Vesper Reverie by Electimuss takes us back to antiquity, as the London-based label has a certain fondness for the Romans and Roman culture. Many of the brand’s fragrances are inspired by this, including today’s protagonist, Vesper Reverie, which is inspired by an ancient Roman villa with lush garden and plant frescoes.
Electimuss in the fragrance diary
The brand Electimuss comes from London, even if the name suggests a different origin and era. For the Romans and antiquity are sources of inspiration for the fragrance house, founded in 2015 by Luke Granger and Jason Collison, joined a few years later by Claire Sokell Thompson. The trio not only has a soft spot for the Romans, their legends and sagas, but also for noble and extravagant fragrance compositions made from the highest quality raw materials. Thus, all creations are extraits de parfum with a concentration of 25% or 30%, which should have an intense presence and extraordinary durability.
These words come from my first article about the fragrance house Electimuss, which I published here in July 2023, and I can’t summarize the background information any better today. In the meantime, Claire Sokell Thompson has left the label again, but everything else seems to have remained the same, as my research has revealed. If you would like to find out more about the fragrances from Electimuss, you will find all the articles neatly listed below:
- Aquila Absolute, Auster and Black Caviar by Electimuss
- Best of 2023 – Julia’s top 5 favourite fragrances of the past year
- Hygge feeling – 5 fragrances to snuggle up and enjoy
- Moroccan Medjool and Caspian Cherry by Electimuss – Between Orient and Opulence
The garden frescoes of the Villa di Livia
The Villa di Livia is located in the north of Rome, in an area that is now used for agriculture. For this reason, the remains of the building have not been completely uncovered and are in danger of being increasingly damaged and destroyed. However, what has been unearthed by archaeologists reveals something wonderful. A room, called the Garden Hall, with remarkable colorful frescoes depicting birds, flowers, trees and shrubs in an idyllic setting. The wall-filling frescoes surrounding the room must have created the impression of a real garden landscape and a very special summer atmosphere.
The villa itself was probably owned by Livia Drusilla, the wife of Emperor Augustus. She herself came from an old, influential and respected aristocratic family and had married the triumvirate, who was still known as Octavian at the time, in 39 BC. The piquant thing was that she was six months pregnant at the time, not by Augustus or Octavian, but by her first husband Tiberius Claudius Nero. He had by no means died or otherwise gone missing, but was directly asked by Octavian to divorce Livia because he had fallen in love with her. To put the icing on the cake, the disgraced Tiberius Claudius Nero not only agreed to the arrangement, he also walked the bride down the aisle at the wedding. Can you believe the ancient Romans?
Vesper Reverie – Evening rapture
The Vesper Reverie creation was created by perfumer Arturetto Landi, who used the ingredients blackcurrant, mango, peach, green tea, blood orange, star anise, maritime notes, champaca, hibiscus, lily of the valley, jasmine, damask rose, magnolia, iris, bourbon vanilla, sugar cane, eaglewood (oud), ambroxan, ambergris, boxwood, sandalwood, leather and musk. In the best Electimuss style, there is once again no skimping on fragrance notes. The label’s motto is to go big, not small, and we can definitely see that in this magnificent list.
Vesper Reverie from Electimuss in the test
Fruity notes open Vesper Reverie: I perceive peach and blood orange, blackcurrant also subliminally. The aforementioned maritime notes bring a delicate saltiness and lightness to the opening, but are really only subtle. Right from the start, I sniff dark, woody notes in the background, which lend the fruits a mysterious, profound aura. The opening is by no means summery, sparkling and light-hearted, as one might expect from a melange of fruits. There is a certain thoughtfulness and grandeur to the opening.
The dark woody nuances recede further into the background as the fragrance progresses and almost disappear, leaving the flowers to take over the olfactory helm. Light, soft, lucid, less creamy than powdery and occasionally fresh, they emphasize the lighter facets of the composition until dark vanilla, smoky-sweet and powdery-crystalline notes finally give the creation a new twist. Oud accents combine with musk, ambergris and sandalwood to create a cozy, leathery-woody finish with earthy and subtle animalistic nuances.
The inspiration was a summery, carefree garden idyll, but Vesper Reverie by Electimuss is a sublime, somewhat serious and profound mix of fruits, flowers and woods that is very elegant, mature and mysterious. The combination of eaglewood and fruits is currently very popular and the extrait de parfum by Electimuss offers another exciting variation. Less suitable for work, but rather a creation for the evening, for going out or even for leisure, because the presence and durability are excellent. Have you tried the fragrance yet?
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