Telegrama

Some bubbling: I always try to describe different smells in perfumery by my subjective nose, without paying big attention on my preferences. You know, there are no bad or nice smells for perfumers. They always have a description for certain smell. I am not a perfumer, but I try to create a sublime border between personal preferences and how something actually smells like. I think, this is quite philosophical, but I consider these things to be different. Sometimes, when I say something about certain things in perfume, or what means "to appreciate" a certain fragrance as someones work, many people just don't understand me and they think, I make something holy and force someone to buy or wear something xDD. In my opinion, "to appreciate" doesn't mean to love something necessarily. Whatever, this is their problem, not mine. Onto the review. Telegrama I have written a short review some time ago, but I want to update my feelings about this perfume. I think, that Josh Meyer is an incredible perfumer and experienced chemist, he creates some really artistic formulas... . Telegrama is sort of a very artistic and modern approach in fougere perfumery on niche level. The olfactive profile is undoubtedly niche, definitely would not be everyone's cup of tea. I imagine, that it was built upon many solid or semi-solid raw materials (quite intense strong smell). I would describe this as a very clean, very dry, cold, crisp, herbaceous, slightly sweet and spicy formulation. In my imagination this is very heavy on Musks and some raw materials that support the clean qualities here. Galaxolide, Ethylene Brassylete, Nitro-Musks, especially high amounts of Ambettolide and Tetralide, Hedione, Lily of the Valley (Liliestralis, Magnolan), maybe also Salicylates like Amyl Salicylate or Benzyl Salicylate. Some naturals of Lavender, some trace amounts of Vanillin or Iso-Vanillin, or Coumarin as well, maybe also Evernyl. I think, that this is really well created, a work of art. I would say, this is a very nice Musk perfume, to be honest. It smells very modern. I am more into traditional fougere olfactive profiles, nonetheless, I love it personally. If you like Ambrette, very clean, minimalistic, crisp and cold, metallic smells, I think, this is something you will love. It pretty reminds me a sugar powder, or clean fresh A4 paper sheets. It personally speaks to my sole, my style, my personality. So I find it particularly gorgeous. The olfactive profile makes me happy. But this is me. I believe, that it should be a linear fragrance, try it on your skin. This is quite versatile, it will be a perfect office perfume, or for special occasions, like wedding. It can be worn casually for sure. A very artistic, modern and niche fougere, to my nose. My strong recommendation for people who are into modern perfumery, Musks, Lavender, clean, powdery, metallic smells, as I said. @Tembacat, I understand your point. Yeah, this is very clean, it owns sort of sharp cleanness for sure. I am also very curious about Talc, how it is actually used in perfumery...I have no idea completely. If someone knows about its usage in perfume industry, please write me a massage here in Fragrantica chat.

It’s my third or fourth wearing of Imaginary Authors’ latest release, Telegrama, and I can’t get enough of it. It’s fresh, sweet, chalky, highly interesting, and yet is reasonably agreeable, like other recent releases Saint Julep and Sundrunk, in that it’s accessible and fresh for fans for warm-weather-friendly fragrances only, but contains a lot of depth and nuance, like the aforementioned releases. The listed notes are talc, lavender, black pepper, teak, amyris, vanilla powder, and fresh linens, with presumably the last of these being the “imaginary” note, an attribute common to each and every perfume of the house. The black pepper, talc, and teak provide a viable contrast to the robust lavender—Telegrama’s standout note, in my opinion—and the vanilla powder, which acts as a sweet-yet-powdery anchor to the fragrance as it dries down. It’s linen-fresh yet sweet, slightly powdery (but not screechy or sharp), and just a bit woody, spicy, and chalky to provide some great texture and structure underneath. It performs well, too—perhaps not a beast like Cape Heartache, Memoirs of a Trespasser, or A City on Fire, but just a notch down, which feels right, given the versatile type of fragrance it is. And its bottle design is as nice as ever, with a two-color theme to the usual one-color display, very much on the nose while somehow being a bit different from prior bottles’ designs. Like everything that Josh Meyer releases, Telegrama is innovative and intriguing. I don’t own every perfume in the IA lineup, but I find it difficult not to admire the artistry in even the fragrances of which I’ve not purchased a bottle, and in that respect, I’d always encourage newcomers to the brand to try the full line and see what clicks with your personal style. Telegrama is instant “love” for me, providing something new but also with lovable familiar characters (lavender and especially vanilla) but in a different story, the result being a perfume that’s both unique and versatile, as it feels perfectly suited for all seasons and situations. It’s among my very favorite releases from the house, just a touch below my favorite, Cape Heartache. Telegrama is available on the IA website and great boutiques like Perfumology for what remains a fantastic price of $95 for 50ml, with the 14ml travel size available for $38. I deem it not only full bottle worthy but backup bottle worthy as well. 9 out of 10

