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Please join Amouage for a sneak preview of the “Library Collection”…

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It’s hard to find something to say about Aedes de Venustas that hasn’t been said many times before. Ever since this West Village business opened in 1995, it has been the subject of countless glowing reviews that heap praise upon its merchandise, its décor, its customer service, its discerning clientele, and its indefinable mystique. The thing is, Aedes actually deserves all the accolades it has received over the years. Its selection of high-quality fragrances includes full lines (Serge Lutens, Etro, Diptyque) and one-offs (such as Shalini or the signature scent of the Hotel Costes), as well as brands that you won’t find anywhere else in New York (Amouage). Its extensive assortment of home fragrance and scented body-care features products that have gained places in the “cult favorite” hall of fame: Claus Porto soaps, Agraria potpourri, Mariage Frères candles.

The boutique’s décor is detailed and lavish: antique glass-front cabinets, chandeliers, Victorian sofas, and a stuffed peacock or two…

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My guess is that most obsessive perfume samplers have the equivalent of Robin’s purgatory basket. As someone who suffers from chronic indecision, I have a large collection of scents I just can’t decide whether I like or not, separated into a series of elegant “snack-sized” plastic freezer bags. Every couple of months I retrieve all of these baggies and place them on my bed, along with two larger plastic tubs, which house, respectively, fragrances in the current rotation (scents in good standing) and samples that I see every couple of months when I perform this ritual (the tub of no return). I spread the contents of the purgatory bags over my duvet and begin picking through the vials and atomizers, sorting them into piles: judgement rendered, cult favorites that need one more try, scents that have somehow eluded skin-testing. Like Robin, I always end up with a pile of scents that stubbornly resist categorization and tubbing. As my spouse looks on with bafflement and mild disapproval, I return these fragrances to the twilight, limbo land of the snack bag.

The firmer, sterner souls among you probably agree with my husband. With multiple new fragrances being launched every single day, why does anyone bother trying to puzzle out their complicated relationship with one? Well, my problem is that I often prefer the interesting to the simply likable…

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We invite you to meet David Crickmore, CEO of Amouage, and Christopher Chong, Amouage Creative Director during their forthcoming appearance at Aedes de Venustas on Thursday, October 2nd from 4:30 pm till 7:00pm, where they will be available to answer any questions you would have on Amouage and autograph your Amouage flacon…

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Close your eyes, and imagine yourself entering a mysteriously beautiful world where the magic of scent stirs the imagination and evokes wondrous dreams. The doors to the temple open, and the intoxicating scent of ancient Japanese incense rushes to envelop you, intertwined with the softness of leather…

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Aedes collaborated with Molinard to resurrect an old classic: Une Histoire de Chypre (pronounced SHEE-pr; not cheap). It’s heady and complex: an exorbitant fusion of bergamot, mandarin, iris, neroli, jasmine, Bulgarian rose, patchouli, oak moss, musk and amber, packaged in a black box with gold lettering and a Lalique bottle with a black spray-bulb.

The owner seemed to object to my description of it as pleasantly “after-shavey.”

— I object too. From Secrets From the Temple of Scent, an article about Aedes de Venustas in the New York Times.

“Chypre” is French for Cyprus and was linked with perfume in 1917 when Coty released a fragrance called Chypre. Coty Chypre was one of the first scents to move away from replicating something recognizable, like the smell of citrus or flowers…

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A set after my own heart, the Comme des Garçons Incense coffret. Full sized bottles (50 ml) of all five scents in the series: Kyoto, Avignon, Jaisalmer, Ouarzazate and Zagorsk. Admittedly, I’d like this better if they were in 30 ml, but oh well! And if you’re looking to buy for yourself and don’t need all five, do what I’m doing and find some like-minded friends to split the set. $310 at Luckyscent…

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