Fath's Essentials : Red Shoes
Jacques Fath (2018)

Red Shoes by Jacques Fath (2018) is an interesting, sparkling fragrance from the "Fath's Essentials" line. It has this glittery aldehydic rose and red berry thing going on, that sits on ginger, sharp woody notes, geranium, and patchouli. Named after a particular look of vintage Fath couture involving his classic evening dressses. Red Shoes tries to make a smell of such a visage, and I think it does the job of being opulent without smelling heavy or domineering despite the focus on rose and patchouli. Red Shoes feels thoroughly unisex to my nose, but that really all depends on how you feel about rose.

Cecile Zarokian's contributions to the Fath line have been hit or miss for me anyway, much preferring the work of Luca Maffei on the range, but here she does a rare turn for me with the way the rose and geranium are handled. The opening has this tart grapefruit, blackcurrant, and aldehyde feeling that pops with ginger, and then sparkles with geranium. It's rare to see actual minty geranium (and not rose geranium) paired with rose. Patchouli is light and transparent, with pink pepper and light musks, and I think patchoulol is responsible, while the musk choices are also quite transparent too.

Overall, this is a perfectly modern execution of a classic idea, with rose and patchouli very evident; lots of sheer, transparent materials bracing and zipping with peppery notes abound, and a chypre-adjacent base that isn't mossy or animalic, but fits snuggly into the terpinous, minty aromatic heart of the scent, topped with those tart fruits. It's hard to really explain, but I imagine this is almost like an ode to hibiscus without there actually being any real hibiscus in it, so if you enjoy hibuscus tea or a cold glass of jamaica, this is a wearable version made rather gender neutral. Thumbs up