ETAT LIBRE D’ORANGE
FAT ELECTRICIAN
2009
PERFUMER
Antoine Maisondieu
black pepper
elemi
cedarwood
vetiver
opoponax
myrrh
vanilla
‘A fisherman without a line, he was made to be hooked by others, to believe in his fate without knowing it, to wreak havoc and forget it over time. Youth for women-of-a-certain-age, stock for late-night parties, a partner to accompany the wealthy of Palm Beach on nature walks, his splendor is consumed in the service of others. Now, a Fat Electrician in New Jersey, his talent depleted in his sexual decline. This is the curse of beauty — it doesn’t last.’- Etat Libre d’Orange
Who doesn’t want to smell like a fat electrician? Etat Libre d’Orange knows how to grab attention with their naming. Fat Electrician was actually my first time trying the house.
Fat Electrician is a sweet and creamy vetiver. I was instantly reminded of the Carner Barcelona fragrances I sampled before it. Fat Electrician smells like a mix of Carner’s Palo Santo and Ambar Del Sur to me. The opening is a bit nutty, because it includes a chestnut accord. In the first hours this is very sweet, maybe a bit too much for my liking. The sweetness has an almost animalic edge, that I never know how to describe, but it comes close to it being salty. That’s the closest comparison I can come up with for the opening: a salted caramel ice cream with a crushed nuts topping.
There’s only a slight bit of green at first, that pushes through in the dry down, where the vetiver is more pronounced. I don’t get the olive leaf note per se, but there’s a distant green, almost grassy undertone. Combining that with a hint of smokiness, I guess I get why some people make the connection with marijuana in Fat Electrican, but I honestly don’t think there’s a strong resemblance.
Overall, it’s an interesting composition. As with the aforementioned Carner fragrances, I enjoyed it, but there’s something in this that keeps me from finding comfort in it. The creaminess in the Etat Libre d’Orange elevates it texture wise. I do think that this is one of those fragrances that has the potential to grow on a person after multiple wears.