Le Male Le Parfum Cologne

The original Le Male built its identity on lavender and vanilla worn loud; this Le Parfum edition strips the idea down and turns the volume the other way. Cardamom alone opens the fragrance, spiced and immediate rather than the aromatic freshness fans might expect. Lavender and iris move through the middle, softer and more powdery than the house's usual register. Vanilla, unnamed oriental accords and woodsy notes close it out, a dense, resinous drydown. Sold as Le Male Le Parfum Cologne, Jean Paul Gaultier classifies this Eau de Parfum as oriental woody, and the shift from cardamom's spice straight into iris's powder is an unusual sequence that sets this apart from most Le Male flankers. The iris in particular marks a distinct departure from the franchise's usual playbook, lending a cosmetic, almost powdery quality more commonly found in women's perfumery than in a men's oriental woody, which has made this edition something of a divisive favorite among longtime fans. An evening, cold-weather fragrance through and through, it trades the franchise's usual brightness for something considerably more serious, closer to a dinner jacket than a deck shoe, and it tends to reward patience over the first thirty minutes rather than making an immediate impression.