Comme des Garçons + Artek: Standard

Have your ears ever been flooded with the sound of nothingness? The ear-splitting hum and jet-engine buzz of silence? Indulge me and imagine, if you will, a vast wintery landscape in northern Finland... a place still unspoiled by the invasive tendrils of man, where the sky is fathomless, and the point at which it meets the horizon, vitreous. Nature, in its purest, most undiluted form, has a drone of its own... one you're never truly conscious of until you train your ears to it. It's like the thrum of the refrigerator in the next room. Resolute, cold and unabating. It is in this particular environment that the Nordic nations have flourished for millennia, and indeed one that has influenced their culture, lifestyle and design vernacular.

Artek is a Finnish furniture company that has existed for over 75 years, and one which prides itself on the preservation of conceptual design sensibilities and technical expertise in production. Doing away with frivolous ornamentation, their aesthetic embraces the pure and simplest forms and materials found in nature. In 2009, Artek collaborated with designers/perfumers Comme des Garçons to create Standard; a fragrance whose intent was to remain analogous with Artek's design ideology.

Standard is a unisex scent, packaged in a stone-grey matte glass flacon, which is surprisingly cold to the touch. Although at first glance the bottle perhaps resembles an uninteresting basic building block, it is distinctly Scandinavian in style: straightforward, stark and unadorned. The scent itself is equally as austere, and I think therein lies its beauty. Comme des Garçons are masters of their craft... here they've created a scent that captures the bleak cold of a Scandinavian night; frigid, unpolluted and unrelenting. There are fascinating synthetic accords of metal and corrosion present that speak of Artek's architectural / manufacturing heritage, which are cleverly juxtaposed against components from the natural world. There are crisp lemony / green nuances that are played off against tea leaves, blonde woods and saffron. I feel if there were ever such a thing as 'green frankincense', then it would smell like this.

Standard, though flinty and somewhat unemotional, is a triumph in that it represents the clever marriage of conceptual ideas from both celebrated houses. It embraces the avant garde for which Comme des Garçons are renowned, but also pays hommage to the landscape and aesthetic enjoyed by the Finnish.

Standard lasts approximately 8 hours on my skin, even if applied sparingly. One to be tried.

Very Good Wood: Comme des Garcons - Wonderwood

Our inventive friends at Comme des Garçons have been busy whittling away the hours perfecting their most recent perfume offering Wonderwood - a thorough exploration of wood in all of its incarnations. This eau de parfum is a medley of woody accords both natural and synthetic that bewitch and bewlider... it is somehow sappy and damp, but also smokey and dry at the same time. Wonderwood is mysterious and unsettling... it fosters all the fear a child would face when finding himself lost in the woods at night, frightened and disoriented. It is black as ink, and yet still manages to evoke sensations of warmth and luxuriousness.

Supporting the Comme des Garcons avant-garde ideology, Wonderwood is unique in that the structure of the perfume is focused more on the heartnotes instead of the basenotes. It opens with bergamot, pepper, incense and nutmeg, and then shifts into a dense heart of cristalon (a rich, plummy, fruity accord), cashmeran, guaiacwood, cyprus, cedar and caraway. These aspects swell at the core of this scent and provide the framework for the perfume. Beneath, synthetic accords of javinol and pachminol (balsamic sandalwood/rose) are grafted onto true notes of sandalwood, vetiver and oud.

The result: an explosively good wood!

Wonderwood requires liberal application, otherwise if applied to sparingly, once the stunning heartnotes have diminished, you might not feel like you are actually wearing anything. But this is a small price to pay for this exceptionally good bombardment of wood. The 100ml is a wise investment.

Wonderwood can be purchased online from www.essenza-nobile.de in both 50ml and 100ml sizes.

Comme des Garcons: 2 Man

Resinous fragrances appeal to me in a manner like no other. Perhaps my inherent appreciation for frankincense and other tree stones has emerged from a childhood immersed in orthodoxy; where the perfume of frankincense was enjoyed at numerous ecclesiastical celebrations throughout the year. There is nothing I like more than to burn the stones over coal discs and enjoy the aroma, or to source scents in which resinous accords are executed masterfully.

