Next month, Comme des Garçons will launch their second fragrance in collaboration with Monocle magazine, Scent Two: Laurel. Scent One: Hinoki, launched in 2008.
Inspired by a trip to the Bekaa Valley…
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Comme des Garcons + Monocle Scent Two: Laurel ~ new fragrance
Van Cleef & Arpels Muguet Blanc ~ perfume review
After immediately falling head over heels in love with Bois d’Iris, to the tune of $185, I took my time about the other five fragrances in the Collection Extraordinaire from Van Cleef & Arpels. As it turns out, they’re all nicely done, and I can see why Gardénia Pétale in particular has found admirers. But none of them made me catch my breath other than the Muguet Blanc, and my reaction to that one was not entirely positive.
Here’s what Neiman Marcus has to say about Muguet Blanc:
Muguet Blanc showcases the purity, innocence and much-anticipated beauty of one of springtime’s first flowers. A green, joyous and incredibly delicate arrangement, graceful lily-of-the-valley is enhanced with exotic white peony, radiant neroli and uplifting white cedar.
For the most part, that’s right on the money; the part I’m going to quibble about is mostly the “joyous”. To explain why, I need to back up. A little warning before I proceed: those of you who are sick to death of hearing me wax nostalgic about the lost glory days of perfumery, move on, there’s nothing else to read here today…
Acqua di Parma Magnolia Nobile ~ perfume review
Magnolia Nobile is the latest from Acqua di Parma, and it joins 2004′s Iris Nobile in what I suppose will now be the Nobile collection or somesuch. The inspiration reportedly comes from “the gardens of majestic villas along Lake Como, graced with magnolia trees”, and that romantic, upscale vision is a pretty good prelude to the perfume itself.
Magnolia Nobile starts off with fresh green citrus, in the same mode as the fresh green citrus that’s in everything lately: Versace Versense, Bvlgari Omnia Green Jade, Chanel Cristalle Eau Verte. It’s crisp and diffusive but lacks real sparkle, and I wonder if this is simply the new style, or if it’s the result of the recent IFRA restrictions on natural citrus oils? Whatever it is, it does not make my heart sing: it’s too fresh, and all of these perfumes remind me, to one degree or another, of functional products — nicely done functional products, to be sure, but still…
Etat Libre d’Orange Fat Electrician ~ new fragrance
Earlier this year, French niche line Etat Libre d’Orange launched Fat Electrician, a “semi-modern” vetiver fragrance:
His beauty would have been his greatest asset. One imagines he was raised in the big air of Texas…
Acqua di Parma Magnolia Nobile ~ new perfume
Acqua di Parma will launch Magnolia Nobile, a new floral fragrance for women, in July. Along with Iris Nobile, which launched in 2004, the new scent will be marketed as part of the Acqua di Parma Nobili Collection for women.
Magnolia Nobile was developed by perfumer Antoine Maisondieu…
