The antidote.

After the sucess of Flowerbomb, Viktor & Rolf’s gorgeous women’s fragrance, I was quite excited about their new and only men’s frangrance, Antidote. Now, after a bit of searching and far too many samples, I’ve gotten the real thing.

Above all, Antidote is the perfect expression of the original concept behind Viktor & Rolf “Monsieur”, the line of men’s ready-to-wear launched by the two designers in 2003. Since their first collection, Viktor & Rolf have been working on the idea of the classic men’s wear for the unconventional man. Theirs is an exciting new take in gentlemanly elegance and the authentic lifestyle, from ultra casual to ultra formal. Antidote is the olfactive extension of the point of view.
“A fragrance - especially this one- is a gift and a message. It says who we are and what values we uphold.” Antidote’s complex architecture is like a tailor-made suit. Its richness expresses a new masculine identity with multiple facets. Alchemists of physical appearance, Viktor & Rolf set out to make life more sublime and magical through imagination and art. “Antidote may be our most autobiographical creation to date. It transcends duplication and cloning to uphold a certain spirit.” They offer a revelation of one’s own supreme power, the power of illusion that tells the truth: that one must search deep within the self. Here, fantasy is viewed as a lifestyle, a perpetual struggle, a battle to triumph over danger and overcome all obstacles to happiness. "We speak to men of conviction rather than men of certainties, men that believe in the supreme power of emotion.”
Like a rare flower pinned to the lapel of a black frock coat, Antidote sublimates the intimacy of this gesture, of the singular masculinity that marks every Viktor & Rolf collection... Antidote revives the idea that a man becomes like the star that imparts his strength and light. When a man ingests a remedy, he receives the benefit of its virtues and properties. This remedy is a fragrance and its name is Antidote.
“We don't see power as the arbitrary exercise of authority. We see it as a man's ability to change himself and the world around him. The idea is simple: look within yourself to find strength, like hidden treasure.”

Bearing the signature of the master designer Fabien Baron, the glass bottle with beveled edges is like an apparition: its facets reflect into each other like mirrors. A silvery medicinal plate looks as id it belongs in the secret room if an apothecary, straight out of a wizard’s book of spells... The liquid is green, equidistant from celestial blue and hell-fire red. Antidote dons this hopeful apparel. It clothes renewal in its warm. luminous and regenerating notes like the promise of another Spring: hope, strength, and immortality. An intense black top stamped with a seal made of wax, ready to drip above the void, yet poised, motionless... suspended in time. Opening the Antidote bottle is like seeking truth in the depths of the self, a total immersion in a world of promises and dreams. As if holding a thousand and one magical spells, the box is a mysterious magical box with secrets. The front appeals to the imagination, white like a false collar over a shirt front. Highlighting this formal look black ribbons bearing the famous Viktor & Rolf seal surround this magic box with mystery.

-The Velvet Scientist