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Notes01/14/2012
Sherapop
1239 Reviews
Sherapop
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A Misunderstood Modern Oriental Chypre
Bond no. 9 Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue has received a number of negative reviews from people who also happen to like Chinatown and/or Bryant Park (also from this line). This disparity has baffled me for quite some time because Lexington Avenue manages to combine fully compatible features of Chinatown and Bryant Park into what, to my nose, is a splendid blend.
The modern chypre quality of Bryant Park appears also in Lexington Avenue, with a textured patchouli interwoven with smooth woods underlying the overall composition. With Chinatown, Lexington Avenue shares the oriental quality, especially the powdery cardamom note, which here is butressed with fennel and cypress. There is also a creaminess to the blend, attributable to the elusive "crème brûlée" note. All of this adds up to major wrist-sniffing potential and a great modern oriental chypre, in my perfume book.
So what's not to like? What do those who disdain Lexington Avenue tend to complain about? The composition is fairly linear, which to some is a demerit. But it has good longevity and medium sillage and seems wearable by women and men. In fact, the longevity of Lexington Avenue is better on my skin than that of Bryant Park, and the latter, being a fruity chypre (with a marked raspberry note), may be too sweet for some men.
In the end, I can only say that if you like either Chinatown or Bryant Park--or modern chypres more generally--Lexington Avenue is definitely worth a sniff. Guys who like this perfume but not the whimsical women's shoe designs covering the bottle can peel the label off to instantly create a sleek black unisex vessel!
The modern chypre quality of Bryant Park appears also in Lexington Avenue, with a textured patchouli interwoven with smooth woods underlying the overall composition. With Chinatown, Lexington Avenue shares the oriental quality, especially the powdery cardamom note, which here is butressed with fennel and cypress. There is also a creaminess to the blend, attributable to the elusive "crème brûlée" note. All of this adds up to major wrist-sniffing potential and a great modern oriental chypre, in my perfume book.
So what's not to like? What do those who disdain Lexington Avenue tend to complain about? The composition is fairly linear, which to some is a demerit. But it has good longevity and medium sillage and seems wearable by women and men. In fact, the longevity of Lexington Avenue is better on my skin than that of Bryant Park, and the latter, being a fruity chypre (with a marked raspberry note), may be too sweet for some men.
In the end, I can only say that if you like either Chinatown or Bryant Park--or modern chypres more generally--Lexington Avenue is definitely worth a sniff. Guys who like this perfume but not the whimsical women's shoe designs covering the bottle can peel the label off to instantly create a sleek black unisex vessel!
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