Prelude to Love Invitation Kilian 2007 Perfume

This perfume smells to me as an average 10 in a dozen perfume I have smellt before.
Nothing special for such a rediculus price

On me, this might as well be a simple orange blossom cologne. Perfectly pleasant, but the kind of thing you can pick up for $10 US a bottle, not $200 US! Some lines just don’t work for some people. This is the sixth By Kilian I’ve tried and thought, “Why bother?," so I guess it's not the brand for me.

By Kilian PRELUDE TO LOVE is a very straightforward citrus-floral cologne. It reminds me very much of two other fragrances familiar to me (and probably lots of others in existence...): Bond no 9 EAU DE NEW YORK and Banana Republic W. I am sure that the latter comparison will be viewed as heresy by some, but before you balk, I defy you to try these three creations in a side-by-side trial and *then* try to deny that they are olfactory neighbors!

PRELUDE TO LOVE is less green and sharp than Bond no 9 EAU DE NEW YORK, and for that reason some may prefer the By Kilian composition, as it is definitely less bracing. In the summer, I love EAU DE NEW YORK; in the winter, not so much.

At the other end of the price spectrum, Banana Republic W compares favorably to PRELUDE TO LOVE, as well. W is less floral, and less declarative. To some people, that would make it more desirable as it is entirely inoffensive. However, I should say that from reading other reviews, it appears that some wearers' skin does not mix well with W, so those people probably would do better with the By Kilian. For those who are compatible with W, it's a fantastic bargain compared to either of these niche analogues of the same type.

Do I like PRELUDE TO LOVE? Yes, of course. But I do not need a bottle, as I already own bottles of both EAU DE NEW YORK and W. A third bottle of such a similar composition would be more than redundant, and I do not believe that this creation is original. I'm not saying that Calice Becker copied anyone, but this is a good idea which others have had before--and have executed very well.

Since the scent is quite simple, I’ll use a bullet-point comment today:

Dominant notes: (Klo-stone) citrus, musk, orange blossom, iris
Fun facts: my first encounter with the Love Trilogy
Occasions: upscale leisure events
Gender: clearly more feminine
Associations: the cleanest women's restroom in the world
Seasons: spring and summer
Familiarity: clearly and justifiably in the shadow of other Kilians
Popularity: has fans, but it’s limited
Criticism: very simple, slightly synthetic, and a strange musk-citrus combo
Buy, Try or Pass?: pass for me and most
Worth the price: oh no, no, no

Bottle: beautiful silk coffin
Sillage: delicate like a midsummer night's dream
Longevity: 4-5 hours is poor

Conclusion: one of the weaker Kilians and definitely not a turn-on for me... One could also say, the scent doesn’t even make a cat wet in the rain...

Before I delve into the fragrance, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Seymour. He has introduced me to some of the most beautiful scents with entire sample collections, such as Les Parfums de Rosine. He has also brought me closer to Histoires de Parfums and Les Divines. His latest sample gift arrived just on Christmas Eve: a whole sample set of the now-famous Hennessy scion Kilian Hennessy. Dear Seymour, I thank you especially for this wonderful olfactory experience.

The scents of a cognac cellar are certainly particularly enticing, and it is no surprise that Kilian Hennessy felt inspired to develop perfumes that meet his very special demands and expectations.

Prelude to Love is an iris scent and truly reminds me a lot of the iris fragrance "Impossible Iris" by Ramón Monegal that I recently tested. The similarity between these two is astonishing.

Prelude to Love starts with a juicy, orange-sweet citrus accord that lingers for quite a while. After about 20 minutes, you can already perceive the iris, still in conjunction with the top note.

As the citrus accord weakens over time, the iris becomes more stable, and only the iris. I cannot perceive any other notes, neither neroli, nor pepper, no bergamot, no ginger, no orange blossom. Just a gentle, dry, slightly powdery iris, accompanied by the ever-fading orange note.

Once this orange accord has completely evaporated, the iris calms down, becomes darker and a little softer, but remains powdery.

Those expecting a fragrance progression here will be disappointed. Prelude to Love is a summer-fresh, powdery iris scent with a light, sweet, and very juicy citrus note, perfectly suitable for spring and summer, but also quite wearable in autumn and winter.

Kilian describes this fragrance as the invitation. By name, the invitation to a love foreplay, the prelude to love. However, I do not see it that way. I cannot find any erotic traits in this scent, as there is absolutely no musk to be perceived, except for a gentle sweetness in the darker base. However, I must say that I do like this iris. It is less powdery than I usually know from iris scents and very pleasant for all occasions with this beautiful, juicy-sweet orange note.

The sillage is very soft and close to the body, but the longevity is quite good. The latter applies to all Kilian fragrances, which hold up quite well. However, the sillage can vary significantly, which I can certainly demonstrate in further comments.

For iris lovers, this fragrance might be too gentle, too fine, too quiet. For me, it is perfect, yet not a purchase scent. I fear it is not worth that high price to me, even though I really like it.