British Snobbery

Many of us who were children in the eighties accompanied our childish drawing for Father’s Day with a bottle of Atkinsons English Lavender. We had not seen each other since then but my memory keeps a vivid memory of that smell. The legendary English brand has become more snobbish than ever and, although I confess it took me a while recognize it, the reunion could not have been more pleased.

Before our parents, Napoleon, King George IV, Admiral Nelson, Brummell or the Duke of Wellington had already tested the creations by James Atkinsons, who opened his first shop in London in 1799 to sell rose-scented bear grease balm. As shown, the product was good, but James was able to give more visibility to the business with a fierce marketing activity: placing a real bear at the door of the perfume shop.

Eccentricities like this and that innate elegance of the English mark the steps of a house with over two hundred years that has had time to experience all kinds of fashions, influences and styles. Glorious times and no so splendorous ones. And who says a dandy can’t reinvent himself? The Italian group Perfume Holding acquired the brand a couple of years ago to recreate the authenticity and luxury of their best times. 

24 Old Bond Street is the heir of the classic British style. The aromatic cocktail could not be more English: juniper, pink and black tea with a note of smoked whiskey aged in oak barrels. This eau de toilette belongs to the Atkinsons Iconic Collection and unfolds its charm in a line of infused bath in a complex of rose, chamomile and cucumber extract, milk protein, glycerin, honey and vitamin E. The bar of scented soap is 150 grams and costs 25 euros.

The latest release of Atkinsons, which was introduced in Spain a few days ago for his vice president, Brigitte Wormser, plunges us into the legendary archives of the house. There are three eau de toilettes inspired in fragrances created by Atkinsons between World War I and II. Three formulas masterfully reinterpreted without losing the charm and elegance of that war period.

The Excelsior Bouquet is the epic tale of the first nonstop flight across the Atlantic in history, about to open the twenties. This perfum captures the euphoria, danger and hedonism through a sparkling combination of flint, sage and vetiver. A fascinating journey that olfactory experiences, adrenaline, heat in the cockpit and the smell of leather aviator jackets.

Shakespeare inspires Love in Idleness, a neovictorian love filter that perfumes the air with a delicate scent of violets. Its composition revolves around Grasse violet, from which all its authenticity is extracted through the natureprint technology, avoiding the sweet smell that usually characterizes fragrances featuring this flower. It is a slightly dusty aroma, with a mischievous chord raspberry and a seductive background of patchouli and moss tree.

Original Empire was first introduced in 1927, becoming one of the first oriental fragrances launched in the West. A small revolution in its time for its fascinating and exotic aroma, as Art Deco. Atkinsons has reinterpreted this creation for the twenty-first century, getting a more cosmopolitan, contemporary and sinfully sensual fragrance. Oolong tea enhances the amber notes forming a fascinating and gauzy floral aura.

These three eau de toilette belong to the Atkinsons’ Legendary Collection and have an approximate price of €130. There can be bought at Perfumería Nadia y El Corte Inglés. Its release has not been accompanied by a line of bath but who knows if we will soon have the pleasure of making foam from Lavender, fern or tea.