Ok... Wow... not what I was expecting... Laughing at comments that there is little lavender lol... 1/ awesome clean bright wholesome lavender as per Tom Ford Lavender Extreme 2/ talc is not at all what I expected and dustiness is non existent rather It’s more like a texture and smooth like mums old fashioned appliqué from a porcelain pot 3/ there is an almost too strong sweetness like a honeycomb or caramel fudge providing the body equal to the lavender that makes me scratch my head as I can’t fathom the note structure advertised and quoted 4/ The linen-laundry scent description to me is fairly irrelevant so I’m guessing that’s included for pure marketing purposes As a simple analogy it reminds me of a more complicated distant cousin of Lavender Extreme - which realistically I’m guessing was an inspiration for Josh Meyer and/or the creative/marketing department. I would find it very hard to believe it wasn’t let alone the timing. The sweetness of off putting for me and in fact I would say that this is infact more of a feminine scent, the lavender only just reeling it back on certain wafts. I’m a bit flummoxed about the marketing as well as it doesn’t particularly make me reminisce about the old old days per se... again just marketing doing its thing. In all probably the best scent for me from Imaginary Authors that whilst keeping with their ethos doesn’t require a strong fortitude or a “look at me Im unique” T Shirt ensemble to carry off. Unlike Saint Julep which I also like though is underwhelming in performance this is great performance for price. If you like strong clean full bodied lavender you will want to try this scent - I certainly do and have many in my collection.. I bought a travel spray which comes with the new packaging. I don’t know if I’ll buy a big bottle as whilst I enjoy it TF does it better and the performance is price relevant. Having said that it’s the next best scent that I know of as all my other fave lavenders are more subtle in their approach.

I really loved this perfume. At first spray, it's floral, fresh, sweet, spicy, a bit woodsy and a little dry—not powdery per se, but definitely dry. The lavender, linen, pepper, talcum, teak and vanilla are all apparent in the open. It smells like hotel sheets that your lover's scent clings to long after they've gone. Very comforting, sweet and nostalgic. The journey of this scent is relatively linear, as I'm discovering most Imaginary Author scents are; but that's okay because this smelled lovely. The only notable change for me was the loss of the black pepper note about three hours into it—leaving behind a dry sweetness for the remainder of the wear. This lasted for over ten hours on my skin and the sillage was moderate. This scent reminds me a lot of other sweet lavender scents like Goddess by Burberry and New Haarlem by Bond No. 9. However, this one stands out by being a bit spicier than Goddess with the pepper and softer and less syrupy than New Haarlem with the talcum note. And, though this has an undeniable sweetness, it's not cloying at all. That being said, you probably would not enjoy this if you dislike vanilla fragrances as the vanilla and lavender are the stars of this fragrance. Overall, this is another beautifully crafted perfume by Imaginary Authors. While this is not the most revolutionary scent profile, it is expertly executed and the smell is divine. I cannot recommend this enough for those who enjoy sweet florals.

I love this stuff. It starts off really sweet, just like a golden brown roasted marshmallow and if you only smelled it right after spraying, I wouldn't blame you for thinking it's juvenile, overly saccharine, and lacking in substance. But you'd be wrong. And this is why I prefer niche perfumery. Once the top notes burn off a little and it heats up on your skin, the woodieness and gentle lavender rise up to prop up the sweetness. The latter two accords are very well done and handled with restraint, which I greatly appreciate. I find that lavender can often be overpowering but there's just enough here to create more of an accord than a distinct note. Same goes for the woodieness, it strikes a cord rather than plays a solo. I think I can make out the amyris, but more because it's pointed out in the note list, not because I'd ever be able to tell on my own. I think it more so adds a slight resinous/balsamic richness to the lavender and wood accords rather than standing on its own. Longevity is good, 6-8 hours or more of moderate projection and I think it gets better as it goes. I've been working off a sample and am probably going to scoop a FB once that runs out. Best offering from this house.

The opening for this one can only be described as “purple” — it’s the synthetic, vaguely sweet, vaguely floral and vaguely fruity smell that’s somewhere between grape and violet. It has the darnest artificial maple syrup notes in the opening that aren’t very well blended with the rest of the fragrance. I’m glad I didn’t jump immediately to scrubbing, since the unpleasant “purple drink meets maple syrup” quickly mellows out into a pleasant powdery vanilla lavender. It’s a sophisticated and feminine smell, that reminds me of expensive finishing powder and cosmetics. It’s the smell of your rich aunt getting ready for the evening. Interestingly, it gets more masculine in the dry down, settling into something that is softly woody and spicy (your aunt has finished her preparations, and now it’s your wealthy uncle’s time to get ready for the day with just a slash of aftershave). It’s powdery and talc-forward, but not screechy. This is also a fragrance that feels like it falls on the right side of the “interesting” versus “wearable” spectrum for everyday use. It has a classic and casual vibe that feels very effortlessly put together. It’s nuanced, but stable about it. I like it a lot.

