Fragrance Reviews

The Sillage Monster: Three Lives of Rumba - A Comparison

05/07/15 17:38:18 

by: Miguel Matos

It's not without shock that someone reads the name Jean-Claude Ellena in the same line as the names Rumba or First. But yes, those were some of his first creations, he who is considered the king of fragrance minimalism. It's like saying that Donald Judd was the author of Disneyland or Mies Van der Rohe designed the Chateau de Versailles. First and Rumba are perfect examples of Baroque style in perfume. Too much going on, too many notes (sometimes even redundant), too many accords and explosive sillage. But for the time being let's focus on what has to be considered as one of the strongest perfumes I have ever smelled, along with Amarige, Tabu, Poisonand Obsession.

It's an overabundance of opulence—even this statement is over the top. Rumba is be the most dense, think, sweet and smoky fragrance that Ellena has done so far. And I like it, of course. This is a perfume I rarely wear, but when the time comes for an extravagant mood and I feel a will to overshadow everyone else around, there's no other way. Rumba it is and I'm in fruity smoky paradise. Rumba was launched in 1988 by Balenciaga and it was a big hit of the shoulder pads age. It is a clear 80s fragrance with everything big. And that's why I like it. Even though I tend to choke on it for the first five minutes. A word of surprise on this: it actually works in hot weather, as paradoxical as it may seem.

Somewhere along the way the house of Ted Lapidus got the rights to produce and sell Rumba under its own name in a never-before-seen move in the fragrance industry. And to my knowledge this is still a one-of-a-kind case of a fragrance shifting brands. The bottle is almost the same, except it says Ted Lapidus instead of Balenciaga. And it'sthe Lapidus version that we can still find in the market, 27 years later. It's a classic and the feminine bestseller in the Lapidus line.

“Some fragrances are born to be legendary. Splendid and mysterious, Rumba was the first fragrance of seduction and, at the time of its world launch in 1988, caused a real revolution, introducing a totally new olfactive identity. More than a perfume, it's an opulent, fascinating, inimitable and unforgettable sillage. A blend of confident sensuality, womanhood incarnate and potent intensity that left an indelible mark on the history of perfumery”—Ted Lapidus says it very well in its press release. Opulent it is, gourmand avant la lettre, and as inimitable goes, I know about a fragrance that came very close to Rumba: Regine's. Only softer. Or Montana'a Parfum de Peau, but spicier.

This is a loud and proud animalic, fruity, gourmand, chypre, smoky, resinous, oriental composition. It manages to be all at the same time, except fresh. And it works for me. It's not a contemporary scent, whatsoever and I can imagine most people running from it nowadays. But it's incensed caramelized plum is so compelling and luxurious that it makes Rumba unique and unreplaceable. It's a pity that this is so overlooked because it really deserves some love, now that niche brands are coming closer and closer to intoxicating scents, this could be one of them. Like Barbara Herman says in her bookScent and Subversion, “maybe Rumba is the perfume that sent Jean-Claude Ellena fleeing into the arms of Perfume Minimalism, like a drunk to rehab after a weekend bender.”

It is possible to buy Ted Lapidus Rumba over the Internet and it's not expensive. But you can also be lucky to find the original Balenciaga version. So what should you chose? Is there a big difference? I have both and I am going to try and discern one from another. I tell you right away: they are different, but not too different and they are both good. And then there's also Rumba Passion ...

