Flaconneur

Introduced by American fashion designer Geoffrey Beene in 1976, Grey Flannel was the brain child of perfumer André Fromentin. Beene started his fragrance collection in 1975 working in collaboration with Ron Winnegrad, André Fromentin and Michel Gouges. Many of Beene's fragrances are still in demand today.

Geoffrey Beene was a native of Haynesville, Louisiana and a revered designer in the fashion industry. Beene didn't start his career in the fashion world. As a matter of fact, he originally started his studies in medicine but dropped out after discovering his interest in fashion design. He enrolled in the Trap Hagen School of fashion in New York in 1947. After finishing his education, he worked for fashion houses like Teal Traina and Harmay, in New York and Paris.

Beene started his own company in 1963 under the name of Geoffrey Beene, Inc. Many famous celebrities in the entertainment and political arena were some of his greatest fans. He was also well known for designing the wedding dress for Lynda Bird Johnson.

Grey Flannel is a classic fragrance and very different than other designer fragrances that were offered up in the mid 1970's. A woody oriental with a hearty violet and iris heart. I remember this fragrance well and was a bit surprised when I decided to take a little walk down memory lane. Just how well would my sense of smell really work. Grey Flannel was probably my second or third fragrance purchase. I remember the packaging, a deep green bottle with a clean and crisp silver and white label. The little flannel shroud that covered the bottle with a rope like pull string. Everything about the packaging was masculine and somewhat proper.

I decided to purchase a bottle just to see what has been done to this classic men's fragrances. When I first sprayed the new version of Grey Flannel onto my skin, it was like being reintroduced to an old friend. It still had that wonderful dry dense forest like green smell. It also had a fragrant herbaceous quality in the opening in combination with small bits of citrus. This combination made the opening of Grey Flannel quite a powerhouse, very invigorating and very sharp to the nose. I noticed the violet leaf, iris and sage working it way up through the thick green notes and again, remembered how interesting this scent still is. Violet leaf gives off a slightly bitter metallic note that can be sharp to the nose. The oak moss, cedar base reinforced all of the forest green notes that subsided after the opening but somehow these base notes matured the scent. Nice warm woody notes with light sweet floral notes of iris and sharp violet leaf hovering above. I do feel that this reformulation, while unpopular with many, has a better balance between the overwhelming top and base notes with their interaction with the floral notes.

I feel that the violet leaf and iris are respectful of their positions in the note structure and not misbehaving in this new reformulation. The projection on Grey Flannel has attitude but in an austere way. I firmly believe that it was the overbearing florals in the original version that most people reacted negatively to. I'm glad to see that Grey Flannel was tamed just enough to allow full enjoyment of all of the great note combinations this fragrance has to offer. Many feel remorse over the new reformulation because of the disappearance of the heavy forest like green note in the opening. That note somehow managed to last almost right to the end. I personally loved this note but thought that it was overbearing and smothered the violet and iris notes that were probably the most vibrant in this fragrance.

Grey Flannel is still a great addition to anyone's fragrance collection. It is masculine, wearable, inexpensive and great for any time of the year but probably best suited for fall, winter and early spring. It appears that Geoffrey Beene has finally tamed the green monster.

Cardinal, created by British designer James Heeley, is loaded with a churchy incense vibe and a touch of modern gothic. It conjures up visions of grey stone cathedrals, a bit of dank gloom that's swaddled in white linen. If you love that type of fragrance concept, you'll love Cardinal. It's warm powdery labdanum and light smokiness make it an interesting choice for the cooler months.

The opening of Cardinal is very bright and sharp. Baie rose is sprinkled with a spicy black pepper and aldehyde gives this spicy confection strange cleanness. Once the labdanum, ciste, frankincense and myrrh make an appearance, it’s a little like a fresh cut christmas tree decorated with ornaments coated in pepper, very spicy and very mystical. There is a smooth smoky incense that rises between a subtle herbal note. Cardinal is rounded out with a strong patchouli base, which combined with a veil of vetiver and sweet amber, prevents the patchouli from being too earthy.

Cardinal is most commonly compared to Comme des Garçons' Incense series Kyoto and Avignon. If you are a fan of either of these fragrances, you will enjoy Cardinal's smoothness. I will warn you, Cardinal does not seem to have the longevity of Avignon from Comme des Garçons. In fact, Cardinal is probably one of the weakest in this scent classification. It is a tamed version of Avignon with a little more sweetness. Cardinal has a mild sillage, it wears close to the skin and the longevity is average.

Cardinal is a great fragrance for those who don't like overpowering incense fragrances. It's easy on the nose and give just a hint of churchiness. Overall, Cardinal is a well behaved incense fragrance that leans a bit more towards modern in its interpretation of gothic.

I was asked to sample Aventus while visiting the fragrance counter at Neiman Marcus one afternoon. I was already wearing something at the time so, I declined. The Creed product specialist insisted on spraying Aventus on a sample card for me to experience. Not always the best way to experience a fragrance but I found it interesting, so I asked for a sample to take home.

