Archetype by Parera

ARCHETYPE is listed as Aromatic Green and is a total success. It lacks mountain resins and a dry, wild component to be a divine Chypre, and certainly it is not a Fougère, as it lacks that dark, moist tone of wet leaves and dark lichens so beloved by Fougères. But it does have a green air, ‘I want to be green’, with that indefinable aromatic component that you either feel it or you don’t, and which is barely explainable. ARCHETYPE is green because its citrus notes are: a green, acidic blend of grapefruit, bergamot, and lemon, but in its rawest, less juicy version. In this aspect, it has a light Chypre touch, because the blend of caraway and savoury pushes those morning hesperidic joys inward and gives it that seriousness of Chypres. The Chypre Family is not for worldly nonsense. It is a family that rises early, lies late, works in the fields, and knows what it means to earn a living. True, some cousins went to the city and became Aldehydic Chypres, or some stayed in the village and dressed up as Floral Chypres. But they always have that aura of professionalism, work, and perseverance. ARCHETYPE is Aromatic because it encompasses undefined notes (who defines an Aromatic perfume?) that vary from floral to woody, from barber shop to leather, from spicy to citrus. They are undefined but very ‘aromatic’ scents. It is, for me, the most indefinable and free family, for escaping strict protocols. ARCHETYPE is aromatic because it mixes the sweet woody tones of amber, sandalwood, patchouli, and tobacco, and distils a very soft, sweet floral aroma. I even perceive a certain faint greasy tone, more proper of a cardamom and nutmeg blend. It is a very soft and balanced fragrance from the eighties. To use daily and be well perfumed without stridency or circumlocution. To share with others in light puffs of gallantry and say ‘please, go ahead’. Of course, it is a vintage, discontinued perfume from that beloved Spanish brand, PARERA, which I have been able to try and which, within its prudence, has acceptable longevity. PARERA, MYRURGIA, GAL, I love you and miss you.

Throughout my journey through Spanish vintage perfumes, I have reached an empirical conclusion: most are very bad. Even those considered the best or most longed for. Pure nostalgia. Finding one with true personality costs too much, and in most cases they are limited to following the trends of the time or being tepid copies of the true classics. Some, from time to time, have charisma. It is certainly not what I usually expect. That is why I only buy them when the price matches the expectation. And that means constant browsing through lost neighbourhood merceries, always attentive to that bottle lost on the shelf, accumulating dust since the eighties, forgotten by everyone, almost crying out with a painful and fragile voice: ‘Please, kill me’. Today was one of those days. On the lowest shelf, next to the counter, I discovered a sign saying ‘Everything for 5 euros’ where several faded boxes were stacked. I did not hesitate to increase my stock of Trophy Yacht Man, of which I am a fervent admirer, to omit the massage bottles of Only for Men by Julio Iglesias, and to take, purely for completeness, this ‘Archetype’ by Parera which I had seen in other places, on other occasions, but never attracted my attention enough. Well, Archetype has quality and charisma. In abundance. It is an elegant and very green men’s fragrance in which, above all, the strong prominence of pine stands out, as the quintessential element, wrapped, how not, by the already classic citrus top structure, woody base, and oak moss filling the spaces. Sober, very mature, but with enough shine and freshness to make it distinct from what happened back then (I think, how not, Quorum). With more than acceptable trail and longevity, and a vigour that makes it possible to enjoy it completely throughout the many hours it remains on the skin. If they ask you where you have been and you happen to be wearing ‘Archetype’, you can answer without problems that you were cutting down trees in the forest. Note: 9/10.