Poets of Berlin is an aromatic/gourmand fragrance for women and men from New York’s Vilhelm Parfumerie. This scent was created by Jerome Epinette and released in 2018.

Poets of Berlin is described as “hazily romantic yet undoubtedly contemporary,” and is dedicated to David Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy.

DAVID BOWIE IN BERLIN

After realizing that a life of fame and excess in Los Angeles was taking a toll on him — physically, mentally, and creatively — David Bowie moved to Berlin to re-invent himself. He had been drinking too much, and using large amounts of cocaine. While in Berlin, he avoided drugs and drank very little. He had feared that quitting mind-altering substances would stifle his creativity, but instead he found that it blossomed. David lived in a modest apartment in Schöneberg, an area populated mostly by immigrants. Life there is bohemian, simple, and cheap. The businesses and surroundings are basic and unpretentious. It became a sort of sanctuary from fame and excess. He started wearing baggy pants and plain shirts, and enjoyed a life of relative anonymity.

He describes this experience as a rebirth. He began to experience joy again. He felt inspired and creative. The years that he spent in Berlin were some of the most productive in his career. He recorded three albums there, Low and Heroes, released in 1977, and Lodger released in 1979. He said of these albums, “If I never made another album, it really wouldn’t matter now. My complete being is within those three. They are my DNA.”

POETS OF BERLIN FRAGRANCE REVIEW

Poets of Berlin starts out with a bit of powdery vanilla and lemon, and a burst of tart blueberry. At first, the blueberry smells a bit artificial, like a blueberry-flavored syrup, sweetened with saccharine. The first few minutes actually remind me a whole lot of Blue Dream by Xyrena (from my 420 Review Series).

After about 5 minutes, I can detect the light, airy greenness of bamboo. The blueberry is deeper and rounder now, and the lemon still smells powdery and sugary. The overall effect is a lemon cake with blueberries, and a nice cup of green tea.

At 30 minutes in, Poets of Berlin starts to smell more dry, as a very light vetiver joins the lemon cake and blueberries. I can smell some melony nuances as well, which grow over time and eventually overtake the blueberry.

At one hour, I detect a bit of lavender. The fragrance is mostly vanilla, with a slight camphoreous woodiness, and a spoonful of blueberry compote.

The album Heroes was recorded at Hansa studios, which was right next to the Berlin Wall. David Bowie says that being near the tension of the wall increased his creativity. His iconic song “Heroes” was inspired by his view from the control room at Hansa studios — he could see a young couple that would meet to kiss under a gun turret on the wall and imagined the force of love that brought them together in those circumstances. That is what the song is about. (He later confessed that the “couple” was his married producer Tony Visconti and Tony’s girlfriend).

As Poets of Berlin turns to a light lemony-vanilla skin scent in under two hours, I wonder if David Bowie was eating some lemon cake with blueberries as he looked out the window at the wall, and the young lovers. When I imagine this scene while listening to heroes, I do find Poets of Berlin to be “hazily romantic”. But I am a sucker for romance, so I try to find it everywhere. Mostly I smell cake — or at this point, the cake’s waxed paper wrapper with just a hint of cake still clinging to it.

POETS OF BERLIN DETAILS AND FINAL IMPRESSION

Poets of Berlin is a sweet and light combination of blueberry and lemon over a base of vetiver and vanilla. It doesn’t remind me in the least of Berlin or David Bowie, but it is well-balanced and pleasant to smell. Part-gourmand and part-woody/aromatic, it is neither masculine nor feminine to my sensibilities. It has low projection and lasted about two hours on my skin.

Perfumer’s listed notes are lemon, blueberry, bamboo, vetiver, sandalwood, and vanilla.

Poets of Berlin is not listed on the Vilhelm Parfumerie website at this time. I purchased my sample from Aedes de Venustas, for more information go to aedes.com. For general information about the brand and its other scents, visit vilhelmparfumerie.com.