Oliver is an original take on the aromatic herbs and citrus freshness of the traditional eau de cologne. At first, you smell the bright, tart (and always oddly dry) burst of citrus notes of the classic Farina or 4177, with their cleansing and pure aroma designed by nature to awaken and refresh the senses, supported by the crisp, herbal undergrowth of basil leaf, clary sage, and cool, green cypresses.
But as the more volatile aromatic notes burn off, you notice some subtly non-traditional notes in the background. There is the musky scent of a man’s crisp white linen shirt pulled freshly from his warm body, introducing a beautifully intimate and human tone (we suspect the glowy magic of ambrette seed and ambergris to be the responsible parties here). Then there is the exciting tang of sea salt, the dry rosy leather of quince, the incensey bitterness of oakmoss, and the powdered plushness of triple-milled French iris soap. Oliver feels personal. It’s far more evolved than it ought to be, for all its eau de cologne inspiration. It makes sense to us that this raspy, oddball freshie was inspired by the bittersweet love story of two young men on the cusp between childhood and adulthood in the acclaimed indie movie Call Me by Your Name.
