Haute Couture Hanae Mori 1998 Eau de Toilette

Haute Couture is a unique offering from Hanae Mori. It's a chrysanthemum fragrance. The EdT is dry & green with spiced florals. Some fruit is present, perhaps green apple, but it is not dominant.

The EdT (pink lady) is the driest of the concentrations. The EdP (blue lady) and Parfum (red lady) are nice but can be distinguished from the EdT. The EdP is a dried flower potpourri and the parfum is sweet fruits and florals. Of them, I think the EdT is the winner, largely because a chrysanthemum fragrance is unique and the price point is to die-for.

Even though my tastes have changed since I first discovered Haute Couture, I still appreciate this scent and have found nothing else quite like it. The only downside for me - once & awhile, it can seem a bit sour on my skin. For a fragrance that is under $20, I forgive it.

Hanae Mori HAUTE COUTURE, one of my increasingly rare blind buys, really did catch me by surprise, and I suspect that the same would be true for others familiar with HANAE MORI.

Basically, HAUTE COUTURE is the strict antithesis of HANAE MORI! Not sweet in the least, spicy in a unisex way, with coriander and flowers such as carnation, geranium, chrysanthemum--not sure which exactly, as they all meld together to produce a peppery floral mix.

I imagine that this fragrance must be something of a marketing disaster, since anyone who purchased it blind under the belief that it would be something along the lines of HANAE MORI would be sorely disappointed, while anyone who dislikes that creation would probably steer clear, missing out on what might well be a pleasant surprise.

Although for some HAUTE COUTURE must be an acquired taste, for others this composition will be most welcome as a low-key floral with coriander as the dominant note--at least to my nose. Definitely suitable for men as well, and perfect for the summer, since the sillage is low and the overall effect quite subtle. I certainly can attest that this quasi-linear composition holds up to heat and humidity!

I should add, however, that certain random and unpredictable variables make this fragrance more appealing to me on some days than others.