Virtuous

Virtuous opens green and unusual - watery hyacinth, basil and a vegetal green bell pepper - the budget echo of Maison Margiela's polarising Wicked Love. That bell pepper note gives it a distinctive raw-green, almost garden-stem character that, as in the original, will divide opinion. The heart softens into jasmine and rose, white florals that ground the greenery into something prettier and more wearable. The drydown is clean and woody: cedar, vetiver and white musk, that smooth skin-musk finish that keeps the green edge from feeling harsh. Where the Margiela leans fully into its sweet-and-challenging duality with a memorable, conversation-starting trail, this version reads flatter and gentler, the bell pepper tamed and the projection closer to the skin. Still, it captures the daring, green-floral spirit of Wicked Love - distinctive and refined, lovely for spring and summer casual days - at a budget price, even if the original's full provocative complexity is only suggested.