City Rhythm Martha’s Vineyard Extrait Parfum 3.4 oz 100ml

Coconut, but dark. Martha's Vineyard opens on a black coconut accord - toasted and husky rather than sunscreen-sweet - with plum and orange zest lifting it, the plum giving a wine-like depth and the zest a quick bright flash across the top. The heart softens things considerably: jasmine, orris root and pale soft woods, powdery and quiet, the orris in particular lending that expensive cosmetic smoothness. Then the base is where the name starts to make sense. Musk, tobacco, vanilla and driftwood build a warm, slightly salty, weathered-wood finish, the tobacco dry and leafy rather than smoky. City Rhythm was aiming at old money and open water, and the combination of plush coconut with dry tobacco is exactly how you get there.

Top: Black coconut, plum, orange zest · Heart: Jasmine, orris root, soft woods · Base: Musk, tobacco, vanilla, driftwood

This is an extrait, and in Miami that matters more than usual. Concentration plus humidity means the coconut and vanilla expand fast, so what feels like a measured two sprays indoors can be four sprays worth on a walk to the car in August. It runs ten to twelve hours on skin, longer on fabric, and it hangs in a room after you leave it. The driftwood and tobacco are what save it from being cloying in the heat - they keep a dry, salt-air edge underneath the sweetness. Apply it low and let it rise, and treat three sprays as a lot rather than a starting point.

Unisex, though it leans plush and slightly feminine. Evenings, cooler months, dinners and anywhere you want a long trail. Too rich for a small office in summer.

City Rhythm fragrances are blended, bottled and boxed by hand, and every batch smells fractionally different for that reason - which is a good argument for trying this one on skin at our Miami Gardens shop before you decide.