I don’t do hats, so I know next to nothing about British milliner Stephen Jones. The Telegraph says “he is the best in the business”*, and I’ll have to take their word for it. Jones reportedly met designer Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons by chance in the Anchorage airport back in the 1980s**, and they’ve collaborated (on hats and whatnot, presumably) since then. The Comme des Garçons + Stephen Jones fragrance debuted earlier this year, and Jones’ description of the scent — “futuristic but rococo” and “a violet that’s been hit by a meteorite” — along with the perfect, just-like-a-hat packaging, placed it at the top of my “must smell” list.
The juice was developed by perfumer Antoine Maisondieu, who also did the wonderful Comme des Garçons Hinoki fragrance for Monocle magazine earlier this year, and I’m happy to report that it’s exactly as advertised, in fact, if “a violet that’s been hit by a meteorite” appeals to you, you’d probably do just as well to stop reading now and get yourself a sample. It’s an iris-y sort of violet, very dry, over what could quite reasonably be described as the smell of smoldering space rocks, with perhaps a bit of scorched wood thrown in for good measure. If you want another description, Tania Sanchez called it “Chanel No 22 with a top note of fried green peppers and overheated inkjet printer”***, and that works too. The notes, if that helps, are violet, violet leaf, ‘synthesized cyber aldehyde’, clove, carnation, rose, jasmine, heliotrope, gaiac wood, magma, black cumin, vetiver and amber.
It’s a little offbeat — it’s exactly the edgy sort of violet I was hoping for when I reviewed Maisondieu’s decidedly not edgy violet, Van Cleef & Arpels Féerie — but I don’t think it’s overly weird or difficult to wear, and once it dries down and the aldehydes have a chance to calm, it’s softer and smoother, with more of a floral character. Still, if you’re looking for pretty (or feminine), you’d be better off with the Féerie, or some other violet altogether. Personally, I’d love to have a bottle of the Stephen Jones, but as usual it’s priced a bit outside of my range, especially given my already ridiculous perfume spending this year.
Comme des Garçons + Stephen Jones is available in 55 ml Eau de Toilette (£75 in the UK; $150-$175 in the US). For buying information, see the listing for Comme des Garçons under Perfume Houses.
* via The Telegraph, 11/24/2008.
** via International Herald Tribune, 1/10/2006.
*** via The Times Online, 11/23/2008, and lest you think she meant it as a complaint, note that it was suggested as a “top new pick for women”.
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Thanks Robin! I have my sample from Luckyscent on the way
I have so many pre-associations with this one, it's difficult for me to call it up in my mind, in spite of your excellent review. There is the connection between the space rocks and the violet scented Guerlain Meteorites (both the makeup and the perfume). And then there's the fact that I think “violets hit by a meteorite” would make a pretty good description for the new Malle, too. Sounds quite different, though.
It does make me wonder if there is some violet perfume accord named after meteorites, though!
Exactly what I was thinking, too!
How does this compare to DtB, R? Even Meteorites?
Hugs!
I'll take Philip Treacy over Stephen Jones for my mad hats, but this sounds kinda fabulous…
Hope you'll like it!
Ok — Meteorites is (to me) girly-pretty violet. This is the opposite — very dry, not at all feminine, and the top note really does smell like dusty/dry/warm rocks — think of whatever that dusty mineral note is in the base of Terre d'Hermes, but with bigger (aldehydic) sillage. It doesn't have that sort of weird “smell of warm skin” thing that DtB has, and it isn't as earthy or as musky, in fact, it's sort of clean, if you can think of a mineral note as being clean.
Of course I don't know him either, and never will unless he does a perfume!
There was an article on Stephen Jones about a year ago in W and… if you like Comme des Garcons's clothes, you'll probably like his hats. Otherwise, you're looking at them funny.
I love the smell of violets in real life (mostly by fond association) but I still haven't gotten a nice whiff of them in perfume. This does sound rather nice, though.
Bottle looks much like Secret Obsession. Almost alarmingly so.
Somehow, the minimal buzz about this just hasn't sparked my fancy. Maybe too many CdG launches this year? Maybe the fact that seeing the word “aldehydic” makes me back off — way way off?
I like violets, I like the mineral aspects of Terre d'Hermes, and I like dry. Fried green pepper and inkjet printer, not so much, but that does make me a little curious. I overlooked Hinoki Wood, I can overlook this too… but I still like Dans tes Bras, so I've gotten my violet fix for the season. Thanks for the review and for doing the sniffing work so sometimes we don't have to!
ITA about Philip Treacy…
Boy that sounds delicious. I need to get a sample. And I love its wee hatbox!
Oh my, I don't want to work myself up in too much anticipation and end up dissapointed but “dusty/dry/warm rocks” sounds addiction worthy. Even though Lesnez's “L'antimatiare” reminded me of the sweetish scent exuding from an alcoholic, there was also a subtle dryness to it that reminded me of stones warmed by sun, so I couldn't snub it completely.
The pollen note in Serge Lutens “Gris Clair” does that for me, too, but the lavender in it is so distinctly masculine–I've battled over buying “Gris Clair” because of this, despite it's being so achingly beautiful. The mineral-like powder of Prada's “Infusion d'Iris” is also what saved it from being too sweet for me. Would you say that “Stephen Jones” is particularily sweet? Is there anything of Theirry Mugler's “Alien” in it (i.e., pictachio, windex and solar heat…but bizzarely pleasant for it)?
I was interested in this when you announced it – now it is heading to the top of my to-try list! Lo
ve that one of the notes is magma – not an easy thing to get close enough to to sniff!!
How very interesting. I will get a sample when I do my ginourmous end-of-year reward-to-self perfume order from TPC. And I am with March in thinking that the wee hat boxie is quite the thing.