Changes in perception and a greater experience in this hobby has turned this for from a dislike to a love. I went home for the holidays and had forgotten about the original imaginary author sample set I had from when I first began this hobby. I didn't have samples of some of them with me at my new place, including this one. This was actually the first fragrance that I ever actually disliked, I thought it was sharp, medicinal wipes or cleaning product. Rather, when I smell it now it smells like burying my face in a towel after a shower and shave. The distinct accord of an old lavender aftershave mixing with the freshly washed clothes and vanilla soap you had washed yourself with as the room heats up. Powdery, woody, classy and clean yet comfortable, musky, resinous, and sexy, this is a scent you can wear for just about any situation during the day. I can see how this would be good for work as it is very clean and put together, but in my opinion the vanilla, ambers, and woods keep it very casual. This just like many of the other Imaginary Authors fragrances in my opinion are very nuanced yet approachable. I immediately bought a bottle. 9/10 Nothing wrong with a sexy gentleman!

Absolutely wonderful classic masculine fougere-ish style, aromatic lavender, black pepper and powdery vanilla...with a fresh laundered linen feel. So odd to see the dislikes because this is a scent that is so easy to like, I feel it has universal appeal. Wonderful office scent because it smells really nice yet totally unobtrusive. I would be delighted so smell whiffs of this floating by. Because it smells clean like pressed white cotton, without anything sharp, it’s smooth and cozy. I wish more men smelled like this instead of those piercing and overdone woody aromachemicals! There is a woody element to it but it’s soft and in the background. The fragrance smells like class to be honest. Maybe the people who don’t like it want something louder and flashier? I don’t get it because it smells so nice. Anyway, if you like O’Unknown you would probably like this because it’s a similar style but with a fougere feel. They don’t smell alike but feel like cousins. If you like a classic scent that doesn’t feel dated, this is a great one to try!

Opening is powdery to an uncomfortable degree, heavy on the talc. Develops quite nicely into a soft lavender-vanilla that gives the distinct vibe of something old-fashioned. Similar to the joy I feel when I get to see a cute dress from the 50’s in a vintage store and can touch it. Love that part of it, but the opening is just... It’s a bit of a challenge for me. :P Due to that I don’t think I’m the biggest fan of *wearing* it, but I like it as an experience ^_^ Update: In killing the rest of my sample, I’ve become very fond of this scent. I layered it with Not a Perfume today, just to try and take a bit of that odd edge off. Also wearing a vintage skirt helped me get into the energy I think. It’s got the vibe of an early-mid 20th century housewife on a near sedative quantity of medication. I hope they do another run of this sometime, so I can properly get my hands on a truly unique scent. Update again: 5ml decant obtained <33333

I love the concept of a woman all done up with makeup, her hair is set, she has on a powder perfume, and she's moving all night. This fragrance is so beautifully executed that I feel like I'm stealing another woman's natural smell. It's almost scandalous, which is not what I would normally describe a powder pefume... While yes it's a heavy powder scent, it is unique and I love it. It feels like the finishing touch before you step out the door. All the notes are definitely there, usually I can't smell just everything in a scent or I smell something else. It's really beautifully blended and all the notes work perfectly with eachother As much as I want to say save your money and buy a cheap powder perfume, and as much as I normally despise lavender, there is something truly special about this fragrance and it really paints a picture to me which is rare, and now I can't stop smelling my shirt haha

This scent is so interesting its almost hard to describe it. The opening was initially very masculine leaning and metallic but wow the dry down is beautiful! You get a powdery and dry talc at the opening that softens after dying down. The black pepper is apparent all throughout but it's soft and aromatic rather than spicy. The vanilla powder and lavender absolute pick up as this dries down and they blend to create a softly sweet, earthy and woody scent. The fresh linen adds an almost citrusy airiness to the whole thing. This scent is strong but it's soft, clean, sweet, and grounded. It's woody, dry and powdery. This scent is a lot of things while still feeling so simple? It just works. I would say this is dead ringer unisex as I can't put my finger on whether this leans on either side of the spectrum. This is definitely something different but done very well.

