Bruno Fazzolari Seyrig is a perfume inspired by the transitional feminine perfumes of the last 60’s/early 70’s but interpreted for all of us in the present. It’s an aldehydic floral with Syringa (she used to go by “Lilac”) as its muse.
Seyrig opens with dry as a drought aldehydes. It’s aggressively adlehydic – like a mosh pit of aldehydes. Seyrig starts to wear as a fancy floral soap of rose and lilac all contained in a plastic wrapper. It really does smell like floral soap and cellophane. There’s a hint of coconut, almost like the lilac soap is coconut-based. Seyrig dries down to a powdery iris and squeaky clean musks.
A few months ago, I saw a little Tseng Kwong Chi retrospective at Grey Art Gallery. He’s a photographer/performance artists known for his darkly humorous photographs that covered Cold War, Neo-Marxist themes. In addition, he photographed some great portraits of Downtown New York artists like Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Grace Jones, Jean-Michel Basquiat. You’ve seen his work and probably aren’t aware that you have. One of the projects that really resonated with me was a series called “It’s a Reagan World!”¹ for Soho Weekly, a collab with Ann Magnuson. In this series, he photographed NYC artists of the early 80’s but unlike his Polaroids, he had them play a “character”. The satirical series included these artists posing as these WASP-y “perfect” American (hetero) couples posing in front of their perfect modern homes. It was a playful way with dealing with the bursting of the liberal New York bubble. Reagan won. Now what? The couples seemed to enjoy the camp and playing dress up in power suits instead of their usual club fashions (example here)². However, they could not pass as “normal” Conservative types. They looked like punks in a pantsuit. Even if you didn’t know they were punks, you just knew. And that was the point of the project. Some people are different than the majority and that’s why we like them. And this is how I view Seyrig. Seyrig is like this subversive take on the classics. It has all the elements of a “beautiful” perfume – aldehydes, florals and grown-up moss. It’s a “lady” perfume; however, it NEVER comes across to me as such. Despite having all the elements there, it’s punk. I don’t even want to say it’s like “club kid in a corporate world” because it’s not a corporate perfume. It’s punk to the core. It’s like “club kid, that like I even know, they mostly deal in cash”. I don’t know if Seyrig is meant to be this way but there is something almost humorous and fun about it. It’s sort of punk to see an indie with an interesting olfactory aesthetic take on the genre of “pretty lady perfumes” of decades past.
Notes listed include aldehydes, red mandarin, rose de mai absolute, ylang ylang absolute, syringa accord, muguet, orris butter, oakmoss, musks and “radical chic”. Launched in 2015. PERFUMER – Bruno Fazzolari
Give Seyrig a try if you really, really like aldehydes. Or if you like soapy florals. Or if you like perfumes like Estee Lauder White Linen, Chanel No. 22, Jessica McClintock, Chloe Chloe, Imaginary Authors L’Orchidée Terrible, Guerlain Chamade and/or Krigler Ultra Chateau Krigler 212.
Projection and longevity are above average.
The 1 oz bottle retails for $110 at Twisted Lily and Bruno Fazzolari. Samples are also available for purchase.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Subversive, soapy aldehydic floral. It’s like a punk in a polo. And I like that.
¹Resonated because everyone laughs about Donald Trump, but you never know. I think a lot of Liberals of the era didn’t expect for Reagan to win. Laugh but never underestimate people, right?
²I really wish I could find images online, but can’t. The final series was really cool. Here’s another.
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*Disclaimer – Sample provided by the brand. I am not financially compensated for my review. My opinions are my own. Product pic from Twisted Lily. Ann Magnuson in the 80’s at Plaza Hotel from flikr. Thought it worked with the lady-ness of Seyrig.
I’m looking forward to smelling this on Sunday with a trip into the city. I think you are right about the subversiveness of the scent, I can see Fazzolari doing that, I mean then guy made a scent based on the Green Room from Stephen King’s The Shining. I have to ask have you smelled Au Dela yet?
Have fun sniffing! I haven’t been out in a long time and did some last Sunday. The new Aedes location is larger and really nice.
I like Au Dela. It’s a vintage-y jasmine chypre. It’s really pretty.
I could see Fazzolari having fun with this. If he did, I don’t know for sure. But, like you mentioned, I mean this is a line with perfumes inspired by The Shining!
Great review Victoria. I love and own Au Dela by Fazzolari as I enjoy chypre scents. I have been wanting to sample Seyrig. BF has a talent for using classic perfume structures and finding a fresh perspective. Amazing!
Au Dela is great. I thought I already posted a review of it, but I haven’t. I like those sort of perfumes – new takes on classics.
I wish I had spent some time with the BF collection when I was in the States. I am overwhelmed when faced with so many new things and then try nothing. But there’s time. Nice kick from your review! xxx
I don’t know how you can remember a thing! You sniffed so much! I’m the same way. Too many options and I shut down (without realizing it).
Stumbled across this review in 2017. After the results of the election, this review hits way too close to home.
I know, right? I do think about that exhibit a lot these days.
[…] really liked the subversive quality of the vintage-feeling floral perfume Seyrig by indie perfumery Bruno Fazzolari. Because I liked that one, my perfume pals kept urging me to try […]
[…] Bruno Fazzalori Seyrig EDP – Seyrig is one of those aldehydic, soapy versions of lilac that feels vintage. It’s a classic floral with a punk twist. Retails for $110 at Bruno Fazzalori. Full review here. […]