Re: hats: I recall watching the celebration of Charles & Camilla's wedding a few years back and enjoying all the amazing hats on display. Not that I live that kind of lifestyle, but if I did, I would certainly rock the avant-garde hats.
This is nothing more than a Google image search, but it will give you an idea:
http://images.google.com/images?q=philip+treacy+hats&sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS286US286&um=1&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title
Of course, I can't afford either Treacy or Jones in my wildest dreams, so the point is very much moot!
No, not sweet, and don't get any association with Alien at all…
Fun hats!! But happily, have no need for one.
I like their clothes only in the abstract — that is, I don't need or want them, but they're fun to look at.
There's been some discussion about the SO likeness over at MakeupAlley. Hard to say which bottle got dreamed up first…
I think in the end I like Hinoki better (anyway, I can afford it better!), but these are 2 of my favorite niche launches of the year for sure. But yeah, if there are any you can save the time & $$ by not smelling, by all means!
Ooooh, what fun — do you have a huge list, or are you going to buy it all spur of the moment??
I am neither a violet not an iris lover so perhaps it's jsut as well that I can't find a sample.
Do they use the box to hide the fact they copied Calvin Klein's Secret Obsession bottle or what?
Space rocks….I'm intrigued! How did “magma” end up in a bottle? I have to try to get hold of a sample!
I really like the bottle too (and obviously, the box), the CK secret obsession was a weird shape of an onion (what were they thinking?) but this….very pretty. Space rock and violets in fusion would look like this, mais non?
With my meager budget for perfumes, sometimes visiting this blog is 'sweet torture'. haha This appeals to me so much and to top it all off – that packaging! *sigh* I'll have to stick with my “Iris Noir” from Yves Rocher [@ $25/bottle when it goes on 1/2 price sale] when I get a hankering for violet/iris. I actually do love the 'Iris Noir' and the Secrets d'Essences line in general is surprisingly fine imo. The Rose Absolue reminds me very much of YSL Paris – of how I remember it anyway. I wish they would change up the bottle styles for each fragrance though. Sorry, I digress – this Stephen Jones scent sounds so darn cool, I'll have to at least give it a sniff and torment myself.
… molten river of woods, sure, but not magma.
Space rocks. . . . makes me think of that candy my parents didn't want me to eat when I was a kid, Pop Rocks (Space Dust in the UK). You know, the fruity and fizzy stuff that pops on your tongue? Although the note here is definitely a “stone” note, nothing fruity about it.
LOL — true enough.
Hey, for all we know this bottle was designed long before CK's!
Dry warm violet space rocks- this sounds like a winner! thanks for the review, R.
That YR series is wonderful, really. I wish they'd do a violet, and still looking forward to smelling the jasmine one.
I *loved* Pop Rocks!!! And another one, can't remember the name for sure but it might have been Zotz? Similar effect in the mouth — sort of fizzled up…
Ditto. I used to eat Pop Rocks w/ Tab.
Now I've officially dated myself!
I am bursting with excitement to try this – when I was at Scent Bar a couple weeks ago I just missed smelling this (they got it in stock shortly afterwards).
Spacey violets and CdG – I am SO there.
Hoping it's much different than Dans Tes Bras, which I love, but I don't need 2 of the same scent.
You're welcome, & hope you'll like it
Oh my gosh, I LOVED Zotz! I think it was some kind of baking soda/acid reaction that made it fizzle. Perfect with Zarex!
Had to google Zarex — can't imagine how it is that I never came across it before!
Well, I have a big wish list on TPC, but I will probably decide on a lot of things at the time I order. Those kinds of occasions are what makes your index of reviews so useful – to jog the memory of “oh yeah, I want to try that”. I find lately that I get more pleasure and use out of the samples I own than the full bottles, so ordering a bunch of 1 ml decants is an exciting prospect.
By the way, I need to find something that closely resembles Marechale by Crown, which is of course, discontinued, and which I have fallen in love with. Any suggestions?
Marechale Original is my signature scent and there is nothing that compares to it. Marechale 90 is not the same and I think that you will have spent quite a lot and not get any of the same qualities as in the original. I have checked the Anglia fragrance line and, although some are very nice, none resembles Marechale Original.
Oh and yes, I do have one of the Baccarat bottles!
Sounds like fun, and I feel the same about samples — don't know why I ever buy full bottles these days.
You know you can get Marechale at Parfums Raffy for 2,500…but they've also got Marechale 90, a lighter version which I haven't tried, for $85, and they do have samples. Other than that, no advice, although Anglia Perfumery in the UK has recreated a few Crown scents and maybe they'll do more…I suppose it's possible that their “Velvet Rose” is a take on Marechale, but it doesn't sound much the same.
Thank you, I will look into Anglia. And yes, I did know about the $2,500 bottle of Marechale. I suppose the Marechale 90 will have to do. I'll just spray a lot on!
I may have posted my reply to your query in the wrong place. Please check the thread for a detailed comparison of Marechale Original to 90. My advice – don’t by the 90!
You can buy a lot of Marchale 90 for $2500
I love this, weird, but elegant.
It made me dig out an old CDG shirt from the eighties, plain white dress shirt with long streamers like shoelaces from the shoulders.
Weird but elegant is a good description
Today I got my sample of this amazing scent! It's so wonderful to smell something different. I'm reminded of those violet candies packaged like mints in purple foil. They were sold at the drugstore counter when I was a kid (for me it was the K&B in New Orleans). Does anyone remember the name?
I don't remember those!
I asked my mom and she thinks they were just called violets.
You’re referring to Howard’s Violet candies and gum. They are manufactured by the C. Howard Company from Bohemia, New York. Their motto is “A delicious confection – fragrance that refreshes”.
My GOD, this is great stuff.
I do wish I had a bottle.