Aftelier is the Berkeley-based indie perfume house of Mandy Aftel, one of the early adherents of artisanal natural perfumery and the original founder of the Natural Perfumers Guild. Aftel originally became interested in perfume while researching material for a novel, and launched her first fragrances in 1995 under the name Grandiflorum Perfumes. Aftelier was established in 1997.
The Aftelier website sells a number of ready-made fragrances as well as a selection of essential oils. Other botanical products include scented teasand a collection of chef's essences for cooking.
Mandy is detail-oriented; every aspect of her creations must have a cohesiveness, an artistic merit.
Her packaging in orange and purple, with its exquisite scrollwork; her choices of flacons, handmade sterling silver/vermeil/Limoges/gold compacts which nestle into the palm of the hand.
This corresponds directly to the immense love and respect with which she treats her materials, all of which are responsibly sourced and / or are antique in origin [musks, civet, sandalwood].
In Bergamoss we are treated to a chypre laced with citrus and spice; everything nice comes to us in the form of mouthwatering peach and flouve, haylike coumarin which acts like the "wind that shakes the barley." Oakmoss, lovely oakmoss—nuzzles beside the rare gift of true civet, just minute enough to murmur of dark rustlings in the forest.
Two-sided niello enamel antique watch case, available with the solid perfume of your choice
Bergamoss is not linear in any wise. Like my favorite fragrances, it undergoes many turns along the way: upon initial application, I'm aware of the slightly bitter tanginess of tonic bergamot, mellowed by orange, which is juicy in itself. It's as if, briefly—a bit of the fruits' pith is included. Intensely grassy peachiness greets the grateful nose, suave and pastoral. Here is a phase of meadow, with the sun beating down at midday, heightening aroma and our own discernment of it. Meadow and orchard both, with the rosiness of citronellol to thank for the flowers.
From the meadow to the forest, where wild creatures lurk within its mossy depths. This is a fairytale forest; only when night falls are we moved by the voices in the dark, the footfalls of the Other.
I love oakmoss' inkiness, that primordial ooze quality which mesmerizes. Civet emphasizes this characteristic without overshadowing it; that would be inharmonious, and Mandy wouldn't permit it.
19th-century Limoges compact with Arts and Crafts Portrait, available with the solid perfume of your choice
We only sense the beasts. They never overpower us, or there might be no happy ending.
As a solid perfume [as in any solid, concrète, or oil], Bergamoss lies close to the flesh and one needs to be in a very intimate space to appreciate it, so that it is a private pleasure, not a sillage monster.
My wayward mind sees the word Bergamoss and immediately segues to Paul Verlaine's exquisite poem/chanson lyric, "Claire De Lune"—with its use ofbergamasque:
“Votre âme est un paysage choisi Que vont charmant masques et bergamasques Jouant du luth et dansant et quasi Tristes sous leurs déguisements fantasques.”
—Verlaine
"Your soul is a choice landscape Peopled by charming folk in masquerade, rustic folk dancers Playing the lute and dancing and nearly sad beneath their extraordinary costumes."
—my translation
[I'm aware that many folk feel that price point should be commensurate with sillage. If this is your belief, then such perfumes will not satisfy you. You would do well to seek elsewhere, because such creatively work-intensive perfumes and their equally artistic presentation may not justify their cost in your eyes.]
14K Gold Antique Patch Box, available with the solid perfume of your choice
I am grateful that Mandy shared this exquisite experience with me.
Not only myself—but sister Jodi Battershell as well, because she knew it would give us each such joy.
That's incredibly gracious and thoughtful. <3
Sample image: Ida Meister; Official product and antique compact images: Aftelier
Mandy Aftel, the founder and perfumer of Aftelier from Berkeley, California, offers a new solid perfume case made of sterling silver.
Mandy Aftel: "I am pleased to announce the launch of the new Aftelier solid perfume case, hand made from an ounce of sterling silver. I designed this sterling silver case to replace our old rectangular ones that had sold-out. The new design is an elegant square with rounded corners, shallower and larger than its predecessor. Patricia Curtan, illustrator and printmaker whose images have graced most of the Chez Panisse cookbooks, created our stylized "wood-cut" rose and leaf. This sleek case is the perfect size and shape for the palm of your hand.
The sterling case ages in a beautiful wabi-sabi way, as it becomes part of your life and history -- evolving a tactile polish from being lovingly handled. I am always glad to see them sent back to me at the studio empty, loved, and well-used -- for a refill and a polish. My solid perfumes, in a base of organic unfiltered beeswax and organic jojoba oil, blend with your body chemistry, leaving a veil of fragrance on the skin. Each one is presented in your choice of an orange or purple handmade silk pouch."
