This Battered Old Felt

[Mergekat]

"Did he not advertise?"
"No."
"Then, what clue could you have as to his identity?"
"Only as much as we can deduce."
"From his hat?"
"Precisely."
"But you are joking. What can you gather from this old battered felt?"
"Here is my lens. You know my methods. What can you gather yourself as to the individuality of the man who has worn this article?"
I took the tattered object in my hands and turned it over rather ruefully. It was a very ordinary black hat of the usual round shape, hard and much the worse for wear. The lining had been of red silk, but was a good deal discoloured. There was no maker's name; but, as Holmes had remarked, the initials "H. B." were scrawled upon one side. It was pierced in the brim for a hat-securer, but the elastic was missing. For the rest, it was cracked, exceedingly dusty, and spotted in several places, although there seemed to have been some attempt to hide the discoloured patches by smearing them with ink.
"I can see nothing," said I, handing it back to my friend.
"On the contrary, Watson, you can see everything. You fail, however, to reason from what you see. You are too timid in drawing your inferences."
"Then, pray tell me what it is that you can infer from this hat?"
He picked it up and gazed at it in the peculiar introspective fashion which was characteristic of him. "It is perhaps less suggestive than it might have been," he remarked, "and yet there are a few inferences which are very distinct, and a few others which represent at least a strong balance of probability. That the man was highly intellectual is of course obvious upon the face of it, and also that he was fairly well-to-do within the last three years, although he has now fallen upon evil days. He had foresight, but has less now than formerly, pointing to a moral retrogression, which, when taken with the decline of his fortunes, seems to indicate some evil influence, probably drink, at work upon him. This may account also for the obvious fact that his wife has ceased to love him."
"My dear Holmes!"
"He has, however, retained some degree of self-respect," he continued, disregarding my remonstrance. "He is a man who leads a sedentary life, goes out little, is out of training entirely, is middle-aged, has grizzled hair which he has had cut within the last few days, and which he anoints with lime-cream. These are the more patent facts which are to be deduced from his hat. Also, by the way, that it is extremely improbable that he has gas laid on in his house."
"You are certainly joking, Holmes."
"Not in the least. Is it possible that even now, when I give you these results, you are unable to see how they are attained?"
"I have no doubt that I am very stupid, but I must confess that I am unable to follow you. For example, how did you deduce that this man was intellectual?"
For answer Holmes clapped the hat upon his head. It came right over the forehead and settled upon the bridge of his nose. "It is a question of cubic capacity," said he; "a man with so large a brain must have something in it."
"The decline of his fortunes, then?"
"This hat is three years old. These flat brims curled at the edge came in then. It is a hat of the very best quality. Look at the band of ribbed silk and the excellent lining. If this man could afford to buy so expensive a hat three years ago, and has had no hat since, then he has assuredly gone down in the world."

The shadow of declining fortunes: lime cream and bourbon vetiver with a dribble of candle wax.

The Battered Old Felt. It is an amazing concoction of clean lime cologne, and a deeper vetiver that borders between an aged, earthy, and wooly nature. Definitely NOT wooly like scratchy lambswool (or going down the wet fur vibe), but somehow a very soft, dry, fluffy felt (like angora). Literally comparing that part to a super soft scarf I own.

[oakandloam]

This was one I was unsure of due to the cream note, but had to try anyway because I love lime and the other notes.

 

In the imp, it's lime vetiver. So juicy and dark that my mouth literally watered. Wet it's more of the same, including some of the richest and chewiest vetiver I've ever smelled. The lime is just sharpening the upper registers, keeping it bright despite the intensity of the vetiver.

 

As it starts to dry down, something a little waxy and a little like honey starts to show up, making me think that candle might have been beeswax. It continues to keep this blend lighter tHan I expected given the notes with a very complimentary sweetness. As it dries, it keeps getting lighter and warmer. That candle smell really comes to the fore without getting too waxy or musty. I have not identified anything resembling cream, though that might be why I smell something like honey. The lime fades away, and what I'm left with is a comforting rich a d very unisex blend of sweet vetiver that is both sultry and rich without being overwhelming.

 

So glad I took a chance and I would love a bottle or partial of this.

 

Edit for spelling

Edited February 2, 2016 by oakandloam

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Wow, the lime cream and vetiver blend together beautifully. So interesting. I can't stop huffing my wrist. This is fruity and creamy, but dark and smoky at the same time. Really digging this. Quite light though, I may have to slather to get a good test.

 

 

Dry: Not at all what I expected! As it dried, it got perfumier and perfumier, and it took me a while to figure out it's the beeswax. I have amped it to high heaven, and it is pretty much beeswax single note on me at this point. Which isn't bad, I love the Lab's beeswax note, but I had also loved that initial combo of lime cream and vetiver, and I'm sad that didn't last.

[zankoku_zen]

Lime, vetiver and wooly beeswax. This is actually a clean masculine smell. Decent throw and wearlength.

[Pyretta]

Bottle: Fresh, juicy lime and men's cologne. Also something reminding me of my felted knitting projects - a kind of wet wool.

 

Wet: More of that juicy lime and vetiver, I think? My nose isn't very attuned to it yet but I think that's what I'm getting. Very fresh and grassy, playful and tomboyish but not fully masculine. The wooly note stays prominent as well.

 

Dry: I'm getting the listed "cream" with the lime now, which almost reminds me of a crustless key lime pie. Still youthful, carefree, and unisex. Like rolling around in the grass while wearing a hand-knit wool sweater. I'm getting faint traces of beeswax on further drydown. Just delightful!

 

Verdict: I kind of love this, and I'm glad to have fully tested it now that Spring is finally here. I can feel I'll be wearing the hell out of my decant, and I might just upgrade to a bottle!

[doomsday_disco]

The lime cream is the most prominent note, followed by the bourbon vetiver and the smoke-tinged candle wax, which gives it that wooly vibe. It becomes very cologne-y very quickly. This scent is really strong on me. It remains a really overwhelming cologne for a while, until the lime cream and vetiver calm down and the candle wax returns, adding a touch of fuzzy warmth to the lime and vetiver cologne.

 

The cologne is too strong for me, but I bet this would be lovely on a guy.

Edited April 11, 2019 by doomsday_disco