Must Have This: Fragrance

We find it difficult to express our obsession with all things fig. Suffice to say, we are excessively obsessed with the stuff- how they smell, how they taste, art featuring them, frankly anything, we are slightly embarrassed to admit, having to do with them. A book or movie that contains 'fig' in the title is infinitely more likely to be considered for our taking in, never mind if said book or movie has anything to do with these fabulous little fruits (and that, we caution, is a double-edged sword- to associate figs with a thing will draw our attention to be sure, but woe to that which hearkens our focus upon them and has no content relating to them- this we will go out of our way to scorn).

If you've never encountered a fig, we strongly suggest you make this a priority. They, unfortunately, keep a very short seasonal life, which we find particularly distressing (and as a matter of course, make us love them all the more for their elusiveness), but during summer months, you should be able to find them available at a nearby grocery. They have a delicate purple-ish form, that oozes slightly when they are ripe. What makes them absolutely captivating to us is how they smell. A touch dirty, green and crisp, and then sweet- only the smell of coconut makes us more giddy.

A number of fragrances have attempted to replicate the aroma of fig, most of them to rather disappointing conclusions. Some start alright, but then finish powdery. Some smell as if a fig and a flower are prize-fighting the entire time, wrestling for the title. Some are pleasant enough- fresh, not overly-floral, but the fig feels like an afterthought. Some, and these we particularly detest, smell of small children coated in graham cracker and then bespeckled with figs. In our obsessive quest for fig, we find only one fragrance that rises to the challenge of this exacting task.

Philosykos by Diptyque is easily our favorite of the fig fragrances, if not our overall favorite fragrance in general. Earthy and a touch sweet (and with an exquisitely elusive hint of coconut- how mad! how genius! we love it), Philosykos is marketed as unisex, and indeed, we find it equally appealing on ourselves as we find it on our lady friends. It does not overwhelm with 'masculine' notes, nor does it disappear into sappy, perfumey oblivion. It is superb because, simply, it actually smells like fig.

Finding Philosykos can be a bit of a challenge. You can, of course, order from the Diptyque website, or stop by one of their boutiques (New York, San Fransisco, London, and of course, Paris). We have discovered, however, a rather engaging online supplier of fragrances et cetera called Luscious Cargo. When last we ordered, Luscious Cargo sent us not only the fragrance we purchased, but also sample sizes of two or three others they suggested we might find pleasurable. We were, needless to say, charmed. To order Philosykos (at the same cost as one will find it on Diptyque's website) from them, go here.