1953 Pour Homme

That unusual thing: amber meets citrus in a gorgeous opening blast of springtime fragrance. Though it has moderate sillage and projection, 1953 Pour Homme offers a well-blended potpourri of unobtrusive floral notes. In the dry down the citrus sits alongside the resinous/musky base and reinforces that initial impression of something sunny and fresh. The reference to the Coronation oils is slightly lost on me, but I can't think of a better way of celebrating Charles the Third than dousing myself in this fragrance as he processes to Westminster Abbey next month. God Save The King!

1953 Pour Home has top notes of bergamot, citron, and neroli; middle notes of tobacco, jasmine, rose, French orange flower, cinnamon, and violet leaf; and base notes of cedar, ambergris, benzoin, vanilla, musk, and civet. It was launched in 2013 by Chris Bartlett whose name you might recognize as being the perfumer behind Zoologist’s Beaver perfume. For a long time, I saw Chris’s name pop up in Facebook without realizing that he was *that* Chris. After a little research, I found out that he has a line completely unto himself called Pell Wall Perfumes. This perfume is not to be confused with 1953 Eau de Toilette, which is the women’s version of the same scent. I’m specifically reviewing the Pour Homme version. History lesson: what historic event happened in 1953 in England? The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, of course. Upon coronation the newly minted monarch is anointed with holy coronation oil whose exact recipe is unknown, but is thought to contain ambergris, civet, rose, orange flower, cinnamon, musk, and benzoin. In other words, it could very well resemble something like 1953 Pour Homme. This opens with a bright, citrusy green bergamot and lemon-lime with the brightness of neroli. In fact, it opens very much like Thierry Mugler’s cologne, but 1953 actually develops like a proper perfume. As it sits on the skin, soft florals begin to appear – they remain very subtle – but I get carnation more than jasmine or rose. Eventually a bright violet comes out. It dies down to a familiar base with dusty vanilla and cedar wood. Throughout the entire fragrance, there’s a light, ethereal freshness that makes it perfectly suitable for the upcoming warmer months. While I did get average longevity for a citrus-based scent (around four hours), much of it was as a skin scent. If this scent has one Achilles’ heel, that would be it. This is a problem I’ve started getting around by carrying a small decant on me and reapplying halfway through the day. But considering it has already hit 85 degrees here (and we’re just in mid-March!), this might be just what I need for those days when it breaks 100. I haven’t had a chance to test it in the heat yet, but I’d imagine it performs a lot better then. The price is also very fair. 1953 Pour Homme comes in two sizes: a 30 ml for 27 British pounds (about $39 USD) and a 100 ml for 79 pounds (about USD $114). Pell Wall has perfumes of all kinds for men, women, including several unisex scents. Check out the website for a complete list of their offerings. I have more samples from the house, and I look forward to reviewing them very soon.