Rake & Ruin
Hogarth’s gin-soaked London, from a spiced, sparkling start to smoke and animal shadow.
Perfumer: Julie Dunkley
Rake & Ruin draws on the satirist William Hogarth and calls up the characters of his gin-soaked 18th-century London. A rake is a libertine, and ruin is where he ends up. The botanicals of gin meet dark woods, animal warmth, musk and amber to echo the unsettled mood of the prints.
Angelica, juniper and coriander open alongside liquorice, Szechuan pepper, pink pepper, orange and lemon, giving a sharp, gin-like freshness with a fizz of spice.
The heart turns smoky with cypress, pine needles and cade oil, while castoreum and labdanum bring an animal edge and costus and violet orris add a powdery floral tone. Dark woods, ambrarome, sandalwood and musk close it, alluring but with a faint shadow of menace.
