Replica From the Garden
Eau de Toilette, Maison Margiela (2023)

Does what it says on the bottle: It's a believable replica of standing in a vegetable garden surrounded by tomato plants and green leaves, in the shade under trees, on a dry early summer day. It's green leafy vegetal, invoking unripe tomatoes on the vine, neither juicy nor astringent. No fresh cut grass, ripe tomatoes, or dewey meadows here. There is a faint sense of earth underneath, with just a touch of dampness. Definitely not wet potting soil, nor dry desert earth or dust. We are not standing in a flower garden, herb garden, or orchard. Any hint of fruit is very subtle and never approaches ripeness.

Like other entries in the Replica series, "From the Garden" conjures one particular static impression, and does it well. I did not expect any major developments, extreme longevity, or projection, so I was not disappointed. The scent is mostly linear, dominated by the tomato leaf throughout. This could also have been an entry in the Hermes Jardins line, but it probably has narrower appeal and arguably less development than any of the Hermes scents. "From the Garden" paints a static picture and does so convincingly. I find it comforting for personal enjoyment. It's not something I would wear outside the home, though it's probably inoffensive and wearable in the office. I'm also using it as a room scent in a water-based diffuser, where it doesn't lose much except for the earthier notes.

As far as niche scents go, this is a one-trick pony, but it's a good trick. If you find the idea of standing in a green summer garden with ripening tomatoes comforting, this one does the job extremely well.

Tomato leaf becomes roses then becomes grape cotton candy. Yum. Big thumbs up.