E39 – traDire

Among the desperation for relevance in the contemporary fragrance marketplace, the contrivances that litter the landscape with flash and flair cast a shadow on the gems that are most deserving of the spotlight. One such case is that of E39 traDire, a tour de force chypre—and that is one compliment that I don't dispense like candy (or pills). Michele Marin has already dazzled me with his Else for Francesca dell'Oro and Ylang D'or for Il Profumo, proving that he is truly gifted in imparting soul into his work. The corpus of traDire is a passionate chypre with impasto brushstrokes, palpable and arresting. The shock of unruly greenery and the game of dodging briars; blueberry juice staining one's hands in reckless gluttony; a path of muscly flowers bursting with fertility and audacity. Within this thick climate a messenger sends a reminder that we cannot predict history and can only nod to the past, we cannot be architects with just our own compass, when humanity is as varied as an opal. According to whom are we right or wrong? Who decides? Who decides what perfume to wear to celebrate our triumphs—in love, in justice, in remembrance? I choose to wear traDire—as an amulet for protection. It has echoes of the grand green, floral chypres from the past, but Marin has added new colors, new timbres. And yet it feels time-worn, time-tested, dry and leathery but still sharp and wise, with such succulent stories to tell. Time waits for no one, so don't be hijacked by the uncertainty of tomorrow, betrayed by our own tolerances. This is a perfume that invites one to be bold, be brave, but most of all—be tender.

A true chypre, a polished refusal set against the lukewarm sea of accommodating fragrances. When I first smelled it, I had the feeling that Michele hadn’t composed a perfume but a letter. One of those letters you write only once in your life, when you finally decide to speak and, in speaking, betray yourself a little. “Every confidence is a betrayal.” — M. Yourcenar The opening is a clean fracture of galbanum: green, dry, stinging. It’s the instant when the voice trembles but does not retreat. The heart is a leather from another time. In the base, the mosses are the scent of a secret diary. traDire is a fragrance for those who have something to confess, to reveal. Completely against the current, profoundly human.

J’ai pu tester ce parfum grâce à 7scent budapest (format 5 ml) qui l’expédie en France. Vraiment c’est une merveille, je suis aux anges. Un chypre vert comme on en fait plus, j’étais ému aux larmes, il s’est directement glissé dans le top 10 de mes meilleurs parfums de tous les temps, pour moi c’est un-néo-vintage, il prend le meilleur du passé sans en chercher à les copier, il suit son propre chemin et est absolument moderne, il m’évoque tout à tour Bandit (vintage), Le Sillage Blanc (Dusita), l’Ombre dans l’eau (Dyptique). Quelle audace et quel talent !