Mutiny is a new fragrance from Maison Margiela, created by Dominique Ropion and released in September, 2018.
The brand’s webpage says, “Mutiny is about our nonconformist, diverse and creative generation.” Mutiny is described as “The fragrance of women who shape their own femininity.”
Full disclosure — I haven’t been a fan of the Maison Margiela Fragrance line up to this point. I really need to try “Untitled,” which I’ve never even smelled. But seeing the loyal following that the “Replica” line has, I bought the full sample set from Sephora this spring, and I didn’t like any of the fragrances enough to add them to my collection. (I already had “Lipstick On,” which I blind-bought based on the concept, but I find myself reaching for Malle’s Lipstick Rose or Guerlain’s French Kiss instead).
However, I do love Dominique Ropion in so many ways…. so I was a little bit intrigued by this scent. It’s not part of the “Replica” line. Unlike the other fragrances which have Martin Margiela’s unassuming, anonymous style, this fragrance under John Galliano has a blingy bottle, a famous perfumer, and a super-artsy ad campaign full of celebrities and supermodels.
I might not have sought it out right away, but in September I bought a bottle of perfume from Barney’s, and they gave me a spectacular gift bag full of all kinds of beauty samples. (See the “Love Yourself Gift Bag” at ICANGWP Blog). Included in the bag was a sample of Mutiny, so I pulled it out and wore it a few times. I came to it with an open mind and a curious nose, as I am an admirer of the fashion house and I love the idea of the fragrance (and, did I mention Dominique Ropion?)
MAISON MARGIELA AND ITS CREATIVE DIRECTION HISTORY
Maison Margiela is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1988 by Belgian designer Martin Margiela. Martin Margiela was a fashion visionary, and a most fascinating person. I could write about him, but the best way to learn about him is to watch “The Artist Is Absent,” a documentary from Alison Chernick. Here it is, in its entirety (12 minutes)
In case you didn’t watch the video, you missed some cool fashion, and also a lot of insight into Maison Margiela. I’ll sum it up by saying that Martin Margiela made deconstruction and repurposing into a high art form, and one of the things that he (and his house) were known for was a style of unpretentious anonymity. His garments weren’t labeled with the house’s name, he didn’t come out on the runway to be recognized at his shows, he often even covered the models’ faces for his runway shows. Martin Margiela retired in 2009. The brand’s design team carried on, in their usual “anonymous” style, with no creative director for five years.
Then, in 2014, John Galliano was brought in to act as creative director. While Maison Margiela was known for garments that played with angles and exaggerated scale, and used nonconventional materials, John Galliano is most well known for making slinky, liquid-like bias cut gowns at Dior, known as the slip-dress. For instance, he made Princess Diana’s gorgeous navy bias-cut slip dress that she wore to the 1996 Met Gala.
John Galliano is a controversial figure. After 15 very successful years at Dior, he was suspended and later fired in 2011 for a drunken, anti-Semitic rant in a Paris bar. After a few years of working toward atonement, sobriety, and personal recovery, he was given a second chance in fashion. Anna Wintour is one of his great admirers, and made a deal for him to do some work for Oscar de la Renta’s fall collection to be shown at New York Fashion Week. The next year, in 2014, he was named as creative director of Maison Margiela. I have long been a fan of his work, and he has done much to redeem himself in the public eye, I am glad that he in fashion and wishhim the very best.
At Maison Margiela, John has moved the brand forward, melding streetwear with his dressmaker techniques. He says he is inspired by “nomadic fashion” and “dressing in haste,” and that he is drawn to marginalized people. He sees the Maison Margiela girls as being nonconformist and brave.
MAISON MARGIELA MUTINY
Mutiny was launched on September 26, 2018, after the spring/summer 2019 show. Vogue says that “It took six years for nose Dominique Ropion to come up with Galliano’s Mutiny.” (Galliano has only been with Maison Margiela for four years, so it’s unclear to me whether the work started as a project for Maison Margiela, for John Galliano, or for some other purpose).
