Description
Ulrich Lang, one of the organizers of Elements Showcase, the expo for niche fragrances, scented candles and cosmetics, and founder/owner of perfume collection Ulrich Lang New York (first launched in 2002), presents his fifth fragrance, named APERTURE. “Introspective and intoxicating Aperture Ulrich Lang New York is a wood-spicy fragrance for the new age,” as announced on the official website of Ulrich Lang New York.
The composition of Aperture starts with aldehydes, which delicately refresh the spicy game of hot and icy shades of pink pepper, white pepper and black pepper. The heart of the composition introduces a harmony of flowers, wood and tobacco, while mixing notes of elegant jasmine, tobacco and cedar with a hint of lemonish shades of lily of the valley. The base of the composition incorporates animalistic flavors accompanied by musk, ambergris, amber and elegant vetiver.
The flacon of the new perfume Aperture takes the same shape as previous editions of this house—Anvers, Anvers 2, Nightscape and Lightscape. The fragrant liquid is completely transparent this time, announcing the elegant and cool shades of the composition. The fragrance is available as 100 ml Eau de Parfum at a price of $200.
Aperture was launched in 2014.
Mouplegog – :
Pee. Pungent pee. Pungent pee in a filthy public toilet.
That’s just what the opening feels like. It gets less anti-human afterward, but honestly, with that opening…I don’t have the courage to enjoy the rest of it.
godstoutt – :
A lovely modern abstract amber based perfume that is extremely sexy and sophisticated. It starts off on a burst of aldehyde and then reveals peppery notes and then hints of jasmine, cedar, tobacco before settling into a nice animalic powdery base of musk, ambergris, amber and a hint of vetiver. A beautifully blended somewhat mysterious concoction with alternating dark light hues with moderate sillage, projection and longevity, this is a nice example of unisex high order modern abstract perfumery. Very heavy on the salty animalic ambergris, so those of you not into that note need to stay away. Overall like a Polaroid. Evolving slowly and beautifully over time with patience. Enjoy!
lexandos – :
In recent years, when guys have asked me for summer scent recommendations, I steer them away from the ubiquitous citrus offerings and direct them toward something more individual, like Aperture. As one of my fellow reviewers commented, this is unique; the average scent at a cologne counter will not smell anything like it. Although the main note is leather, this is light, airy, sunny, clean. Ulrich Lang has bottled summer for us, and was able to do so without resorting to an orange grove or a pina colada for effect; the aldehydes did the trick just fine. Kudos! Despite it being so light in feel, there are some nice musks, esp. in the drydown. And Aperture also has great sillage and several hours of longevity. (This is also a very ‘smart’ scent; perfect for the office.)
Really first rate. Gets 9/10 from me.
Grach – :
Just a tiny, tiny dab… my first sampling was completely abhorent with an overapplication from my vial, and that was with only about three swipes of the stick/dauber. Some pretty impressive potency here.
There is a lot of ambergris in Aperture. Or I should say that it is strong and that the other notes in this perfume are also prominent and well balanced.
Initially, jasmine and plenty of dry pepper introduces a wonderful aromatic interplay of dry, fresh, and botanic. Lily of the valley adds some sparkling notes of greenness and flashes like something metallic now and then.
Contrast this clean accord with some serious funk. This ambergris is fatty, fecal and fresh but adds some really beautiful richness. It’s quite overwhelming if you apply too much. In moderation, it’s sublime and not to be dismissed.
Smoky notes of tobacco weave in and out and carry a lightweight cedar and soft white musk that helps the sweetness of the tobacco to drift rather than become mud with the rich ambergris.
Aperture is like a Polaroid picture coming to life in the evolution of its scent. A well faceted clean structure with a rich heart, culminating into a beautiful woody, lusty musk. Just be careful not to overexpose!
sh_shalkar – :
This is unique, attractive stuff.
I pick up prominent civet and ambergris supported by tobacco, clean vetiver, and some peppery, cedary, woody notes. The combined effect is animalic yet strangely clean, mildy camphorous, and modern. Sort of a bunch of stuff that I like mixed together, so It’s not a really a surprise to me that I’m enjoying this.
The most interesting thing going on here is the opening’s dichotomy of the slighty-skanky, balmy animalic notes with the very clean woody sweetness underneath. In a sense it reminds me of a sort of mainstreamed, “lite” version of HDP’s Edition Rare (Petroleum comes to mind, Ambrarem less so). Sort of eschewing the concept that something modern has to smell clinical or aseptic and instead embracing funkiness. I will say that aperture is much more instantly likable and safe than either of the aforementioned fragrances, for better or worse, so don’t let the comparison deter you.
Aperture is not a performance monster. I got about average longevity and pretty soft projection. The drydown just radiates a hushed, dusky aura of salty soapiness for a few hours and then it disappears. I do think 200 bucks is a little steep here, but I would probably pick up a smaller bottle if one is ever offered. Thumbs up.
7.5/10
valera3008 – :
As a rule of thumb I’m really not fond of pink pepper since it has become a lazy cliche when someone wants to punch up some boring juice but I think I’ve found an exception here. When I first sprayed this I got about of minute of — absolutely nothing, which is startling in an aldehyde scent. Once it warmed a got a big waft of cedar and tobacco, followed by civet. As the evening has passed I keep getting whiffs of camphor–not a listed note but the effect of the cedar and tobacco working together. I’m not finding floral notes or much ambergris but the pink pepper gives this a bit of bite at the edges. I’d consider this a civilized version of Lutens Borneo 1834 so use that as guidance if you know the Lutens perfume.
Sillage: soft, close
Longevity: 3 hours and going strong
Fabulosity: hand carved teak
Value to price ratio: low but not unreasonable
7/10
GreenKillen – :
I really, really wanted to like this. I liked Anvers and Nightscape a lot. The photograph on the package for this, the one above of the silhouette of the young man against a beautifully colored sky, suggests that this might be youthful, complex, and richly contrasted with bright notes on top of warm, glowing hues. Instead, all I got was ambergris, with a bit of vetiver and pepper on the top. You really have to like ambergris, which I do, but I didn’t care for its combination with the tobacco. It comes off as a bit too heavy, ungainly. I wish there’d been something sharper or brighter to balance a palpable mugginess. The ambergris here is a blunt instrument, neither challenging nor compelling like I’ve encountered it elsewhere. Maybe it’s not a high quality synthetic ambergris? Not sure, but this was a big disappointment for me. Overall, this fragrance seems to lack direction and coherence, like it was assembled, rather than crafted, by someone who has yet to find her/his voice. This Aperture is too narrow and the vision behind the composition never really comes into focus.