'Etrog has more presence than S01E06, but I'll agree with your assessment that this is more earthy. I'm interested in how you perceive this - its overall character and what it says to you.

What grounds them oranges in 06, besides musk? Woods, roots, fuzziness, animalic warmth?

Let's take oranges that everybody knows -- Terre d'Hermes -- and compare them to 06. Any resemblance? Or, take another Orange Hermes -- any, basically -- Orange Vert or Merveilles in any form -- and please compare them with 06.

How is the throw? Does 06 last at all?

Here's what Chandler said:


I'm going to use ROT13 to remove the antichandlerian spoilers (a.k.a. "notes").

The first thing I noticed is that this is definitely a irgvire fragrance. The rich beauty and the embracing/holding quality seem to come from a combination of irgvire and gbaxn. In fact, I almost thought that this was the well-known favorite, Irgvire Gbaxn. I verified that it is not. But it's definitely earthy and smoky and warm, in the same way. It is also similar to other irgvire fragrances in my collection.

I agree that it can be worn year-round, but it is particularly nice right now.

I agree that it is solidly structured, in that the notes blend together very nicely and lose their individual form. If I sniff it up close on skin, it just keeps going and going and going. Very warm and toasty. I would say that it's masculine, for sure.

I don't get a lot of benatr per se. I do get some. Definitely not as much as in Greer qUrezrf. I do get zhfx in the drydown, and even in the opening, when it warms up the irgvire and gbaxn/inavyyn.

In some ways, as it dries down, it passes through a toasty gourmandish phase - roasted chestnuts? It leaves an excellent skin scent as well.

Because of the similarities to the highly respected Irgvire Gbaxn, but being in some ways even better, I have to concur with Chandler that this is a great fragrance and that the young perfumer must be a bit of a rock star!

Great description, EAC (ROT13)! Could you please compare it with Lalique Encre Noire Men then? Any similarities besides that fuzzy rooty note? Knowing CB, I realize it is all not that simple, with chestnuts roasting and other million peculiarities.

Overall, we are getting some sort of (sweet) citrus on top, masculine wood and roots in the development, and fuzzy warm enveloping almost vanillic but not sweet drydown, right?

Anything from PG that comes to mind?

Also, how about Francis Camail for Bond No.9 (also known for sweet and not so sweet citruses for Annick Goutal)?

And then again, there is always Ralph Schwieger (not only for Hermes with Merveilles).

Just a chuckle, when I think perfumer + rockstar I think Puevfgbcur Ynhqnzvry

Maybe Obfdhr?

He is rather fitting, I agree. Obfdhr is too happy, too light, too crisp, too colognesque. Ask SoS, he should know for certain.

What color is the liquid in 06?

Does this help?

Encre Noire (Men) was actually what I thought it was at first, but when I checked against a sample (admittedly an old one) I discovered that they're different, and I like Chandler's fragrance better! I had been on the fence about Encre Noire for a long time, actually. S01E06 is smoother, glossier, less chalky, and brighter. But the vetiver is definitely a big player in both.

Your overall description is very good!

Not totally sure about your two suggestions, there, but could be.


Wouldn't surprise me if it was Puevfgbcur Ynhqnzvry. He's got Chandler fave written all over him!


Obfdhr seems close, but I agree that it seems too light. Haven't smelled it myself.


With the light a little lower, it's a bit more yellow, but still fairly light.

Judging by the color only Obfdhr is the right color (picture on the F-site). However, the descriptions everywhere make me think of more green grass and then sweetness. Some reviewers note great longevity too. Nobody ever remarks about the daffodil element in it. How do you guys feel about the floralcy of 06?

Thank you to RN for your offer to send me a little drop for a sniff.

And to which fragrance family do you think it belongs (citrus, fougere, chypre, oriental)?

I think there could definitely be saffron + citrus in this, which I could be interpreting as orange when it is some other citrus. But if there is any daffodil, I'm not finding it. The fragrance doesn't strike me as floral.

Also, I have a mild dislike for gbaxn, so unless the perfumer used it so skillfully it was disguised, I think the warmth in the base is due to other notes. I agree that irgvire plays a big role in the fragrance, but by the time it dries down and warms up on my skin, its the warmer notes that I notice.

I have to say again this is a wonderful fragrance, and I continue to be grateful to Chandler for bringing these scents to my attention. This was forcefully demonstrated to me by a sample I received yesterday (that will remain nameless) that was so terrible it made me wish I was anosmic. There are definitely some ham-handed perfumers out there.

