A Green Mirage

Comme des Garçons have taken us on a tour of many of the world’s major religions, yet there’s still one more to discover. Situated in Morocco and known as the gateway to the Sahara, Ouarzazate is their homage to Islam.

Cashmeran is a tricky note to describe, largely because it doesn’t smell quite like anything in nature, but it comes through strongly here: woody and smooth, with a clean, metallic texture reminiscent of freshly ironed wool, given lift by a transparent, green incense.

Before long, the fragrance evolves to feel more like the idea of a Moroccan desert town. Spicy black pepper sets the scene for dry, herbaceous sage and warm nutmeg. I picture merchants sipping fragrant tea beneath their tents, while others sell their wares from market stands scattered amid the scrub. Yet there’s something strangely clean about it all, the greenery and transparent woods giving the impression of a cool breeze moving through the heat.

It all finishes pleasantly enough, but ultimately feels rather bland. The dark woods and resinous notes bring a subtly sweet, balsamic warmth to the base, but do little to dispel the cool, green cleanliness that runs through the fragrance. Rather than the rich depth I might expect from this setting, Ouarzazate remains cool, green and clean, smelling almost like a generic masculine cologne.

Avignon and Zagorsk teetered on unpleasant for me. Jaisalmer had character and left a stronger impression on me than Ouarzazate, though its culinary quality made it more difficult to wear. Ouarzazate is gentler and more immediately approachable, but perhaps to its detriment: it feels less a true reflection of its namesake than a piece of nondescript perfumery.

Kyoto stands apart from the rest of the series - the only one that resonates with something words can’t quite capture.