Bleecker Street is the 24th and most recent in Bond no. 9′s series of perfumes celebrating famous neighborhoods in New York City. Bleecker Street is a fashionable shopping destination in the West Village, and also the location of the newest Bond no. 9 boutique. The fragrance was created by perfumer David Apel and features notes of violet leaf, cassis, thyme, jasmine, cedar, cinnamon, oakmoss, suede, patchouli, amber and vanilla.
Early reports that the Bleecker Street fragrance would pay tribute to the Magnolia Bakery (initially famous for their cupcakes, now famous for being featured on Sex & the City) down the street led me to assume that it would be a sweet, dessert-like gourmand. That is not quite what it turns out to be. Bond no. 9 is calling it a “woody gourmand oriental”, which is somewhat closer to the mark.
Bleecker Street starts very green and herbal, with perhaps a touch of bergamot. The wood undertones are immediately apparent, but for the most part the thyme has the stage and it does not relinquish its position until far into the drydown. If you pay close attention, you will catch the cinnamon, and early on I smelled a very slight hint of caramelized vanilla, but the main feature of the mid-notes is a strong “fresh” accord, something vaguely marine or ozonic.
The dry down is woody-earthy-mossy. It is very well-blended and smooth, and no particular note stands out. It stays very fresh, and despite the gourmand notes, it does not have an edible vibe, nor is it at all sweet. I find it too fresh to appeal to me personally; fans of Bond’s Wall Street or Hamptons fragrances might find it more to their taste. My favorite from this line is still Eau de New York, although I would readily concede that Chinatown is the most interesting and captivating fragrance Bond has released to date.
Bleecker Street is a unisex fragrance, and is available in 50 and 100 ml bottles of Eau de Parfum. As with all the Bond no. 9 fragrances, the lasting power is excellent, and the bottle, designed by artist Rachel Katz, is stunning.
For buying information, see the listing for Bond no. 9 under Perfume Houses.
Related review: Bond no. 9 New Haarlem
46 Comments
Read more about commenting at Now Smell This.
The gourmand aspect was lost on my skin…but that's ok, I liked Bleecker Street just the way it is
I wouldn't say it full bottle worthy, but I would like a decant for next summer. My two FBW favorites are Chinatown and West Broadway.
It has a unique looking bottle but I definitely can not stand anything that seems aquatic. I will definitely be passing on this.
I've been on the search for a fragrance that has the warmth and depth without the suffication and demand for attention, and Bleecker St has to offer. I am a huge fan of the vanilla, violet and patchouli (they are most prominent on my skin) which has been blended sensibly. I didn't catch the aquatic notes, but I do agree that it is a overall fresh appeal to the scent. I like how Bleecker St played with my emotions (first smelling it on a strip and then on my skin) however, I think the bottle is a miss.
Hi R! Loved reading your review. I must admit that I love Bond No. 9 bottles but not the perfumes . There is something in all the drydown that I find not terrific or highly impressive. I do like Chinatown though.
Also, they are pretty expensive expensive for what they are. Just my one euro cent.
I think Parislondres is right about the price. I would rather get a Hermessence scent over any of the Bond scents.
I was disappointed, I was hoping for a sweet gourmand, or something a little different than most of line. It smelled pretty generic Bond to me and on the masculine side.
M, was trying to decide if this was a summer or fall scent to my nose. It is fresh, but not light by any means. Still love that bottle!
C, if you haven't tried it, don't give up yet. There is nothing aquatic listed and perhaps it is just me…
Ah, we are exact opposites: I would love to have that bottle but the fragrance is a miss for me. I hardly notice the patchouli, vanilla or violet.
Glad you found a fragrance that you love though!
N, They are very expensive unless you buy by the ounce in the store, which I forgot to mention in the post (oops). I do love those bottles though!
C, I never thought about them being basically the same price, but they are. Interesting point. I think the Hermessences are overpriced too — but they are among my favorite fragrances in the world & so I'll pay what they charge. Thank heavens for the discovery sets!
I was disappointed in this one. The fresh, super green violet-leaf dominated, aquatic opening was something of a snooze. Pleasant if you like that kind of thing, but lacked something to give it extra interest. Gourmand aspects were MIA. A strange release overall. My favorite Bond is still Chinatown, although I've come to really like Eau de New York. You're right that for the cost, the star bottles are really only if you like collecting bottles; if you want the juice, it really is much more economical to buy by the ounce in the store.
Although now that I read the rest of the comments, it isn't just me…
V, wasn't really hoping for a sweet gourmand myself, just thought that was what I would get. Actually wondered initially if I got the wrong sample.
This manages to miss the mark for me anyway. Agree that it teeters towards the masculine side of things, although that rather bothers me in itself.
T, thinking that less “fresh” and more cinnamon would have accomplished the extra interest, at least for me. Of course, when Bond no. 9 starts designing with me in mind they may as well close up shop and be done with it
I wonder if your OY by Hermes lasts longer than the Bond scents? I am curious because the Hermessence is an edt and the Bonds are edp I believe.I know that Ambre Narguile lasts 7-8 hours but my bond scent seems to fade pretty rapidly after 3-4hr.
I thought that it was very confusing, because I was led to expect something else. At any rate, it is nicely done, and I actually enjoy the herbaceous notes of the opening.
