Jacomo
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Cardamom bursts forward with a green, slightly camphoraceous thrust, immediately surrounded by galbanum's sharper, almost vegetable-like brightness, whilst lavender provides a cooler counterpoint. The spice emerges almost at once—clove and caraway join within the first few minutes, creating a composition that feels already complex and non-linear.
The clove and cinnamon intensify, developing a warmer, more rounded character as they interact with the geranium and rosewood. The composition becomes sweeter but no softer—these spices have real structure—and a subtle animalic warmth emerges as the oakmoss begins its slow infiltration, adding depth and a faintly smoky undertone that makes the whole thing feel lived-in.
What remains is primarily the oakmoss-patchouli embrace, with the faintest ghost of spice lingering like memory. The patchouli never becomes rich or intoxicating; instead, it remains earthy and slightly dusty, a subtle, warm embrace that dissipates gradually rather than vanishing abruptly.
*de Jacomo* is a fragrance that smells like it was composed in a spice merchant's shop rather than a laboratory—dusty, intoxicating, and decidedly unfashionable in the way only 1980s niche fragrances could be. The cardamom and galbanum arrive with an almost sharp, green-tinged clarity, but they're immediately surrounded by a halo of clove and caraway that transforms the opening into something closer to mulled wine than fresh citrus. This is not a fragrance that whispers; it announces itself with the confidence of something utterly unconcerned with mainstream appeal.
What makes *de Jacomo* peculiar—and rather marvellous—is how the spice accord never retreats into sweetness or softness. The cinnamon and clove maintain an almost medicinal edge throughout, anchored by that substantial oakmoss-patchouli foundation that feels genuinely earthy rather than simply "woody." There's a dusted, slightly smoky quality to the whole composition, as though you're wearing the memory of an old apothecary's shelves rather than a perfume in any conventional sense.
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4.3/5 (228)