MAISON MARGIELA
REPLICA – From the Garden
2023
PERFUMER
Olivier Cresp
tomato leaf
green mandarin
patchouli
geranium
‘From the Garden captures the essence of a sunny afternoon in a garden, where you can feel the earth in your hands and savor the aroma of ripe tomatoes while bees buzz in the air. It combines the freshness of tomato leaf and green mandarin with the earthiness of patchouli and geranium, creating an elegant and crisp scent that brings back memories of those tranquil moments spent in a sun-drenched garden. Perfumer Olivier Cresp drew inspiration from his own experiences, recalling cherished moments in his childhood garden and reliving them with his son, Sebastien, through the green and earthy notes of this fragrance.’
It would be easy to say I instantly disliked From The Garden. This type of strongly green scent is not my usual taste. However, after a while, I found much to like about this scent; a lot more than I anticipated.
From The Garden opens with a clear tomato leaf and grassy scent. Green, almost bitter, quite hefty and oily. The fruitiness is kept at a minimum with the mandarin listed, instead you get that typical tomato leaf or even basil-esque sweetness.
What stands out for me is how smoky From The Garden feels as it dries down. I was expecting a more earthy, muddy patchouli or sharper green tone throughout, but because you get that hint of sweetness and a smokiness, it becomes a rather lovely, traditionally masculine ambery-green cologne on my skin.
Despite being apprehensive about the opening, I could even see myself wearing this, as an ‘outsider’ in my collection. It has the spicier, darker tone of retro men’s aftershaves and wouldn’t feel completely out of place as a tomato leaf flanker to Eau Sauvage.
Aside from the scent, I find this to wear well and natural. It’s actually up there with the better experiences I’ve had with the Margiela Replica line, which tends to be severely underwhelming in my opinion. It seems unlikely that The Garden will be one of the popular ones from this collection, but I think it deserves some love.