The fragrance’s “ambassadors” are Willow Smith, Teddy Quinlivan, Hanne Gaby Odiele, Sasha Lane, Princess Nokia, and Molly Blair. The concept of the fragrance is shattering conventional beauty norms and redefining what it means to be truly unique. The fragrance is meant to represent all of the things that Maison Margiela stands for — the old ideals of a haute couture house blended with the mutiny of a new generation. Here, John Galliano speaks about the fragrance and its ambassadors (13 minutes):
MUTINY FRAGRANCE REVIEW
While still wet on my skin, Mutiny smells like nothing I’ve ever smelled before. It’s the same reaction that I had to Mugler’s Aura, a complete immersion in uncharted territory. There are familiar colors, and forms, but the entire landscape is blurred. I find myself wondering if I am smelling a novel aromachemical, it is “big” and expansive. As it begins to settle, it smells a bit like grape soda.
As mutiny dries, it’s like watching a tuberose blossom unfold and bloom in stop-motion. First there is the floral sweetness. It’s not particularly heady, and there is no indole. The sweetness is more like wine — it’s actually quite like a big glass of Moscato with white flowers floating in it. The white flowers at this point smell more like orange blossom and jasmine. The floral wine and citrus reminds me of a big punch bowl full of sweet Sangria.
After about thirty minutes, the next phase of the tuberose emerges. Above the sweet base, which is becoming less and less complex, a vegetal smell develops. It is the fatty and rubbery aspects of tuberose. A sort of medicinal “aftertaste” and a bit of meatiness to the florals gives an effect of leather, but I would call this more a rubbery tuberose than an actual leather smell.
At one hour, I smell more of the creamy aspect of tuberose. The sweetness has really subsided. At times, I smell hints of leather, but mostly I smell a woody vanilla with nuances of coconut. The florals have become more waxy. There is a little nod to suntan lotion, with the waxy white flowers and vanilla-coconut scent.
After two hours, most of the obvious floral tones are gone. What is left is a sweet, slightly vanillic, woody musk. It is pleasant, but it doesn’t smell “like” anything. If I had to give it a name, I would call it “pink woods.” It is reminiscent of many other modern feminine fragrances.
MUTINY DETAILS AND FINAL THOUGHTS
Mutiny will definitely appeal to the aesthetic of younger women. It is not overtly floral, or woody, or leathery, or anything else. It is like all of those things seen through a filter. It is referential to tuberose, and an interesting dissection of tuberose, but I wear Fracas, so I wouldn’t call this a “realistic” tuberose scent. It is more of an intellectual exploration of what tuberose is, or what it could be. It reminds me of the Maison Margiela tradition of deconstruction. It is like seeing all of the parts of tuberose in a mashup photo, with some blurring, blending, and focus-shifting.
Much like Proenza Schouler’s Arizona, I can recognize that it will appeal to younger women, but I can’t see myself wearing this personally. I am more of a “Portrait of a Lady” lady, and not in the target demographic of Maison Margiela. I like big florals and I cannot lie. I love animalics, and rose-oud combos, and my all-time favorite fragrance is Jicky extrait. Maison Margiela doesn’t need me. Young women will love this scent. I don’t find it particularly rebellious or daring, but I wear vintage Kouros. In the subtle world of “you-but-better,” this is a statement of feminine power and confidence.
Because of its sweetness, Mutiny feels very feminine to me. The ad copy says that Mutiny is “an expression of femininity freed from gender roles,” but I’m calling this one girly. I have experienced plenty of tuberose fragrance that I thought would be right at home on a man, but this is not one of them.
Projection was moderate, and longevity was close to 8 hours.
As far as I know today, Mutiny is only on sale at Barney’s. A 50 mL bottle is $115, and they offer free shipping. For more information, see barneys.com.
(I don’t usually link to retail stores, I prefer to link to perfumers’ websites, but Mutiny is not for sale on the Maison Margiela website at this time. I do not receive any sort of compensation from Barney’s or Maison Margiela for any clicks or purchases made from my site. Although I received the sample of Mutiny for free from Barney’s, it was a gift with purchase to all beauty customers as part of a September sales promotion.)
