Karl Lagerfeld
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Angelica and neroli burst forth with a green, almost medicinal bite before violet leaf cuts in with sharp herbaceousness. The spice accord immediately registers—not warming spice, but a dry peppery snap that makes this feel almost aromatic rather than purely floral.
The violet and freesia emerge as the composition settles, but they're reined in by that persistent peppery undercurrent and heliotrope's almond-tinged warmth, creating a creamy-yet-austere florality that's neither soft nor overtly sensual. The powder accord reaches its apex here, lending a faintly soapy, iris-like quality that grounds the florals.
Tonka bean and benzoin form a soft base, but patchouli insists on earthiness rather than allowing the expected gourmand sweetness to dominate. The fragrance becomes increasingly sparse and woody, fading to skin-scent fairly rapidly with minimal projection.
Karleidoscope announces itself as a powdered floral with an unexpectedly spicy temperament—a fragrance that refuses the expected sweetness of its violet and freesia heart. Christophe Raynaud has constructed something deliberately unconventional here: the angelica and neroli opening bristles with herbal volatility rather than citric brightness, whilst the violet leaf adds a crisp, slightly astringent quality that keeps the composition from ever surrendering to prettiness.
What emerges is a fragrance for those who find traditional florals cloying. The freesia-violet combination that forms the heart doesn't aspire to dewy femininity; instead, it mingles with heliotrope's almond-like warmth and that peppery spice accord to create something almost mineral and cerebral. There's an intellectual quality here—like studying a kaleidoscopic pattern rather than being enveloped by one. The tonka bean and benzoin arrive dusted with patchouli's earthiness rather than melting into creamy comfort, maintaining a slight distance from the skin even as the fragrance settles.
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4.0/5 (130)