Celery on a Cedar Plank at the Jazz Club

I was genuinely curious to give Maison Margiela Replica Jazz Club a full wearing after it took the Booze War crown. This isn’t my usual scent trail. I’m much more “just stepped out of the shower” than “sitting on a log with a cocktail and a smoke” guy, but I wanted to see what made this one resonate so strongly with so many of you. That first spray from my decant absolutely delivers. The opening is warm, smooth, and inviting, the kind of scent that feels like a place rather than a list of notes.

But on my skin, the story changes fairly quickly.

As it begins to settle, what starts as rum and tobacco takes on a distinctly green-woody character. Not fresh or leafy, but vegetal, almost like a bunch of freshly spiced celery resting on a cedar plank. And once that impression appears, it’s hard for me to shake. The longer it sits, the more that dry, aromatic woodiness takes center stage, pulling it further away from the richness I was hoping would stay.

This reaction isn’t new for me. I had a very similar experience with Bottega Veneta Parco Palladiano XI Castagno, which tells me this is likely a material or aromatic structure my skin and nose simply don’t agree with. That doesn’t make Jazz Club poorly made, in fact, I completely understand why it resonates with so many of you. It’s alluring, maybe even moody, and undeniably well-constructed.

For me, though, this one reinforces how personal fragrance really is. What feels like cozy barroom atmosphere to one person can read sharp and vegetal to another, depending on chemistry and perception. I appreciate Jazz Club for what it is, and I respect why it won. It just doesn’t live comfortably on my skin. And I would bet that I am not alone in my lane as I have listened to other brothers who complain when celery lands on the bar without being invited.

Sometimes the value isn’t in finding a new favorite, but in learning a little more about what your nose does and doesn’t respond to. And I am grateful that this wearing reinforced that. However, in this case, while it may have almost worn the crown, it’s not my royal highness.

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