The Architects Club

The quotation about the perfume included on this page describes the "history" of The Architects Club and serves as the perfect place to begin this review. The Arquiste fragrance collection is curated by Carlos Huber, an architect specializing in Historic Preservation. Holding the belief that "a scent is a time capsule," Arquiste creates fragrances meant to "transport the wearer to evocative moments in history." For The Architects Club, this "moment in history" is Cocktail time, March 1930, London: "Inside a cozy wood paneled room of velvet banquetes and wood, blond tobacco and smoky vanilla mix with the crisp herbal notes of gin. It’s Martini time at a plush English Fumoir bar in 1930s London." Arquiste describes this fragrance as "a comforting, smoky vanilla with an amber woody base and a cool dry gin opening," and that is exactly what it is. I am not a Martini drinker and am therefore unfamiliar with its scent, but I do know that gin should have a strong aroma of oranges, juniper, spices, and woody winter pines and that vermouth should have a robust vanilla aroma with spices and herbs. Put together and garnished with a lemon peel twist, it should become a sophisticated Martini that smells like fresh lemons and clean, cold, strong juniper. The Architects Club opens with a fresh whiff of bitter orange, lemon sfumatric, and juniper berry oil. Imagine yourself in the English Fumoir bar. It is a sudden although unsharp opening – the scent comes to you like a gush of cold, fresh air after a door has been opened. The citrus scent is perfectly balanced and only transitory. The juicy cold air shyly reveals a barely detectable herbal, maybe even powdery, angelica root scent which then blends with the warm interior of the dark wood room; you sense the heat coming back to your skin. The heart would be the moment you sip your Martini and a spicy warmth swells in your chest (heart notes include pink peppercorn, pepper wood, cardamom seed oil). Next, sitting in a cloud of blond tobacco, you detect a smoky vanilla emerging. With time, the scent develops into a smooth, woody vanilla-amber. The room is filled with laughter. You look at the lemon peel twist in your empty Martini glass, and you are left with an incredible sense of comfort – the base. This fragrance definitely reminds me of Diptyque's Eau Duelle EDT and, in my opinion, they are too similar to own both. However, I would unequivocally choose The Architects Club over Eau Duelle. The bitter orange, Italian bergamot, and lemon in the opening combined with the Paraguayan wood, oak wood, cedar wood, and cypriol oil in the base give The Architects Club a depth that Eau Duelle lacks. Each note has been expertly included to ensure seamless transitions between the levels of the olfactory pyramid, also bringing the wearer on a heartfelt, fragrant journey. In terms of longevity and projection, The Architects Club significantly outperforms Eau Duelle. The Architects Club was a rare love-at-first-sniff for me. It is such a delicious woody vanilla fragrance. I can barely help but roll my eyes back with each sniff. Above all else, this fragrance is comforting. It feels like when I wrap myself in a warm blanket inside a wood cabin during the winter. No other fragrance can evoke such comfort in me.

(8 March, 2020) SOTD: ARQUISTE Architects Club Released 2014,CD: Carlos Huber, Perfumer: Yann Vasnier NOTES (via Arquiste website): Juniper berry oil, angelica root, bitter orange, lemon sfumatrice, Italian bergamot, French clary sage, lavender, pink peppercorn, pepper wood, cardamom seed oil absolute, coriander seed oil, black currant bud absolute, iris absolute, guaiac wood from Paraguay, oak wood extract, cedar wood, cypriol oil, Haitian vetiver, vanilla absolute, Ambermax, ambrettolide musk. This is one of those magical fragrances that achieves alchemy to my nostrils. The way in which Vasnier seamlessly blended a laundry list of notes into something so succinctly cohesive yet so sheer and elegant is trulythe hallmark of a master perfumer. Here is all the wondrous green flashes of juniper angelica and sage. These enliven a truly brilliant (in every sense of the word) citrus blend that, even after it fades from center stage, continues to backlight the whole affair. Velvety lavender blooms from the verdant shoots ushering us to a cool yet spicy soiree in the heart. Orris and cassis join the scene and NOW it's a PARTY!! The ultimate dry-down is predominately woody, slightly smoky, leathery and just sweet enough to entice. Throughout its impressive lifespan Architects Club more than meets (exceeds in many ways) its brief and lives up to both its inspiration and its name. Here is alembicated a truly eclectic gathering of interesting, intellectual and iconic ideals (be they perfumed or of the more personal nostalgic type) set against a posh woody background given life with ambers and musk. Old stalwarts meet the new "in" crowd in a scent that has some truly novel vivacity while paying every respect to the classics. Longevity: moderate (4-8 hours) Sillage: moderate yet polite & polished Overall: 4.25/5 My inaugural Arquiste scent, Architects Club has me itching to smell even more of the line. Even more impressive it has me considering a full bottle purchase. The note-list here is actually what drew me in...however; the way the perfumer blends these raw materials is quite unlike what I osmagined and, in fact, is even better! NOW I see (& sniff!) why everyone is so "gaga" over this brand. The perfumers chosen and the creative direction of Sr. Huber make for some pretty damn solid fine perfumes! smell swell & be well, GP xox