Comme des Garcons 2 Man has been on the market for 5 or 6 years, but in my book, still remains a top contender for my "Best Frankincense" accolade. Whilst it reveals a sharp orange metallic accord when first applied, 2 Man swiftly evolves into a deliciously warm frankincense / incense scent, which surprisingly remains somewhat transparent throughout the course of its life. Often, I find incense fragrances have a husky or dry quality, but this eau de toilette remains crisp and unclouded; boasting a sense of stark purity that is very much in keeping with other Comme des Garcons releases.

Whilst many have been hasty to compare this to Gucci Pour Homme, I find the likeness rather superficial. Whilst both scents engage the nose with lovely resinous hearts, Gucci hones in more on pepper and woods, whilst Comme des Garcons explores sheer white smoke and spices. Much in the same way Andy Tauer's L'Air du Desért Marocain manages to masterfully evoke sensations from the shifting desert sands, so too does 2 Man.

Cumin and nutmeg suggest an interesting marriage between bitter and sweet accords, however the shining star of all spices used here is awarded to a slightly acerbic (almost plasticky) saffron. Saffron in itself is a difficult scent to describe, however 2 Man rather successfully interprets the aroma of these blazing red stamens. (Washington Tremlett's Black Tie is the only other perfume I have encountered in which the saffron notes used possibly best resemble the actual foodstuff). The sum of these individual components make for one of the more beautiful incense fragrances on the modern market.

2 Man lingers on my skin for a very generous 8-9 hours, and whilst marketed to men, has an equally strong female following.
Comme des Garcons 2 Man is available at www.essenza-nobile.de in 100ml flacons for €69.

Monocle x Comme des Garcons Scent Two: Laurel

As tends to be the case with many Comme des Garcons perfume collaborations, the partnership with British business, culture and design magazine Monacle has proven to be a triumph. The limited edition 2008 fragrance release Hinoki put them on the map, and now in December 2009 the alliance introduces their second scent to date: Laurel.

Perfumer Antoine Maisondieu (the nose behind Hinoki and fragrances from the Etat Libre d'Orange portfolio) was recruited a second time to give life to Laurel - a scent that is inspired by the fertile Bekaa Valley in Lebanon.

Laurel opens with a blast of vivacious, aromatic green which is extremely sappy/resinous in nature. I liken the smell to the odour that is transferred to your fingertips when you crush the needle-like leaves of cypress pine in your hands. It is a sharp, sweet odour shared by many conifers, that also embodies the scent of the softwood at its heart. Earlier this year I blogged about Aleppo Oil sourced from Pinus halepensis - a pine species found across the Mediterranean, Asia Minor, Lybia and Syria, which has a very specific smell (one that is quite lemony in nature, and less "glacé" than many other resinous pines). To my nose, Laurel seems to embody this sensation of Aleppo, and those familiar with Aleppo soap products from Damascus will easily be cognizant of it here. It is also safe to say that laurel plays a starring role in this fragrance, and it does indeed - the distinct aroma of dried bay leaves is unmistakable here, and adds to the exotic eastern feel of the perfume. It has been cleverly married however, to other accords that pay hommage to this special part of the world. The Al Shouf Cedar Reserve covers about 5% of the overall area of Lebanon so it is only fitting that Laurel includes a cedar component. Fortunately though, it seems well removed from "stock standard" cedar that has pervaded perfume releases in the past few years.

In contrast to this evergreen characteristic, and perhaps what I find most interesting about Laurel is how it prickles at the back of the nose with what I can only describe as a "white pepper" vibe which almost triggers a sneeze. I take delight in this physiological response, which I also experience when sniffing other scents like L'eau Bleue d'Issey and Eau de Sisley 3. This stimulating vein of pepper tingles over earthy patchouli, a wonderful resinous frankincense and warm amber accords to create a perfume that aligns my nose and draws my mind's eye once again to the colourful Near East.

