Mitsouko reupholstered in more expensive fabrics? Since it is named for Sergei Diaghilev, founder of the Ballets Russes and someone who drenched the curtains in his bedroom and theatres with Mitsouko, it’s tempting to think so. Insanely rich and opulent, Diaghilev takes the three pillars of the chypre – oakmoss, bergamot, and labdanum resin – and wraps them up in a length of the dusty red velvet curtain that’s been hanging in the Opéra National de Paris for over a century.
But that’s only part of the story. After all, who would pay such a high price for a remake of Mitsouko? Diaghilev stands head and shoulders above all other chypres for two reasons. First, the quality of the raw materials – think the smoothest oakmoss, the inkiest vetiver, the most exquisite ambrette seed, and finest floral absolutes – makes for an experience so intoxicating that you just stop questioning the cost.
Second, Roja Dove has flushed the perfume with sensual musks, civet, resins, overripe fruit, and castoreum, loosening the stays on that uptight chypre structure and making it impossible to wear without thinking about sex. Bitter, rich, and complex, Diaghilev is the scent of old books, musty theatres, velvet curtains soaked in Mitsouko, and the sheen of salty, lickable, post-coital sweat on your lover’s skin. Put smelling Diaghilev on your bucket list.