An enveloping smoky vanilla with an amber woody base and a cool dry gin opening. She lives up to her namesake, and definitely smells just like how I would imagine an up-scale architects club, pencil shavings, rich woods, with cocktail-like smells of boozy vanilla and juniper gin alternately wafting in the fore- and background. I own Musc Ravageur, By the Fireplace, Tihota and Cherugui, and put this travel spray I recently got on the shelf next to those. In no way a dupe to any of those, just distantly reminiscent second-cousins. Wonderfully unisex and calming, the woods in this are uniquely beautiful- probably one of my favorite woodsies of all time, and boy do I adore a good wood. I also get cardamon here or there (one of my other favorite notes)- thinking my nose deceived me after not seeing it in the notes above, I went on the Arquiste website and confirmed its definitely one of the heart notes and should be added, as this addition is part of what makes this perfume uniquely beautiful. I have a full bottle of Sydney Rock Pool (another uniquely and aptly named fragrance- someone in the moniker department there must get a lot of pats on the back for creativity). I'm not sure yet if I will upgrade to a full bottle of this. While I absolutely love it, her longevity, as others have noted, leaves much to be desired for the price point. The travel spray I got from one of the fragrance clubs is easily transportable, but respraying every 2 hours or so (for me) makes me think long and hard about the ultimate investment for a FB, especially when others in her class, like Oud Wood, linger well throughout the day. I tried layering this with Tihota to boost the longevity, but Tihota definitely took over even initially, and Tihota was all that was left shortly thereafter... In short, she definitely lives up to her current rating as a masterfully well done vanilla-wood-juniper-ever-so-slightly citrus. Longevity is disappointing given the other powerhouses she likely competes with for attention. I find it funny that some architect reviewers shy away from this because of the name - I would be blown away if you smelled like this and then told me what you did for a living.

This is my absolute favorite scent from this house. I wish that it was a food so that I could take a bite of it. Seriously! On first spray, while still wet, this scent smells like juniper, gin, and lemon. Yes, just like a good martini. I'm a lover of gin, so this layer of top notes is extremely intoxicating to me. These brighter notes persist for about 20 minutes, and that's when these dark woodsy, leathery notes start peaking through and taking over. These notes are slightly masculine and can trick you into thinking that this scent isn't a gourmand, but it totally is. You realize this about five minutes later, when that vanilla begins to take center stage. This vanilla is seriously the most addicting vanilla accord I've ever encountered in a fragrance. It is sweet, but not sickly. It smells incredibly real, and it's extremely well balanced against the woods and citrus notes. For the rest of this scent's life, it does a dance between vanilla, woodsy, and citrusy notes that I can't get enough of. In my opinion, this is firmly unisex. Sillage is average for me, projection is lousy, but longevity is strong. It stays on my skin for about 12 hours, but for most of its life, it is a skin scent, so be aware. I think if this had a stronger projection, it would be obnoxious. This is a gourmand that I actually wear year round. I think it's well balanced enough that it's appropriate at all seasons, but that might just be because I enjoy it so much. I think this shines the most in transitionary periods like Spring and Fall. Seriously, if you like vanilla scents and are looking for something a bit different but not too obscure, give this a try. If you're looking for a slightly masculine vanilla, this is best in class as far as I'm concerned.

Finally found my replacement for Diptyque Eau Duelle, which does not last longer than 2h on my skin and clothes. Peppery sophisticated vanilla which becomes a skin scent after 3h and fades from my skin after 5-6h. Sillage: soft. can be build up to moderate. However, a gorgeous skin scent for intimate moments Lovely vanilla alternatives: Similiar-ish (getting the same dry vanilla) but still different, touch more creamy, heavier: Van Cleef & Arpels - Vanille Orchid same vanilla but touch more peppery, horrible lasting power: Diptyque - Eau Duelle also same fresh opening with similiar vanilla (but pulls more differently on my skin) which is a touch more smoky, incense-ish: Atelier Cologne - Vanille Insensee --- After trying out all three now constantly, my final verdict: Receive many compliments with Atelier Cologne - Vanille Incensee and Arquiste - The architects club. Unfortunately, Van Cleef & Arpel's Vanille Orchid turns a tad sour-ish after an hour. Not sure, if my perfume went bad after only 4 months of usage... Clear winner: The architects club. Bright, awakening opening and gorgeous heart with the best lasting power!