See, that'd be brilliant. More cinnamon! But then I'd get a rash. But it'd be an interesting rash!
You should totally hire yourself out to Laurice as a consultant.
LOL — I'll let you know when she calls
C, I am so surprised…with a few exceptions the Bonds last forever on me. Ambre Narguile & Vetiver Tonka both have excellent lasting power, despite being EdTs. They are like EdPs. The OY is more typically EdT though, after 3 hours, I can still smell it but it is light enough that it is no longer interesting to me unless I re-apply.
Thought I didn't smelled them next to eachother, I did find a strange similarity between Chinatown and KenzoJungle Elephant.
V, We are opposites there. It was too much thyme for me — something about thyme in fragrance always makes me think of roasting poultry. I liked the drydown better.
C, have never smelled Jungle Elephant but have seen the comparison before. Will have to look for it!
Lovely review.
I will try and sniff this one out at Harvey Nicks on Saturday.
Barry
I blush to admit that I have not tried any of the Bonds. I must. I live in the Chicago area and have to find out where they lurk.
You know what I love about your reviews? It seems that every time I have a question while reading, you immediately answer that question. This time it was “I wonder what Robin's favorite Bond is?” and, boom, you answered. Responsive reviewing…it's kind of like talking.
I have on Hermes Yunnan that I received as a sample this morning. After your review I called Hermes in NY and they obliged. I got all the Hermessences and a few others. Been samplin' a lot of citrusy things as it happens lately — Parfums de Nicolai Eau d'Ete; Hierbas de Ibiza; Etro Lemon Sorbet — all lovely and I'm not yet sure where I rank this.
B, Let me know what you think. Do you like any of the earlier Bond scents?
J, Thank you! Does Chicago have a big Saks? That would be the most likely bet, and I think someone told me that some of the Saks stores even sell by the ounce as they do at the Bond boutiques.
So glad Hermes sent you samples. What did you think of the others — Vetiver Tonka, etc?
Hmmmm. All you need say is “suede” and “aquatic/ozone” and I run for the hills. Suede notes remind me of the overall smell of a big dept. store perfume dept. The Bonds do last forever on the skin and it's too damn bad I don't like ONE of them overall. They do not “smell” expensive either…unlike the Hermessences which do have something “extra.” I'll run in The Perfume Shoppe tomorrow…will be in Vancouver to see some nuns get their heads chopped off (opera don't you know!) HA! K
R – sadly I am not interested in ounce sizes of Bond No. 9 perfumes because I have fallen for any.
I so agree with KeviSantal below!
Thanks to some of you lovely American friends, I have had the opportunity to try almost all with a few exceptions.
K, suede I can live with, marine notes only very rarely. Envy your trip to the Perfume Shoppe, they have a lovely selection. Find out if they are going to get the repackaged Laura Tonatto scents, and do enjoy watching heads roll
N, I know — didn't really mean for you, just that I should have mentioned it. Hope you're feeling better today, BTW!
Jan – the Bonds can be found at Saks on Michigan Avenue. Like Robin, my favorite is Eau de New York (sort of a crisp floral-citrus green-mossy summery fragrance), but I don't find any of them full-bottle-worthy.
I must try your tactic with the Hermessences samples, but I'm afraid I might really like one of them!
Hi R! I feel a lot better thanks! Hope you are feeling better too.
)
Will do. K
Those of us in Vancouver are very lucky to have a boutique like the Perfume Shoppe. In addition to their interesting selection of fragrances, their service is wonderful – they will happily chat to you about perfume and let you sniff to your heart's content!
Highly recommended to fragrance-junkies visiting Vancouver.
Like most others, I was disappointed in this scent, though I found the bottle, well, interesting. I do really like Chinatown (both the scent and the bottle) and (one that hasn't been mentioned yet, I think), New Haarlem. I have a candle of this that I adore (the candles are very attractive, too), as well a number of the candy-wrapper samples. Got a number of the other ones in samples, but I haven't made a full survey yet.
J, Marlen reviewed New Haarlem awhile back. It is not my favorite — don't like patchouli, don't like lavender, so no surprise there. But it is certainly one of the more popular scents in the line on the fragrance boards. How is the quality of the candle?
Would kill to have a store like that in my town! Of course, then I'd end up destitute & homeless anyway…
I sampled Bleecker Street last night – as mentioned by others, it wasn't what I was expecting (a foody gourmand with cupcake note) BUT I like it a lot anyway! It is fresh and green and doesn't have a nasty aquatic note. My bottle is already on the way from Saks.com.
T, so glad you love it, and don't get the aquatic thing I smell. Will envy you that lovely bottle!
Really good, I think (although I'm not a candle-quality expert). And it comes in a nice Bond purple jar with a bronze subway token top.
Thanks, I'm very tempted by the Chinatown candle even though I don't love the scent on my skin. I think it would be a perfect room scent, and the jar is gorgeous.
9 Bleecker Street Perfume. Go to Number Nine Bleecker Street and see what it smells like before you buy this perfume. There are 8 cats there and the place smells like cat piss!
The company is named Bond no. 9 after their location on Bond Street in Noho. Mind you, it might smell just as bad on Bond Street as it does on Bleecker Street, I've never been there
I was disappointed with this one
. This isn’t gourmandy at all! It’s kinda growing on me, though
Sounds like you like enough of the Bond line already!