It seems that I have waited an eternity to smell this new pair from the Russian-inspired company The Vagabond Prince!
I had heard that they were in the process of being created awhile back and knew very little about them, save that one was going to be about pomegranate and leather. A good deal of secrecy surrounded them—so when samples became available onLuckyscent, I ordered some for myself.
Being half Russian myself, I have been steeped in Russian folklore from childhood, despite being born in America. Expatriates flourished in New York, as elsewhere—and the cuisines, the pastries, the stories, the culture permeated us from within and without. The love of literary and musical narrative was ingrained.
The Vagabond Prince proffers diametric opposites from the land of fables: the feathery, downy silvery swan princess and the furry-chested burly combatants of legendary renown, both signed by Bertrand Duchaufour. These are delineated as feminine and masculine, but [as always] the choice is dictated by individual taste.
Being half Russian myself, I have been steeped in Russian folklore from childhood, despite being born in America. Expatriates flourished in New York, as elsewhere—and the cuisines, the pastries, the stories, the culture permeated us from within and without. The love of literary and musical narrative was ingrained.
The Vagabond Prince proffers diametric opposites from the land of fables: the feathery, downy silvery swan princess and the furry-chested burly combatants of legendary renown, both signed by Bertrand Duchaufour. These are delineated as feminine and masculine, but [as always] the choice is dictated by individual taste.
Swan Princess may be better known as The Tale of Tsar Saltán, of His Son the Renowned and Mighty Bogatyr Prince Gvidon Saltanovich, and of the Beautiful Princess-Swan. It was inspired by a poem written in 1831 by Aleksandr Pushkin that was published in a book of Russian fairy tales.
It is a tale of familial jealousy and betrayal, true love and transformation which culminates in justice administered to the offenders and paternal reconciliation.
Three sisters vie for the attentions of Tsar Saltán: the youngest is chosen as tsaritsa, while the older sisters serve as cook and weaver, most unhappily. When the tsaritsa delivers a son during his absence, her sisters conspire to have her and her infant son thrown into a sealed barrel at sea [under pretense that it this is the tsar's wish].
The sea takes pity upon these two wayfarers and casts them upon a remote shore. In no time at all, Prince Gvidon is grown and hunting when he saves a swan from a kite bird. She befriends him and helps him return to the ancestral home for which he pines, transforming him into a mosquito, a fly, and a bumblebee in turn. During these visits, he attacks his two aunts and grandmother.
Finally realizing that he longs for a bride rather than his home, the swan turns into a princess and they are wed, and reunited with the tsar—who welcomes them with open arms.
[This same fable inspired Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1900. He wrote an opera, The Tale of Tsar Saltan, in which famed "The Flight of the Bumblebee" refers to Prince Gvidon's last visit to his natal castle in the form of a bee.]
Notes: Pink pepper, aldehydes, fresh citrus accord, bergamot, jasmine, a touch of gardenia, lily of the valley, mimosa, iris, rose, peony, six different musks, sandalwood, vetiver
Swan Princess begins with snow-blindingly steely aldehydes and nose-tickling pink pepper; the citruses are fleeting and cold-air crisp. What follows is a floral medley, sweet upon sweet: mimosa, rose, muguet, peony, gardenia and jasmine. At times, the iris feels cold and remote, echoing the leitmotiv of preceding aldehydes. The princess has many petticoats, masquerading as individual musks – which are buffeted by a somewhat incisive sandalwood coupled with vetiver. These last two components feel dark and foreboding.
I find the Swan Princess fairly linear and aloof despite her sweetness and light. There is a dark undercurrent which lies beneath many a fairytale; perhaps that may be the point. Fairy tales were often pedagogical in nature, cautionary tales for young children in hopes of preparing them for the real world [Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm are excellent examples of this propensity].
These mythical heroes are larger than life: soldierly and stalwart; they have broad hairy chests, tousled bushy beards, tree-trunk pillar legs and are leather-clad from head-to-foot. They can surmount any onslaught, be it from Nature or a feuding rebel horde of marauding tribes.
They rarely bathe, and they smell somewhere between animal and scorched earth.
The opening of Land of Warriors is my favorite part, singing of herbs and leaves, spice and wood. Very soon the fragrance takes a more linear shape. It possesses a palpable density and chaotic amalgam of the fragrant components, feeling much like the charred soil which remains after burning, plundering and pillaging. The leather accords are raw and realistic.
The opening of Land of Warriors is my favorite part, singing of herbs and leaves, spice and wood. Very soon the fragrance takes a more linear shape. It possesses a palpable density and chaotic amalgam of the fragrant components, feeling much like the charred soil which remains after burning, plundering and pillaging. The leather accords are raw and realistic.
Land of Warriors is undeniably virile and hirsute. It is well-composed yet feels very familiar.
Notes: Angelique seed, violet leaf, cucumber accord, tomato leaf, blackcurrant leaf, oakwood, frankincense, davana, cistus absolute, saffron, nutmeg, oregano, castoreum absolute, ambergris accord, styrax, tar
The Vagabond Prince presentations are simply wonderful: Elena Knezhevic's exquisitepermogorka artwork animates the bottles and packaging with personal folkloric ease as she taps into the riches of her Russian heritage. I marvel at how the delightful marries the ornamental. The bottles are a joy to behold and to hold: voluptuous yet practical, colorful as the stories they depict.
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