Does the new day bring any new developments with 06?

OK, now that we are speaking about the genre, do you think it is marketed for women or men? I would also like to hear some asnwers to Irina's fragrance family question.

Any imagery/associations evoked by it?

I tend to think of it as a citric irgvire fragrance - I hesitate to call it oriental, because it's not spicy, but it is warm, and to a degree that might even deserve the term "ambery". Without being an amber fragrance, if that makes sense.

I think this feels very unisex, but I could see it being marketed to either gender or neither. The fact that is seemed like Gbz Sbeq Terl Irgvire at first says masculine, but the similarity to Irgvire Gbaxn would mean unisex. And the overall vibe is like a more feminine version of Raper Abver (of which I have not smelled the feminine flanker, and which this could be). More masculine than Irgvire Cbhe Ryyr, too.

I'm also thinking this may have a lot of pnfuzrena in it. In fact, that's the image I associate with it, and why it's so perfect for the holidays. It's like the warmest pnfuzrer scarf or sweater one can imagine. It's not Pnfuzrer Zvfg - it's much less upscale and restrained. More like Pnfuzrer Ninynapur, an imaginary fragrance created by perfuming snowboard chicks!

There is a toasty element in it that almost reminds me of Wrhk qr Crnh, but it's much less - just a strong facet, not a predominant theme.

I'm going to recommend that people buy a bottle of this sucker!

Actually I was referring to Michael Edwars fragrance wheel: http://www.fragrancesoftheworld.com/fragrancewheel.aspx

E06 sounds like a woody oriental?

Also as the 30 ml offered on Open Sky is priced at $50 we're looking at a niche fragrance priced at least $180 a 100 ml bottle right?

I was re-reading Gilbert's 'What the nose knows' and realized what a huge bias these blind sniffs carry within them with a huge placebo effect because of the shared imagery, notes and such, it's impossible for the brain to not play that 'pattern recognition' cognitive game filling in the gaps and leading us by the nose

I agree - woody oriental - but with elements of citrus and dry woods, too. Hard to pin down, really.

I really don't worry about the placebo effect. Let the patterns be viral!

Is is anything like Znunenavu?

I'm not familiar with Znunenavu, but based on descriptions I'm reading, I suspect that S01E06 is somewhat "less" in terms of complexity and diversity of features. It seems much smoother than what I imagine Znunenavu to be. In its smoothness, S01E06 is much like the other members of S01.

I have Znunenavu, and S01E06 is nothing like it IMO.

Definitely NOT Raper Abver pour femme, which is a light and sort of non-descript white floral with very little irgvire if any at all.If we are, however, looking for a lighter version of Raper Abver, a few reviewers on the F-site point towards Ybrgr 7.

Speaking of numbers: somehow I am thinking more of CT07 Tenaq Fvrpyr (of course the nose behind it is almost 15 years younger than CB, but who is counting?).

Thank you, RN (Neil), for your generosity in sending me a sample of this to sniff. I'm glad I had the opportunity, even though I'm afraid my comments are going to be a bit of a rant . . .

My first impression was simply, "Is Chandler having a laugh at our expense?" I understand that there are many perfumes he obviously can't throw our way, but is contemporary perfumery so bereft of ideas and creativity, that this is all he can come up with?

Upfront, I get a huge blast of grapefruit, followed by the rest of the lunchroom can of fruit cocktail, followed by something vaguely floral, followed by . . . dead air. Both times I applied this, it went from 110 mph to nothingness in about 10 minutes. Its over all impression is of something created as the ne plus ultra of a by-the-numbers blueprint of how to construct a fruity floral. Not that I necessarily mind the genre--Calyx for one is brilliant. But this ain't no Calyx.

In fact, I'm struggling to figure out what, exactly, it is. Once again, I find myself in an Emperor's New Clothes position, struggling to come up with the "there" there.

Not again, darn it! Will check my mailbox today, will let you know, OK?

This thing is very definitely richer than Episodes 1-5, but I really feel that you could draw some kind of sensible line through all of these scents, and use it to predict any of Burr's modern loves. There is a stylistic link between these things that is probably very interesting and worthy of study.

Fortunately, I have to say that Burr's *individual artistic* appreciation and his *art historical* appreciation are clearly two different things. The only line you could possibly draw through the scents in the Art of Scent exhibit, would be the curve of greatest and earliest advance of the art. The scents in the exhibit are truly myriad in their diversity, and are clearly not selected according to Burr's likes or dislikes.


