1920 Extreme by BOIS 1920 - bois1920.it/en
It’s a dull, drizzly day – my idea of a perfect autumnal day. Summer, that season of unbearable, sometimes unrelenting heat, has past. Oh, I know I’m in the minority, but when people are surprised at my predilection for cooler weather, I remind them that the natural state of the universe is cold – they usually let it go.
Besides, I like to create my own heat – especially by wearing 1920 Extreme from Italian niche line Bois 1920.
Kay gives the background on the line in her blog on their La Vaniglia fragrance:
“BOIS 1920, pronounced BOYCE 1920, is an Italian perfume house founded in 1920 by Guido Galardi, a Florentine nose whose scent formulas were drawn from the lavender grown in the hills around Florence. The company disappeared after a few years, but it seems his perfume genes were passed on. Guido’s nephew, Enzo Galardi, followed in his uncle’s footsteps, studied to become a perfumer and re-launched the company in 2005.”
And for me, 1920 Extreme is the perfect scent to wear on cool days like this one.
It opens with a note of nose-tingling bergamot and bracing clary sage. The clary sage is aromatic and herbaceous, and has facets of leather and amber that give the opening a deep, sexy richness. Fragrant lavender is here too, its anisic aspect boosting the herbaceous note, while staying in the background. As the top notes settle, the fragrance softens and becomes quite boozy (insert smile here). Middle notes of animalic jasmine and rose-nuanced geranium combine with the lingering clary sage to make a gorgeous floral/herbaceous heart that makes me pause to enjoy it every time I catch a whiff of it coming off my arm. It loiters a long time before relaxing onto a woody base of sandalwood and cedarwood, accented with almond faceted Tonka bean and lifted with a note of sweet, sensuous vanilla.
The drydown is balanced, smooth and potent, with a brightness that lasts through to the drydown, so while I enjoy wearing it most in cooler weather, it really can stand up to summer heat.
And while labeled ‘unisex’, I would say, it falls more the masculine side of unisex.
Sniffing 1920 Extreme brings to mind a line from ‘Aurora Leigh’ Elizabeth Barrett Browning: "Earth's crammed with heaven." My heaven may be cold but I smell like 1920 Extreme.
1920 Extreme is listed in our Decant Store. Decants are $5.00 for 1 ml.