This perfume takes my hand and walks me down memory lane, our first stop is my grandparents' bathroom, green sink and my grandpa is shaving while I'm sitting, so small and watching him intently, it's so early and I can't wait to share our favorite jam together. About an hour later, I'm in my dad's arms, he smells like my grandma's laundry detergent and it's the afternoon in spring, and I feel so safe. My boyfriend offered this perfume to me for Valentine's day after I talked to him about it ( I tried a sample and loved it) so now I have even more memories attached to it ! I love each note and the blend is so perfect it makes me emotional but in a good way ! I'm no pro so I feel like explaining how this fragrance made me feel is an easier way to explain how amazing this is for me. Thank you for reading this.

Purchased a sample set for IA, and despite my concerns about it being powdery and lavender (two scents which, when done wrong, are WAY too sharp and bright for me) this ended up being the surprise standout! A truly unisex light floral, effeminate but not feminine, which is likely why it's the only one that comes as an aftershave. There's also a definite base of pepper and warmth, which rounds it out well and stops the scent from smelling, well, elderly or like cheap detergent as linen-lavenders often do. It reminds me a lot of Wes Anderson movies, pastel and formal and almost antiquated with a darker core that holds everything together, but definitely not for everyone. I know it has very very mixed reviews, likely a skin chemistry thing, but all the same I'm very very sad it's being discontinued.

A while ago I got a sample box with a few different Imaginary Author's scents and this one was and is by far my favorite. I'm not very good at describing it, but I find that it's a bright scent, if that makes sense. When first sprayed it definitely smells like a cleaning solution or aftershave like some are saying (I like that though), and it dries down into something that just generally feels vintage, which I think is the teak and pepper notes. In general, though, I love it. It pairs well with my favorite lotion, I like smelling it throughout the day, and though I haven't had anyone comment on it (I am very light handed with fragrances) I don't think it's very offensive to those around me.

i didn't think i would be saying this when i tested the scents on blotters, but telegrama might be my fave of the collection! (next to memoirs of a trespasser of course, because that one is truly MAGICAL). it's such an interesting scent that really does tell a story- a consistent warm, vanilla undertone with fragrant hints of lavender and black pepper... there's also a sort of fabric-ey softness to this that borders on powdery/mineral from the talc notes- it's like a cashmere/linen enveloping sensation that truly rounds out any sweetness from the vanilla. would recommend this scent for any time of the year day or night- she's a winner!!

this is one of my favorite fragrances i've come across since i first tested it several years ago. immediately, this reminded me of retrofuturism and, specifically, the dymaxion house. it screams 1950s housewife when her husband comes home from work in a flying car. very powdery, lavender heavy with pepper that turns it spicy gives it just a bit of edge. i've worked hard to figure out what works best as a combo, and i have finally settled on various vanilla/lavender products that make it a signature. i was heartbroken by the discontinuation of it :( but with a full size i have time to figure something else out when i run out.

this fragrances occupies some near-nirvanal space between upscale laundry service and refined barbershop--gentlemanly, sophisticated, airy, crisp, and polished, existing in the same territory as chanel pour monsieur and dior eau sauvage while smelling nothing like either. the linen note is for real, calling to mind pressed shirts and classic menswear. when i wear it i feel as if i should be in a modernist 1940s ranch home furnished exclusively by norman bel geddes. it is very disppointing, if not confusing, to see this fragrance has been discontinued. RIP telegrama.

This is a rare occasion where I wholeheartedly vote “love” but it’s doubtful I will buy a bottle. It’s possible Telegrama will grow on me—as it did with others—but Telegrama doesn’t quite feel like me. When I first applied, I thought, hmm... an herbal gourmand! Lavender and vanilla cream with lots of powder. It’s lovely and unique in that this perfume leans masculine. I can’t think of another powder perfume doing so. Drydown is a stronger vanilla with caramel, and a lighter lavender. Telegrama is a welcome surprise. I’m really enjoying my decant.

I adore this fragrance. It has an opening blast of pepper and lavender, before drying down to a clean talc with a warm vanilla. There might be a *teensy* bit of mint in there, too. It evokes the scent grandfather's office on a summer day as a kid. The yellowed old papers, lingering with his cologne, with black-and-white family photos and little statuettes. It's a great scent for the morning, and really motivates me to feel productive when I'm out running errands. A real gem that feels classic and new at the same time.

I’m sure I’ve written about this before... Lovely scent though a bit wonky in a quirky sense as for all intents and purposes the notes basically make this a strong caramel and lavender scent. A tad dusty. Who’d have thought it’d work. My complaint is all the typical marketing hype led me to believe it would be an homage to days of old when clearly (perhaps thankfully) it is not. In fact it’s possibly a modern version of a lavender scent. So, thumbs down to the typical marketing rubbish and thumbs up for the scent...