Side by side comparison time! I haven't seen a comparison of these two done yet, but the notes were so similar that I was really curious to see how the slightest shift could change the feel of a composition. The Architect's Club by Arquiste's notes are as follows:
Juniper berry oil, Angelica root, Lemon
peel oil, Bitter Orange, Pepperwood, Guaiac wood, Oakwood, Vanilla
Absolute and Amber. Compare to 4160 Tuesdays' The Sexiest Scent on the Planet (IMHO).....gin, bergamot, vanilla, woods, musk, & ambergris. The characteristic flavor of gin comes from juniper berries, bergamot is very similar to lemon peel and bitter orange. The woods and vanilla line up, and the use of amber in one and combination of musk and ambergris in the other can potentially give the same feel to a fragrance. So let's go!
The architect's club opens with a party feel: bright, bergamot laced gin and a light transparent vanilla feel airy and somewhat festive. It's a bit exciting....I want to be at this get together. Similar to when you take a sip of gin, it gets past your nose and suddenly you are hit with the impact of the spirit....the gin gains strength and loses its fizz. I swear I get a mild
whiff of olive……astringent and tart with a hint of brine, and a bite of black
peppercorns when they are freshly ground.
Though it sounds off putting it works here, and is relatively unmistakable to my nose. It's an interesting melange of sensations.....cold fizzy drink, the zing of olive, the light sparkly vanilla dancing around it. This stage is masculine in feel but a woman can wear it. I get the sense of the architect's aesthetic: clean cut and sharp edges, almost cold lines, metallic, but leads your eye to where the artist wants you to go. Very slowly the fragrance loses a bit of that vinegar edge……a smoke-of-the-guaiac-variety joins
the party which is pleasant. If this fragrance was an event, this stage would feel like this: the just-bordering-on-raucous evening starts winding down. The acquaintances have left and
the people who remain are well fed, a touch inebriated, and perhaps a bit drowsy. One by one the attendees drift into the night and the ones that remain are the old, dependable and true friends....in this case a lightly sweet vanilla which becomes deeper and even more well rounded over time, a hazy hint of guaiac and perhaps a bit of barrel oak. I really enjoyed every stage of this fragrance, it is truly
original and made a great transition from cool to warm, and I feel like it's a great reflection of the architect's philosophy.
4160 Tuesday's The Sexiest Scent on The Planet (IMHO) also opens with a gin and tonic vibe, although this one is being enjoyed on a bright summer evening with more emphases on the citrus. The bergamot is very apparent and the gin
actually feels carbonated. The vanilla is
already apparent and at an equal level with the bergamot and gin. It's a scent that brings to mind a *fun* party. You may not know everyone, but nobody cares....it's a summer afternoon and we're outside!
This scent moves faster through its progression. The vanilla increases in intensity but it's joined by a drier and sweeter wood note. The wood and vanilla work well together, and musk also joins in. Happily, the bergamot adds a lime peel facet that doesn't dissipate quickly and holds it all together until the end. The life of this fragrance fairly quick, but it is pleasant. Is it the sexiest scent? Not IMHO. But it is fun and maybe enough to consider for a one night stand. And being married, a fragrance one night stand is just about all I'm willing to do.
In all, whereas The Architects Club is a
martini, IMHO is a gin and tonic. The are similar enough that if the Arquiste scent is out of your budget the 4160 Tuesdays is a good alternative. I myself prefer the drydown of The Architects Club better, and the longevity makes it more appealing to me as well, but I have a bottle of the 4160 Tuesdays and I'm sure I'll be revisiting it since I don't feel bad applying it with abandon.
Reviewed from my decant of The Architects Club and my bottle of 4160 Tuesday of The Sexiest Scent on the Planet (IMHO), both of which I purchased myself.
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