Don't think you're getting the package today, but I'll bet it's getting closer to its destination as we speak.

Got my sample today. Totally agree with RNP that this is what Encre Noir pour Femme should have been smelling like, not what they got us.

Right off top of the bat: designer, not niche. Or, weird niche with no projection and 1 hour longevity (remember everything lasts on me). Initial blast (timid one, pastel watercolor) made me think masculine, the development is sort of unisex.

Notewise, I got NO oranges at all, it is a bitter citrus (bergamot would be my best bet) and some aldehydes. In combination, they produce that fizzy tickling sensation at the start. Then there is sweet green vetiver, a little bit of plain jasmine (sambac, not grandiflorum), and something sweet and creamy -- almost like gardenia. What some of the sniffers perceive as fruit is, in fact, something vegetal -- I will not be surprised if it were listed as "celery seed" or an herb (tarragon?) or something else in this venue. Dries down in one hour, to musk and that sweet nothing with higher-pitched cedar. Among the existing fragrances, I would say Caleche Delicate Triple Legere (it does not exist of course) with added vetiver would come close. No, not Pierre, not his style. Not JC Ellena -- not his expressive means.

Overall, happy cheery light scent, spring-like rather than Christmas, positive but lacking energy to deliver. More like a blueprint, etude, not the finished product. Will not go out of the way to wear it on a regular basis.

Will think some more on it, OK?

When do they reveal? End of the month? What are our suggestions besides the ones suggested?

Great observations! Totally with you on almost everything - except that I'm lucky to get some skin scent longevity out of the deal.

The reveal is normally the last day of the month/first day of the next month - depends on the day of the week and Chandler's personal schedule, as well as logistics if he's doing a video, too.

I'm no longer concerned with what it is - just what it is that I like (or don't like) about it. I may try to do one last post about that, before the reveal.

PMed you with a few ideas.

Guys, what about the art & emotional response with this one?

Heh, I'm not concerned about what it is, either, because it smells to my nose like so much of what is currently being produced. I'd love to smell something vegetal in this--but after four applications, all my nose gets is fruit cocktail, book-ended by a sharp grapefruit note to start and some woods to finish. Its not offensive, and in fact it seems over all rather well made, but it's just not all that interesting.

What IS interesting to me, however, is what it says about Burr's particular taste--and its consistency.

Emotional response: Disinterest
Art work analogy: Modern, blends into any decor. http://www.wallartdecorstore.com/art/sleek/

Emotional response: noisy youngsters in the park ready to go on a few rides. Happy, chewing gum, eating junk food. Rides are noisier though. Some of them are even scary, but the fragrance is about the youths, not the heavy machinery.

I was also thinking that the wood we thought was cedar, got that slightly unpleasant undertone, not synthetic, but in addition to cedarwood it might be rosewood.

I feel like we're stuck in a very particular room in a very particular wing of a museum and we're being made to look at every single work in a very particular genre. Everything is very clean and all the decor is white and gray and sleek. There's no risk of offense in any of the art. I feel bored and antsy.

I really want something that shows some risk. Something that people might not like. Something where my immediate response isn't "yes, yes. quite nice. smells like the last 5 but a little different."

I feel like I understood and learned to appreciate a lightness and airy-ness after the very first release and I wish we could move on and bump up the diversity.

Then again, maybe this is what *s01* is and when the time comes for *s02* we'll change gears.

I'll probably get the next bottle as well, but if that's just another light, slightly this, slightly that scent... I'm out.

You know, that's a good point. Maybe these scents are all meant to be variations on one, overarching theme. And next year he'll choose fragrances with more "chew."

This would have been the perfect point for the olfactory equivalent of two performance artists jumping off the contemplation bench in the middle of the museum tour, and launching into a gasp-rendering dieselpunk version of Shakespeare. To be followed by mad applause from the tour members once they realize what's up.

OK - maybe that would be a bit much. But I honestly feel like we're comparing skyscrapers, and it's hard to work up tears on number 6. They're all big, beautiful, sleek, and very commercial. Commissioned by rich people. If we passed an adobe home, or even better an "Occupy Perfume" encampment, my eyes nose would be wandering, sister!

It's not that these aren't great works of art/design - I honestly feel that they are. But the approach isn't so much diversity as repetition.

