When I got my first real job in Connecticut the person who had grown up in South Florida was going to have to adjust to New England. It was a gradual effort, but I remember one of my earliest revelations of the joys I would find in my new home.
Candlewood Lake in Fall
I lived near Candlewood Lake and wanted to spend time sailing there as a replacement for my time spent on the ocean. It was a crisp October weekday when I headed down to rent a sailboat and explore the new expanse of water. As I raised the sail and angled it to catch the wind I finally looked up to see the narrow glacier carved lake with the colorful trees covering the ground sloping down to the shore. As the wind sung through the canvas of the sail and the schuss of the water off the bow created an aural component I felt an unusual relaxation I’ve only felt a few times in my life. Every care or worry seemed to dissipate. For the next few hours it was just me, the lake, and the trees. I’ve often wondered what a fragrance which captured that might smell like; Atelier Flou Hora Fugit comes very close.
Jean-Francois Cabos
Atelier Flou is the perfume brand founded in 2009 by Jean-Francois Cabos. Back then I remember trying Katana and liking it quite a bit. Since then the brand sort of fell off my radar. They added a couple more to the original set of eight in 2014. They got back on my radar when many of the attendees at Esxence 2017 spoke highly of Hora Fugit. Having recently received a sample I saw why from the moment I opened the vial. It is a comfort scent from first to last.
Jacques Chabert
M. Cabos has worked exclusively with perfumer Jacques Chabert on all eleven Atelier Flou releases. M. Chabert has been turning up in many interesting places of late. Most of the time he is harnessing new materials in unique ways. Hora Fugit is something different where some of the comfort comes with familiarity but much more of it comes from the seamless blending of the notes into a comfy perfume.
Lavandin is the focal point early on. It carries a slightly mentholated air which laurel and bergamot enhance. It is like a breath of cool, not cold, air. I found it gently refreshing. M. Chabert then constructs a hull of cedar and sandalwood. These are the clean lines of wood in fragrance writ large. Vetiver and patchouli help add some variety to the stolid woods. A soft transparent leather accord gently spiced with nutmeg and sweetened with benzoin finish the accoutrements on this fragrant vessel.
Hora Fugit has 12-14 hour longevity and average sillage.
Hora Fugit is an interesting perfume it is familiar tropes done in a way which makes it seem less familiar. The overall effect is enjoyable because of that. If you’re looking for a perfume of New England Autumn. Hora Fugit will suffice.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample I purchased.
–Mark Behnke
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