“Who needs love when there is still cognac in the glass?”
Philip Sava
***
The early exploration writing of Philip Sava bent the limits of post-modern fiction, revealing fantastical worlds that fooled many into believing they were, in fact, real. Sava’s kaleidoscopic collections, of which Memoirs of a Trespasser is the undeniable centerpiece, drew upon true experiences from his exotic travels but were infused with a hallucinatory inventiveness that set his work apart from others in the genre.
Though Sava had associates all over the world, he spent most of his time living in solitude on a ranch in southern Madagascar. When interrogated by the press on his cloistered lifestyle he notoriously answered, “Who needs love when you have cognac?”
***
When to wear: A true adventure scent, wear Memoirs of a Trespasser when travelling, and again when you’re back home to conjure comforting memories.
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
This is the scent of a private room after the conversation has thinned out: a glass left on the table, warm wood in the air, and a quiet confidence that feels slightly untouchable. It suits close company, introspective evenings and anyone who prefers presence to performance.
How to wear
Best in cool weather, where the cognac and vanilla can bloom without turning heavy. Apply lightly to let the woody base stay polished and intimate; a couple of sprays is enough for a smooth, enveloping trail that feels richer in still air than in heat.
Who it’s for
For those who like boozy woods, sweet resinous warmth and fragrances with a sensual, slightly literary edge. It will appeal to wearers who enjoy unisex scents that feel textured, cozy and a little decadent rather than crisp or transparent.
The nose
Josh Meyer is the self-taught nose behind Imaginary Authors, a Portland niche house he began building in his basement before launching the brand in 2012. His style leans toward inventive, wearable compositions built from distinctive ingredient trios, with an emphasis on narrative and texture rather than formulaic crowd-pleasing. Across the line, Meyer’s work tends to feel literary and concept-driven, but still practical on skin: unusual accords are shaped into fragrances that are vivid, memorable and easy to wear. Memoirs of a Trespasser fits that approach with its boozy woods and vanilla warmth, a composition that reads like a story while remaining grounded in a clear, sensual structure.
Collaborators
Ashod Simonian shaped the brand’s visual and narrative identity, creating the illustrations and fictional framing that give the fragrance its novel-like character. His contribution is central to the concept of Memoirs of a Trespasser, where the scent is presented as part of a larger imagined literary world rather than as a standalone formula.
Imaginary Authors’s story
Imaginary Authors treats perfume as storytelling: each scent is built like the synopsis of a fictional book, designed to provoke memory, imagination and personal association. The house favors bold, characterful compositions and distinctive packaging, with an identity that is literary, playful and deliberately unconventional.
Memoirs of a Trespasser’s concept
Memoirs of a Trespasser is presented through the persona of Philip Sava, a solitary writer whose work and life blur fact and fiction. The fragrance’s world of travel, cognac and remote exile reinforces the brand’s signature idea of perfume as an invented narrative, where scent becomes the atmosphere of a story rather than a literal description of it.
Extra info
The fragrance is built around Philip Sava, a fictional author created by Imaginary Authors to anchor the scent’s narrative. Its bottle and packaging follow the house’s book-inspired concept, making each perfume feel like a title on an imaginary shelf.
“Who needs love when there is still cognac in the glass?”
Philip Sava
***
The early exploration writing of Philip Sava bent the limits of post-modern fiction, revealing fantastical worlds that fooled many into believing they were, in fact, real. Sava’s kaleidoscopic collections, of which Memoirs of a Trespasser is the undeniable centerpiece, drew upon true experiences from his exotic travels but were infused with a hallucinatory inventiveness that set his work apart from others in the genre.
Though Sava had associates all over the world, he spent most of his time living in solitude on a ranch in southern Madagascar. When interrogated by the press on his cloistered lifestyle he notoriously answered, “Who needs love when you have cognac?”
***
When to wear: A true adventure scent, wear Memoirs of a Trespasser when travelling, and again when you’re back home to conjure comforting memories.
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
This is the scent of a private room after the conversation has thinned out: a glass left on the table, warm wood in the air, and a quiet confidence that feels slightly untouchable. It suits close company, introspective evenings and anyone who prefers presence to performance.
How to wear
Best in cool weather, where the cognac and vanilla can bloom without turning heavy. Apply lightly to let the woody base stay polished and intimate; a couple of sprays is enough for a smooth, enveloping trail that feels richer in still air than in heat.
Who it’s for
For those who like boozy woods, sweet resinous warmth and fragrances with a sensual, slightly literary edge. It will appeal to wearers who enjoy unisex scents that feel textured, cozy and a little decadent rather than crisp or transparent.
The nose
Josh Meyer is the self-taught nose behind Imaginary Authors, a Portland niche house he began building in his basement before launching the brand in 2012. His style leans toward inventive, wearable compositions built from distinctive ingredient trios, with an emphasis on narrative and texture rather than formulaic crowd-pleasing. Across the line, Meyer’s work tends to feel literary and concept-driven, but still practical on skin: unusual accords are shaped into fragrances that are vivid, memorable and easy to wear. Memoirs of a Trespasser fits that approach with its boozy woods and vanilla warmth, a composition that reads like a story while remaining grounded in a clear, sensual structure.
Collaborators
Ashod Simonian shaped the brand’s visual and narrative identity, creating the illustrations and fictional framing that give the fragrance its novel-like character. His contribution is central to the concept of Memoirs of a Trespasser, where the scent is presented as part of a larger imagined literary world rather than as a standalone formula.
Imaginary Authors’s story
Imaginary Authors treats perfume as storytelling: each scent is built like the synopsis of a fictional book, designed to provoke memory, imagination and personal association. The house favors bold, characterful compositions and distinctive packaging, with an identity that is literary, playful and deliberately unconventional.
Memoirs of a Trespasser’s concept
Memoirs of a Trespasser is presented through the persona of Philip Sava, a solitary writer whose work and life blur fact and fiction. The fragrance’s world of travel, cognac and remote exile reinforces the brand’s signature idea of perfume as an invented narrative, where scent becomes the atmosphere of a story rather than a literal description of it.
Extra info
The fragrance is built around Philip Sava, a fictional author created by Imaginary Authors to anchor the scent’s narrative. Its bottle and packaging follow the house’s book-inspired concept, making each perfume feel like a title on an imaginary shelf.