Laurel is a tenacious and spirited eau de toilette that has a rather linear composition (as one has come to expect from Comme des Garcons) and lasts well over nine hours on my skin.

If the union between Comme des Garcons and Monacle continues to flourish, then I already anticipate a third release, every bit as spectacular as this one.

Stephen Jones x Comme des Garcons

To my mind, anything that bares the signature of French fashion/fragrance house Comme des Garcons is something to be explored. For the past forty years CdG's owner Rei Kawakubo has continually shocked and amazed with cutting-edge fashion, boutique installations and advertising that are all extremely avant garde in nature. Their approach to perfume has also always been unconventional and innovatory - from their world's first "anti-perfume" release in 1998 titled Odeur 53, to their more recent Synthetic series.

It hence comes as no surprise to me that Comme des Garcons teamed up with British milliner extraordinaire Stephen Jones, winner of an Outstanding Achievement Award in Fashion for his flamboyant and progressive headwear; to create the perfume Stephen Jones Millinery.

As one might expect from such an alliance of pioneering minds, Stephen Jones Millinery is both remarkable and unique... it bears the nonconformist olfactory fingerprint of CdG, and the outlandish aesthetic of Stephen Jones. Beautifully packaged in a jet-black miniature hat box and wrapped in a milliner's veil, the obsidian-coloured flacon is semi-organic in appearance - reminding me perhaps of a galactic seed-pod waiting to eject perfumed spores into the air. As I turn it in my hands, deep inside the bottle one can see flashes of violet as the light picks out its facets. There is something cold, alien, or otherworldly about it.

The juice itself sparkles with aldehydes as it is first applied, like some shiny, twinkling nebula. It is a bracing introduction to a perfume which is very Comme des Garcons: unruly, bold and commanding. Violets feature heavily in the opening of this scent, but it is not a mainstream interpretation of violets: they are cold and metallic, as if plucked from the gardens of a dark moon found in some distant starscape. CdG list meteorite and magma as starring accords, and one would agree that they have succeeded in introducing a cold mineralic quality to the composition. The scent does however, retain some earthbound accords as well - a dewy rose, peppery carnation and slightly muddy vetiver feature, though, I get the impression that they too may have been cryogenically frozen and then defrosted again in some intergalactic ark. There is a distinct sensation of breathing refrigerated air here which is not at all unpleasant... just interesting. If Stephen Jones and Comme des Garcons set out to compel and inspire, then they have succeeded.

Few scents these days make me literally step back and say "Wow!" because sometimes I just feel as if I've "seen it all". Fortunately, Millinery exceeded my expectations and has given me much to ponder. As my wife and I share our 50ml bottle, (and in doing so garner peculiar stares at the sushi bar or ATM); I reflect upon the future of perfumery and what could be regarded as the final frontier.

Stephen Jones Millinery is exclusively available in 50ml bottles, and lasts up to 7 hours on my skin and 9 hours on hers. Its sillage is above average. One definitely worth experiencing.

New from Byredo: Blanche

Stockholm-based fragrance house BYREDO have launched some fascinating parfums in recent times whilst working alongside world renowned perfumers such as Olivia Giacobetti (L'Artisan Perfumeur, Frederic Malle, Costes), Jerome Epinette (Jovoy Paris) and Michel Almairac (Chloé, Bond No9, Gucci). It could be said that their approach to perfumery is somehow very Scandinavian: understated, refined and with a distinct focus on craftsmanship and quality. Now, as Byredo celebrate the launch of Blanche, their 8th skin scent, it is my pleasure to write these few words about this compelling release.

Just as the name suggests, Blanche is a tribute to the colour white. Ben Gorham, the founder and creative director of the brand, notes the following: "the fragrance is pure and simple in structure but extreme in character"... and his perception is right on the money. The scent opens with diamond-white aldehydes that suggest a fragrance almost transparent in nature. Tender white roses blossom over a heart of hushed violet, dewy neroli and blushing peony... and whilst one can feel the translucent quality of this perfume, it is a scent which is really quite intricate. I immediately get the sensation of gauzy white linen billowing on a clothes line, still slightly damp from the wash. It is a sensation that I not only register via my sense of smell, but almost through touch... the composition is very tactile; soft and vapourous. 

