Unlocking an Unknown - Mr. Webber Parfum 6T

I am an occasional visitor to estate sales, but I never find much perfume. So when Carol of WAFT revealed that she had discovered a treasure chest full at a sale she stumbled across (she was tipped off by a friend, actually -- I should have such friends) I was, I’ll admit it, a little envious. Who wouldn’t be, with these untold riches -- full bottles of vintage classics, stored properly and still good?  But that’s not all. The man whose estate this was was a chemist. He concocted the scent of Pine-Sol (and generations of Tijuana bartenders and clip-joint operators are still thanking him for that). He left behind a series of mysteries; pretty frosted bottles of perfume bearing the logo pictured, which we’re calling “6T.”

Carol came up with this joint blogging project, most interesting because there are no published lists of “notes,” no reviews, no posts. In other words, no cheat-sheets -- not that I would ever resort to such things --  for 6T. 

Well, here goes.

I’ve had my bottle for about a month. It’s perfume strength. As soon as I unstoppered the bottle I thought, “It’s a chypre!” 

I have a few vintage chypres. They were the first stop on this long road for me. They conjure up visions of 40’s movie stars, big dramatic gestures, “don’t mess with me” stares hiding untold passions, and so on.  I wondered how this scent would compare to the originator of the Chypre genre -- Coty Chypre -- and one of its close relatives, vintage Givenchy III (GIII). I tested all three, on blotter and skin. 

First the blotters. 6T opens cool, GIII woody, Chypre with the classic bergamot. The three perfumes differ in trajectory. The 6T morphs rather quickly into a kind of lemony-floral note, while the GIII seems to become harder, more stern, and then takes a swipe at the spice cabinet -- which is over very quickly. The Chypre is still bergamot, meanwhile.

All three eventually arrive at a floral midrange, with differences. The GIII I’d call “Hello, Miss Dior!” -- vintage, that is; there is a gardenia or jasmine bloom. The Chypre is still “chewy” (all real Chypres have that quality to me) with previews of oakmoss. The 6T is coming up with a maddeningly elusive note. It’s a little bitter. A little fruity, maybe even melon-y; I can’t put a name to it. 

On skin, these are similar to the blotter analyses, but faster. The 6T is already leaving the bitter/fruity/melon behind to arrive at its final drydown. The Chypre is still bergamot and oakmoss, with florals beginning to creep in around the edges. The GIII has regained a little spice and is on its way to a woody drydown.

I think that 6T is a lovely fragrance, and I wish it lasted longer on my skin. Perfume strength normally hovers close, but after about half an hour, I can only smell it by pressing nose to wrist while, meanwhile, the Chypre is still lean and mean, just getting started and the GIII continues its descent into the woods. 

I’ve worn 6T several times, night and day. I decanted some to spray onto a shirt. That lasted longer, but remained very "close."  I asked a friend, who has fragrance-retaining skin, to try it. Her report: pretty much the same as mine, except that she could smell it pressing nose to flesh for several hours, longer than I could.  The drydown, on both of us, was a basic chypre ending, with resins and a bit of patchouli and a little echo of that melon-like fruit.

I wonder if Mr. Weber was working on a formula for a modern chypre, one with the general structure intact but a little bit of “modern” added, perhaps a touch of melon  in there somewhere. That’s what I suspect.

I would think 6T would be a perfect fragrance for getting around the office perfume-o-phobes. It would be your secret. “Hey, office nanny! I’m wearing perfume, hahahahahah!” 

So, leave a comment: Why do you want a bottle? 

Photo by Pat Borow, © 2010 all rights reserved.

Check with WAFT  for deadlines and other information about the contest.

“Unlocking an Unknown” is a joint blogging event. The other bloggers are:

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