VINTAGE RUMBA BY BALENCIAGA VS. MODERN RUMBA BY TED LAPIDUS

The opening on vintage Rumba by Balenciaga starts already smoky and dense, with a very sweet blast of prunes. It´s like someone left prunes to dry over a hot cloud of burning incense. The opening on modern Ted Lapidus Rumba is fresher and the fruity notes are more abstract. It's not such a dense scent in the first minutes. While Balenciaga's version can suffocate you immediately, Lapidus' still lets you breathe. The modern version is not as sultry and intoxicating or dark and deep. So this can be good or bad depending on what you're looking for. I prefer the vintage almost asphyxiating opening, even though sometimes it prevents me from wearing it. It's bizarre how in vintage formulation the heart notes come up at once within the opening accords. Maybe this is due to oxidation on the top notes, but I feel this in my two vintage bottles. The effect is so strong we could be mistaken and think that there's oud in there. The florals in vintage Rumba are focused on tuberose and carnation. Modern versions are lower in carnation. The smoke is a cigar quality, sweet and thick. All of this comes wrapped in strong leather and honey accords. You are led trough a gourmand, oriental, smoky, sweet trip where everything is too much (well this is a trace of young Ellena, as First can also be described as “too much is more”). The modern Rumba by Ted Lapidus has all the signature effects present in the original edition minus a dose of animalics, but I would say that there is some oxygen between the notes, so that it becomes a bit more wearable. If you can't find Rumba by Balenciaga, you can have more that a glimpse of it in the Lapidus version, so go with it. But if you want to kill everyone around you with monster incense sillage with sickly sweet flowers (there a huge tuberose here) and fruits you would do it more effectively with vintage Rumba. The bottom line is: good reformulation, not the exactly the same, but still very close.

RUMBA PASSION

“Inspired by those irresistible Latin rhythms, Rumba Passion is a melody of sensuous notes caressing and quivering on the skin. A passionate overture sets the tone as effervescent top notes of bergamot sway with the velvety apricot scent of davana. Heart a-flutter, orange blossom and jasmine keep step with a deep rose facet, revealing all the complexity, the rare and imperial character of this floral bouquet. Pulsating base notes of incomparable sensuality waft on a sillage of honeyed, vanilla-touched patchouli. More modern and youthful, this new fragrance enriched with natural essences that preserve the radiant sillage of the original version puts femininity on a pedestal. An elegant, magnetic interpretation of the legendary creation, brought to life with new passion”—Ted Lapidus press release

To be honest, I don't see much relevance in this edition. It is a flanker that sits close to the structure of the main edition, only not as rich. It can be just a bit softer, but the longevity is epic: more than 12 hours. Now, again, this can be good or bad, because I can get tired of a fragrance and this one is loud until its final whispers. In Rumba Passion there is a rebalancing of the original notes. The smoke is a bit faded and the florals are amped up. The fruits are still there. Tuberose is still screaming too, although the official notes mention orange blossom instead. I consider Rumba as a daring unisex fragrance, but this Rumba Passion is more directed towards a feminine side, I would say. The fruity aspect gains in prominence as this moves from an 80s animalic to a 90s typical experimental fruity fragrance. The baroque mood is still played here, in a simpler and a bit more synthetic composition. This is not as complex and in time it gets impossibly sweet to the point of exaggeration. An idea of bubblegum comes to mind at the drydown as the animalic aspect is left for a more pronounced tone of amber and vanilla that follows the sweet white florals. Overall the sweetness of the mother edition is amplified to the extreme and due to the less amount of smoke it turns into a synthetic overdose of sugar at the end. Suitable for those who are into things like Joop Homme, for example.

Rumba by Balenciaga
Top notes: bergamot, plum, basil, peach, orange blossom, raspberry and mirabelle
Middle notes: honey, jasmine, tuberose, carnation, heliotrope, magnolia, gardenia, lily-of-the-valley, orchid, marigold and rose
Base notes: ambergris, vanilla, leather, tonka bean, patchouli, musk, sandalwood, cedar, plum, styrax and oakmoss

Rumba by Ted Lapidus
(as listed on the brand's official website)
Top notes: bergamot, green notes, basil
Middle notes: jasmine, orange blossom, mirabelle, rose
Base notes: oakmoss, sandalwood, amber, patchouli, animalic notes

Rumba Passion by Ted Lapidus
Top notes: Indian davana, rose, bergamot
Middle notes: Spanish labdanum, orange blossom
Base notes: vanilla, Indonesian patchouli, honey

Miguel Matos is a Portuguese journalist obsessed with art and perfume. He is the editor of the art section at Time Out Lisbon and directs his own cultural magazine, Umbigo, besides contributing with texts for museums and art galleries. He collects perfume and is especially fond of vintages. He is a Fragrantica writer, translator and editor ofFragrantica.com.br