Czech & Speake Dark Rose
First, I’d like to thank Barry (a prince among men, heh) for sharing this fragrance with me. It’s nigh on impossible to find in the States, and not easy to come by elsewhere either. Czech & Speake no longer list this as part of their regular line up, for example, but as a “new” offering. The scarcity of it is allegedly due to production problems, which in turn means supply problems. Scuttlebutt has it that Czech & Speake will begin producing Dark Rose again sometime early this year, but sadly, I recall hearing the same things last year, so who knows what will become of it?
Dark Rose begins with a lonely chill: a solitary walk down an empty corridor that’s filled only with the sound of your own footfalls. Near-frozen reedy notes cast long winter shadows, and give no clues as to what will follow. I hope this won’t be off-putting to anyone, but that opening blast reminds me of strolling through the market and smelling the fresh fish on ice. It’s cold, and weirdly iron-rich like the taste of blood.
Slowly the eponymous “rose” asserts itself, but not without its saffron companion. The two are intertwined here, and form the fragrance’s core character. In certain respects, they do lend Dark Rose a resemblence to Agent Provocateur, but where Agent Provocateur is headstrong and marked by wild, nearly maniacal sillage, Dark Rose behaves with reserve and austerity. I would go so far as to refer to it as a stoic rose, for while it is full of its own life, it seems comparatively passionless compared to other rose fragrances. This is not a criticism.
Notes of sandalwood, arid resin, and a resolutely transparent amber fill out the rest of the composition. Intonations of tightly stretched leather seems to be implied throughout the body of this scent, though I am unsure if this is an actual note.
This fragrance feels compressed, like a ball of prepared masa harina rolled flat into a tortilla. Again, in this case it is not cause for criticism. It adds to Dark Rose’s austere air. Plus, I must point out it’s much easier to wrap a tortilla around things than with a big ball of dough. And so it goes with this cologne, which wraps around my skin with an ease that not all rose scents possess. I’d specifically suggest Dark Rose as an option for folks who might think that they can’t “do” roses.
The stoicism with the cologne makes it ideally suited for men. Not to discourage women from seeking it out, of course, but I think I’d be drawn helplessly to any man who wore it. If I were to pick any scent from this line for men, it would be this one, which was I feel incorectly designated as a female scent by Czech & Speake (if I recall correctly, that is.) It is not my favorite, that one being No. 88, but thus far I have been very pleased with all four scents I’ve tried from their house.
Top image entitled “Stoic,” by Patick St. Germain, from art.com. Second image is from a series of strobe photos taken of a bullet shot through roses dipped in liquid nitrogen - the credits, and information about the photos can be read at http://web.mit.edu/luminea/Public/strobe-lab/about.html. It’s neat, and I totally recommend looking at the playing card photos, too.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:30 am
I sampled this awhile ago and absolutely loved it.I have also heard that it is due for sale again in 2006,but,I,like you,won’t hold my breath.Just a wonderful review for a gorgeous scent!Thanks for happy reading!
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:46 am
I really do hope the rumors are right, and this will finally be available again soon… it would be a shame if C&S just turned their back on it.
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:38 am
Your fragrance insight is great! I write about fragrances too. Check it out at www.beautysecrets101.com!
Sharon
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:49 am
K, no time to check, but thought I saw it recently on their website listed as a “new” fragrance (?)
Am dying to try this, it sounds just wonderful!!
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:49 am
Waves! So nice to be cak :-)
Dark Rose unfortunately was sour on my skin. :-( And for once I am not that upset. I am tired of falling in love with unobtainable scents.
January 23rd, 2006 at 10:05 am
I have the photo of a nitrogen frozen rose as my screen saver. It is fascinating.
Dark Rose was not something I found particularly appealing. It reminded me of Montale rose fragrances, which I no longer like. However, I would agree that it would be great on a man. After all, in the Middle East, rose was originally considered to be a masculine flower.
January 23rd, 2006 at 11:06 am
Hey people, i work for Czech + Speake on Jermyn St we havnt discontinued Dark Rose! it proved a very popular fragrance, though as mentioned before we are having problems with the manufacturing of it, due to it being a very complex scent much like our No88! but dont worry an up to date time for its restock will be march-april 2006 but the website is the best way to find out!www.czechspeake.com
January 23rd, 2006 at 12:56 pm
Katie, you blew me away with this one. Rose is possibly my least favorite soliflore, and you’ve managed to write a review that makes me want to sample it. I find roses pushy and irritating… your frozen, stoic rose is a different thing. Great illustrations, too.
January 23rd, 2006 at 6:55 pm
Robin, you’re right… will correct that, thanks. I just bookmarked the aromatics subpage, and didn’t even look at the main. Thanks, R.
Marina, glad you’re back! I hope everything is repaired and running smoothly again. Too bad it went sour on you - I hate it when that happens.
Victoria, you know, I can’t say this is one of my favorite roses, either. I do like the lusher, richer ones for myself better. I think that may be why I like the rosy No. 88 just a little better.
Henry, thanks for that updating - good to know it will be easily found again, and soon.
March, this is a good one to try then, if you’re not normally a rose fan. I don’t find it pushy at all.
January 24th, 2006 at 1:10 pm
My friend and I both tried this at Fred Segal last year. Neither of us liked it, I remember thinking it had a very masculine edge to it. Now I wonder if it’s one of those you need to let get past the opening. It certainly has a following.
January 24th, 2006 at 1:36 pm
I think part of the reason I would classify it as masculine is due to that cold steel-y opening. I’d guess that most of us gals prefer a more effulgent sweeter rose most of the time, and this is certainly not a really sweet scent.
January 27th, 2006 at 7:32 am
A fabulous review, you did it justice! Glad you liked it.
It’s interesting to note that Robin likened it to one of the Montale scents. Dark Rose does actually have Oudh in it as well.
January 27th, 2006 at 8:21 am
I have a hunch that the resin I perceived is probably oudh, but since my brain said resin, that’s what I decided to go with for a description. Thank you again, B, for sharing this with me - I really do appreciate it. It was wonderful to finally be able to try it.