Comme des Garcons might have taken some liberties when announcing the aroma of "washing drying on the line" in their 1998 head-space perfume offering Odeur 53, and perhaps the single-scent powerhouse Demeter may have taken a very literal approach when creating their perfume titled Laundromat; but Byredo's Blanche appears to have achieved this "fresh linen" approach with finesse and sensitivity. Light musk, blonde woods and fragrant sandalwood furnish the fragrance with a sense of depth, and lend a sense of familiarity and comfort.

To my astonishment, I found that the fact this perfume is somehow diaphanous in nature, does not mean to say that it is in any way fleeting. Whilst sampling, I sprayed both a card and my skin with Blanche and I retained the scent for an entire day... the card was still perfumed after two. Quite possibly Byredo's best offering yet.

City Shopping Feature: STORM - COPENHAGEN

This is the first in a series of City Shopping Features that Sorcery of Scent will be publishing. First stop: Copenhagen.

As a chap living in Denmark, I'm often asked by visiting friends to make some recommendations as to where good quality fragrances can be bought in the capital. Whilst I myself live 170kms from the big smoke, I am only too pleased to direct them to some of my favourite haunts. Unfortunately though, few stores offer much more than the stock-standard mainstream range that can be found in any major city. This morning however, I visited Storm - a chic and stylish retail space that is fast earning the accolade of the best fashion and concept designer store in the capital. Storm's shelves and countertops are tastefully arranged with designer clothing from a variety of Scandinavian and international brands, high-fashion eyewear; magazines, CDs and art books, and a selection of eclectic foreign art films. 

Most impressive (to the fragrance aficionado at least), was their excellent variety of niche perfumes and colognes.

Storm carries a varied selection of scents. These include:

Mark Buxton Eau de Parfums (author of fragrances for Givenchy, Versace, Cartier, Comme des Garcons et al).

Byredo Parfums -  Eau de Parfums, room sprays and votive scented candles.

Comme des Garcons including:

Guerilla Series        Luxe: Patchouli

Leaves Series          Red Series

Sherbert Series      Cologne Series

Energy C Series      Synthetic Series

Odeur Series           CdG 2 and 3 

8 88                       CdG Parfum

Stephen Jones

Costume National Eau de Parfums.

Christian Dior Exclusives Eau Noire and Bois d'Argent colognes and scented candles.

Diptyque perfumed products including their EDT range, cologne trio and candle/room spray range.

Eau d'Italie perfumes and perfumed ancillary products

Miller Harris Eau de Parfums

Juliette Has a Gun Eau de Parfums

Ren Perfumes and skin care

Six Scents Series One - individually numbered bottles in a limited series of 2000.

Perhaps more impressive than the scents themselves, is the non-pretentious environment they are housed in. Storm Design Art Fashion is a boutique situated on a corner just meters from a busy Copenhagen street, however when one steps in from outside through the heavy glass doors, you can't help but feel a relaxed and welcoming shopping experience awaits. Soothing ambient music plays through concealed speakers and staff are warm, friendly and accommodating - something very atypical of service in Scandinavia. If you are fortunate, as I was, you might meet store owner Rasmus Storm who was only too happy to walk me through their range. You can get a sense of his impeccable taste and editing eye, which is apparent in the product selection and artfully decorated interior.

Storm is without doubt the premiere destination for anyone visiting Copenhagen who wishes to explore a contemporary retail environment brimming with sophisticated fashion, á la mode art and design literature, and hand-picked perfumes.

Storm

Store Regnegade 1

1110 Copenhagen

Denmark

Tlf: +45 33930014

Mon-Thu, 11:00-17:30; 

Fri, 11:00-19:00;

Sat, 11:00-17:00; Sun, closed

www.stormfashion.dk