The arrival of a new Comme des Garçons fragrance elicits a visceral Christmas-morning kind of response around this office. The bag arrives, heads swivel around in cubicles, and before you know it, a crowd has gathered to inhale the complex, often esoteric, blend. And so it went yesterday, when CDG’s new LUXE series graced us with its presence. Using the finest ingredients, the idea was to hone in on two ancient aromas and build around them: Champaca, the mythical flower from the magnolia family that has long been used in Hindu ceremonies, has a ritualistic, powdery, incense-like undertone that is rounded out in flacon form by hints of white pepper, cardamom, white musk, and iris. Patchouli, which harvests its titular ingredient from Sumatra, is something of an effort in redemption. Liberally used by born-again hippies—and by some of the world’s best noses as a grounding base note—the earthy, spice-laced leaf is sort of misunderstood by the masses. Blended here with a soy accord, cedarwood, and oakmoss, it has a savory quality at first, which tapers into a dank, resinous richness. “No expense has been spared in the choice of materials,” reads the perfumes’ release, although the true mark of luxury in this offering just might be its packaging. Each scent comes housed in two interconnected metallic red boxes: One holds the lacquered black bottle, the other is completely empty for dichotomy and, well, because they could. How lavish is that?
No comments:
Post a Comment