One thing that Birdboy and PPM said that I agree with is that maybe this is showing us a single concept - a certain sort of sleekness and olfactory simplicity and continuity. Maybe it's a certain style of modern olfactory art. THAT I can buy. And that IS something which I feel is the core competence of "high-industry" fragrance, and less common in the more "artisanal" stuff.

On the other hand, maybe that other stuff just doesn't feel compelling to Chandler. It's his show - if he thinks it's unworthy, so be it.

I don't know. Maybe it's just the holidays messing with us.

Red, if even you with your enormous patience and good will is getting bored, that must be sayin' somethin' LOL

Yes. All of these perfumes have an über high end presence about them--"sleek" is the perfect adjective. As is, "urban." And if Burr wants to insist that these are the epitome of olfactory high art, so be it. But because of his approach, I no longer regard this exercise as valuable because of what it tells me about my own aesthetic, or that of my fellow 'fumeheads--or even the scents themselves--but about what it tells me about Burr, an upper middle class man living a rather rarefied existence in early 21st century New York City.

LOL! Sure hope that S01E06 isn't our first Lutens! That would look pretty silly!!!

Whatever the intent of the choices, Chandler has most certainly succeeded in getting people to talk about perfume!

I do think that the choices have been advantageous in terms of getting us to move our focus off of the "notes" themselves, and onto the melody and harmony. He seems to have chosen things which don't have too much complexity in terms of details, and which show off their larger structure more easily. Perhaps he tried to keep things simple? That would also explain why he hasn't exactly gone out of his way to explain the reason behind the choices. People generally don't like being told that they're working on the "elementary" track!

Yes, Burr is applying his own aesthetic to the selection of scents not only for the Untitled Series but also for the Art of Scent Exhibit. Did you expect anything else?! If you missed it, we spent the month of October (S01E05) delving into relationships between existing art movements and olfactory art. A person has the responsibility for "curating" collections. Certain pieces are excluded, deemed not to fit the collection. That doesn't mean they're bad, it just means they're not right for this particular aesthetic. For example, have you ever created a station on Pandora? You start out with a concept: e.g. Van Morrison Radio. Pandora then suggests songs by other artists that it considers stylistically similar. But in this case, its grouping The Rolling Stones with Van Morrison, and while I love the Stones, I don't want to hear them as part of my "Van Morrison Radio station". So I give them the "thumbs down" every time one is suggested, in order to fine-tune the criteria for my station. If you can't see the frame I'm applying to my selections, you don't know why I'm including Otis Redding and excluding The Rolling Stones. I'm guessing that for some reason Burr doesn't feel Lutens scents fit the Untitled Series aesthetic, but we don't know that for certain. He could choose Jeux de Peau as his next Untitled!

Maybe Burr could be doing more to explain his frame of reference, but I think people as enthusiastic about fragrance as we are should at least give him the benefit of the doubt and try to understand what he's doing. I haven't come anywhere near understanding or internalizing his frame/model/aesthetic, but I was hoping some of the other people playing along on the Untitled Series would have insights that I'd learn from. I think this is what Burr intended for both of his projects -- to get people thinking differently about scent, to propose the association of scent characteristics with existing art movements. I think its an interesting and worthwhile endeavor, if you're ready to go beyond simple categorization by notes and fragrance families. And think how it might influence olfactory artists to translate a concept from one realm into new scents!

He gave us Eau de Lierre as the Literalist, Photo-Realistic exhibit. The Art of Scent Exhibit give us twelve more examples of his classifications:
You don't have to agree with his classifications - if you disagree, maybe Burr will learn something from you. (Note that we could talk about how the two photo realistic examples are alike/different.) But it feels like everyone else is throwing the towel in on this. Yes? No?

I don't think I'm throwing in the towel, myself. I did see the exhibit in NYC, and my impression was that the scents therein were generally more clear-cut and more obvious members of their classifications, than what we got in the Untitled series. For example, calling Untitled by Daniela Andrier either Brutalist or Post-Brutalist makes sense when you smell it. The fragrance is (to my nose) constructed from olfactory cinder blocks - yet somehow made beautiful. Angel - Surrealist - no problem. And most of the others - they make sense. I still don't get Eau de Lierre as Photo Realism, but that's a tough call, IMO. I'm curious why Chanel no. 5 is not in your list - it was in the exhibit (also Abstract Expressionism, IIRC). Again - that and Jicky - no problem. In fact, the whole exhibit made sense, in its chronological change of styles.

But I would be much more hard-pressed to call the predominant artistic movement on any of the scents in S01. Much less obvious to me.