I wore Aventus the next day and was completely hooked right from the beginning. The opening notes of Pineapple and French apples were fresh and crisp and slightly sweet but not sickening. I experienced more of the French apple note than the pineapple, as some others have complained about. The black currant and Italian bergamot notes were background players in the opening which combined nicely with the semi-sweet apple note. The heart notes of this fragrance were just as pleasing. Roses, dry birch, moroccan jasmine and patchouli were a nice harmony. Patchouli can be dangerous but in combination with the moroccan jasmine made this very interesting. I also enjoyed the base notes of musk, oak moss, ambergris and vanilla. The vanilla notes is subtle while the oak moss seems to be the most obvious player for me. Even the dry down on Aventus can keep you sampling your wrist hours later. The longevity could be better as with most Creed fragrances. I seem to feel it disappear after 6-8 hours. Everyone else seems to still be able to smell it on me so, maybe the wearer just become to accustom to the fragrance.

After wearing Aventus daily for a few weeks, it never fails to get peoples attention. I have been stopped multiple times a day and asked, "What fragrance are you wearing". I've also had a co-worker approach me to ask a question and was so distracted by my fragrance that they forgot what they were about to say. The common thread of commentary I've received about Aventus is that everyone agrees it is a fresh, clean and completely intoxicating fragrance. These comments were from men and woman alike.

I feel compelled to say a little something about the packaging design for Aventus. Simply put, I have seen better packaging design on bargain designer fragrances. I find it interesting that Creed approved this packaging concept. This presentation is the equivalent of a senior high school student packaging project. There is really nothing innovative here. If anything, you will remember the fragrance by the terrible graphic displayed predominantly on the front of the bottle.

Some time ago, I ordered a sample of Fleur d'Oranger 27 from Le Labo. Before I ordered the sample, I wanted to see what other fragrance enthusiasts had to say about Fleur d'Oranger 27. My hopes were dashed based on the overwhelmingly negative reviews that were posted. Some of the general complaints about Fleur d'Oranger 27 were that the scent didn't smell like orange blossom at all. Others said that they detected a floral note that was unidentifiable. Some commented that it smelled like a household cleaning product or toilet bowl cleaner. The positive comments that were made said that people enjoyed the scent but that it might be too floral to be considered a unisex fragrance. With all that said, I ordered it anyway just to test for myself.

The sample from Le Labo arrived quite quickly and was packaged very nicely. They provide 5ml glass rods with atomizers which makes sampling their fragrances very easy. The first test I made was just a spritz on my arm and suddenly, something seemed terribly familiar to me. I kept thinking Orange Blossom of some kind but it wasn't exactly that. I revisited my arm again and it was at that time that I knew what I was just experiencing but couldn't believe it was true.

As a gardener, I am familiar with many different types of ornamental flowering plants. There is one in particular I will bring to your attention that is a personal favorite. The Latin name is "Philadelphus coronarius," but more commonly known as Sweet Mock Orange. Sweet Mock Orange is a deciduous shrub that has been cultivated for about 400 years. It is prized for its profuse, sweetly-scented white flowers which appear in early summer. It is native to Southern Europe, and today is used as an ornamental plant in landscape design.

What's all the talk about Sweet Mock Orange you ask. I'd like to present my impressions of Fleur d'Oranger 27 from Le Labo. The floral scent that I experience with Fleur d'Oranger 27 is exactly what one experiences when smelling the flower from the Sweet Mock Orange shrub. If you were wearing a spritz of Fleur d'Oranger 27 on your arm and were standing in front of a Sweet Mock Orange shrub you might not be able to distinguish the two. It is probably the purest example of extraction that I have experienced thus far. Regardless of Fleur d'Oranger 27's components, there is nothing that comes closer to Sweet Mock Orange than this. Sweet Mock Orange was given its name based on its single or double flowers scent that was reminiscent of Orange Blossom. There is no direct connection between the two species except for the uncanny resemblance in the way their flowers smell. Yes, the direct translation of the French name "Fleur d'Oranger" is Orange Blossom, but perhaps Le Labo might consider changing the name to "Fleur de Seringa" to better represent this fragrance. ("Seringa" is the Sweet Mock Oranges's name in French.) I find this one of the most interesting fragrances that I've tested from Le Labo, and feel that perhaps some people are trying to connect this fragrance directly to the given name. There are hundreds of fragrances called sandalwood, none of which smell the same and few of which smell anything like sandalwood. I also understand that most people haven't experienced the Sweet Mock Orange to appreciate how closely Fleur d'Oranger comes to this shrub's beautiful fragrance.

The real question is, would I wear Fleur d'Oranger. As a man, I have mixed feelings about whether I find this fragrance a "unisex" fragrance or not. There are certain elements that make this feminine and perhaps far too few that make it masculine. I appreciate the botanical aspect, but an overwhelming single association to a favorite flower might not be enough to make it something to wear. Would I wear it to be reminded of the Sweet Mock Orange in the dead of winter? Yes, I would.