Spicy and fresh, L’Autre by Diptyque (1973) has long been thought of as a dirty cumin bomb, difficult to wear and hard to love, but today, with the plethora of ouds and animalic musks, L’Autre feels quite tame. Still, it’s understandable that this is one of the Diptyques that’s kept in the boutiques and not in the department stores. It’s a perfume that might be off-putting to the casual perfume wearer. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The spices are upfront in this one – a zingy fresh ginger, warm cumin, and a touch of coriander seed. They’re all in the air and blend together into a dust, suspended in refreshing lemon water. All this in the warmth of woods, like sitting down at a freshly finished wooden table. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Does it smell like garam masala? Not a bit. It’s missing the cinnamon, cloves, the roasted bitterness of being toasted over a fire. Maybe it’s a bit of a spice cupboard, but one at arm’s length at that. If you like Eau d’Hermes, you would probably like this. It has the same feel but without the animalics, the pissyness of the civet is gone. They’re actually both quite similar but I do find L’Autre easier to wear. Apparently, the older bottles of L’Autre are stronger than the current bottles. The feel I get is that the older ones are missing the airyness, a certain diluted effect that the newer ones have. They’re not stronger but more present. This older version lasts as least 6-7 hours on me and then is gone. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Either way, if you like L’Autre, get it before it’s gone forever. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
