For Walks

When wearing this, I imagine a woodland walk on a secluded trail. It's a forest of mixed deciduous and coniferous trees, and the air is damp from an overnight rainfall. The sun now shines down and I detect the smell of violets. I turn a corner, and encounter a whole bed of them under the forest canopy; it feels magical. Then I think about how the passage of time is felt through these seasons; the flowers that unfurl, display their beauty, then recede and decay. This cycle requires a new year to witness once more: the small, precious window through which to experience the pageant, the glory of spring. It's one more year gone by in one's life, and so many of us let it pass, thinking that there are endless springs ahead of us. But are there really? Why aren't we here, now, relishing these gifts, the ephemera that has been a source of inspiration to mankind for ages? "They are just flowers, just plants." Plant blindness is a real phenomenon. Australian perfumer Kevin Verspoor presents us with a fragrance named "For Walks." Isn't that something? A tribute to a contemplative excursion. Maybe one even recaptures a sense of wonder that is lost through the hardening of adulthood. The violet here is a cool aquarelle, highlighted with just a pinch of mint and highlighted with evergreen. Then there is a boronia accord: this Australian flower is beta-ionone rich in its aroma and is reminiscent of raspberries, tea, dried stone fruits, and even tobacco leaves. I cannot say for certain if any boronia absolute is used here, as it is one of the most expensive botanical extracts available to the perfumer's palette, but its presence is felt, and adds to the mystique of For Walks. It somehow makes it feel even more reflective. My nose even discerns a shade of fresh sage leaves in the heart. It's also worth noting that there is this lovely transition from the violet and boronia into a red cedar. I am glad I could wear this on what seems to be one of the last cool spring days here in New England.

This may sound crazy, but... This seems like an homage to Apres l'Ondee to me. As a disclaimer, I do have a dabber vial, and the fragrance is quite soft, so it's a little difficult to tell. But from what I smell, it's the same beautiful, wistful, deicate, wispy violet opening that feels expansive, like someone just opened a window to let in the smell of spring fowers. It's possible that I'm detecting a little more of that violet leaf ozonic permanent marker like touch to it right away than I remember in the Guerlain, which was a little more cloud-like, and a little less green. This effect gives way to a soft waft of air from the garden on a cloudy day, complete with just the tiniest bit of wet earth and roots. It's been at least a couple years since I smelled Apres l'Ondee, but it has never really left my scent memory, and I have always wished for a longer-lasting version that could be found more easily. If I found one, it would enter my collection in a heartbeat. It really is so beautifu. If you like to explore the niche scene, you can probably sample For Walks without too much difficulty. However, on my skin, the sillage and longevity are maybe a slight improvement over the Guerlain, but still a tease. A lovely, lovely tease. Perhaps performance would be better when sprayed.

Have you ever seen those decorative rings of ice, frozen with fruits and flowers inside, and used as centerpieces at fancy parties? For Walks is like that, a ring of the clearest crispest ice surrounds you, stuffed with violets and a little bit of evergreen. It is fresh above all, sweet and gentle as well. Truly a unique and evocative fragrance that is so well named. I think of those Riccola commercials with a man on a mountain top, but instead I’m there and surrounded by a sea of violets with a cool wind whipping my hair. I love this so much that it hurts me that it has almost no sillage to speak of and doesn’t last either. Maybe a couple of hours. Still the experience of it is joyful. So I may end up buying it and just respraying. Either this or 1979 New Wave, which I just recently smelled and also love. They’re very similar in experience. Not all the notes are the same but the general feeling of cool, wind blown purple flowers with a hint of greenery is. Both are beautiful and ephemeral.

Finally, my search is over for the ideal violet perfume. I have tried many violet fragrances and have even bought full bottle of some of the most beloved violet perfumes only to have them disappoint me. So many of them were to old fashioned and others were so unique or trying to be unique that they were overthought and over conceptualized. This is a true violet perfume w/ the sweet smell of violets in a forest. As I smell it, I can see myself walking in a forest w/ a carpet of violets as far as the eye can see. This is violet perfection. If you are looking for a true violet but you do not want it overly powdery, to heavy, cloying or old fashioned but you also do not want it to be something totally off the wall like so many niche perfumes can be, For Walks is the best violet out there. Stunning! Blocki has just become one of my new favorite houses. Edit:3/28/23 I finally bought this. I couldn't get it out of my mind. It is the prettiest violet I have ever smelled.

This is such a unique scent and I've never smelled anything like it 😍 I first tested it in October, in the peak of autumn. I had been searching for that sweet smell of decaying autumn leaves, and this was it!! I mean that in the best way. It feels like a refreshing walk in the woods, through the crisp and maybe some damp bed of yellow and orange leaves. It also has this cooling feeling, like the crisp fall breeze. On my skin it gets warm and develops more ambery, like the sun glowing through the autumn foliage. I wanted fall to linger longer so I could bask in this fragrance forever. This is th quintessential autumn scent and I'm already looking forward to next September to come around.