All about Angel by Mugler why you should try it.
Writing about Angel is rather hard, not only because of the complexity of the composition but also because a plethora of things has been said, written and documented over the years about this infamous star. Launched in 1992 by Mugler (back then Thierry Mugler), Angel is a super-perfume *insert nuclear bomb gif here*, marketed for women. In terms of notes, it is heavy patchouli-infused chocolate, fruity vanilla. With a tremendous sillage and lasting for ages, Angel shook the perfume industry and it still does. Here are some of the reasons why you should give it a go.
The originality:
Angel is a perfume you might love or hate, but surely you will come to agree on one thing: it is a unique experience. The contrast of the intense, musky and earthy patchouli with the fruity and vanillic chocolate, is an immersive journey that won’t leave you indifferent.
The gender-bending quality:
The complex, contrasting nature of the composition is what made Angel a polarizing perfume both for critics and consumers. The gender-bending touch -or should I say punch-, is the overdose of patchouli, which feels aggressively masculine.
The aesthetic of Mugler is hyper-feminine, hyper-masculine and everything in between. It is, in a paradigm of new excesses, a nod to androgyny and originality: the expression of self, regardless of social constructs.
In 2020, we have come to terms with the idea already that perfume can be a unisex experience no matter what name, colour or “gender” it may be. And for that reason, we have to give credit to Mugler for paving the way (along with many others) into a more open-minded way of enjoying perfume.
The futuristic approach:
Angel and Thierry Mugler as a designer exalts the imagination with retro-futuristic references and avant-garde creativity. Angel was the first perfume to have chocolate listed as one of the ingredients and with its creation, a whole perfume world was invented: the olfactory group now knowns as ‘Gourmands’ (in French, “edible”).
This new classification includes perfumes with ingredients such as chocolate, vanilla, praline, candy floss, cookies, and so on. In this sense, Mugler also preceded brands such as Lolita Lempicka, Viktor and Rolf, Tom Ford, to mention a few.
Wish upon a star:
I love Angel because most of all it feeds my childhood dreams. I love how it is defiant from a stylistic point of view and how it created new possibilities for the perfume industry. In a way, it is an invitation to imagine, to discover, to re-write impossibles into new possibilities. It signifies the new ideas, desires, metaphors that have not yet materialized into this dimension but are ‘dormant’ in our minds.
What do you think about Angel? Have you tried it? What innovations do you want to see in perfumery in this decade? If you enjoyed this review, let me know in a comment below. I would love to hear from you!