The third Kenzo...

During an online search about the availability of vintage Kenzo pour Homme, I stumbled upon something that shouldn't be there. I guess we all know how the first masculine Kenzo looked like when it was launched and how its "modernisation" scarred it for ever (although it did so by actually removing its scars). But just in case...



So, does anyone have any idea about what on earth is this?



The beautiful sculpted bottle of the vintage one (one of my favourites ever), has been changed with the simple and dull one for over a decade now, if my memory serves me well. So does anybody know what's the case with this one having the vintage bottle and a completely unknown embossed box? The vintage white and gray box was actually embossed too as I can say with certainty since I used a good number of bottles back in the day. The conundrum in question is mainly found in Russian, Belarusian and Polish perfume sites, and thus I was wondering whether it could just be the way that Kenzo pour Homme dresses over yonder. But on a second thought, distributing the fragrance in its original bottle just for a couple of countries doesn't make much sense. Why would they keep its vintage bottle but not its vintage box? Being a knock-off doesn't seem possible either, since this is quite an expensive bottle to make and the fragrance is not produced in this bottle anymore anyways. Unless it's the latest presentation of Kenzo pour Homme, and I was caught off guard and totally unaware of it. In this case I'd be more than happy to have the old bottle welcomed back, given that the fragrance inside has also made a U-turn towards its glorious past. I hope there's someone out there that'll shed some light on this possible mystery...

I have no idea about different boxes for vintage Kenzo pour Homme, but I agree that it's a pity that the old elaborate glass flacon was replaced by plastic. I still own the glass flacon but not the box. Sorry.

The new flacon is plastic??? Oh my...I really had no idea! Well, what else can I say except that this was the utmost way to desecrate an once divine fragrance?

I can't help with the original query but couldn't help noticing (and commenting obviously) on how phallic those bottles are: the shape, the curve, the cap, the texture on the original. The new plastic one is indeed a poor substitute, rather like some kind of prosthesis (but commendably large).

The original Kenzo pour Homme bottle was supposedly a reference to a bamboo stem, which is a symbol of power and flexibility in Japan. Since these two traits are crucial for Japanese sword making, it could be also interpreted like the hilt of a katana sword, or a shirasaya to be more precise.



Now, since no one seems to know anything about the elusive hybrid which kickstarted this thread, let's have some fun. Speaking of phallic, how about this fine specimen of modesty and subtlety galore?



And if you think this is an insulting example of male chauvinism, well, think again. It comes for ladies too, in the most unexpected colour for a lady.



The guys at Francesco Smalto were swearing that the bottle is inspired by a rifle stock, obviously expecting that its name, FullChoke, will provide their allegations with some credit. I don't know, but if that was really the case, then it must have been the greatest fail of seeing the obvious ever...

I was beginning to feel so disrespectful and dirty after your explanation of the Kenzo bottle design but then came..."Full Choke" (splutter) By god, that will be hard to beat!
Fortunately Pierre Cardin is (was?) a bit of an old sleaze and thoughtfully provided variations of this flacon for both genders to enjoy.

Those Avon ladies know how to sell a product. And just in case there's any confusion they called it "Aromadisiac For Her". I guess you spray it on first.


Or for the gents...


He knows where this goes by the look of it..

Well, what else can I say, other than Fransesco Smalto should sue the hell out of them? To tell the truth Pierre Cardin's bottle always reminded me of a microphone more than anything else, with a gear stick coming a close second. By the way, Pierre Cardin still "is", and as it seems he remains an old sleaze even in his 93.

As for Rochas Man, it looks like an award of the "Western Mongolia Porn Film Festival" kind, and perhaps this is why the Chris Isaak wannabe pretends that he doesn't see it...

Pierre's granddaughter surely?
And yes, that young man is surely averting his gaze and thinking of England.

To pose a different question..

Why do you like Kenzo p. homme so much?

It was a by all means groundbreaking fragrance when it was launched, but this doesn't mean anything by itself. Its uniqueness was in the fact that its aquatic qualities were neither fresh nor sunny. They were rather of a very dense, metallic and somewhat oily kind, bordering haunting I might say, which made it a very difficult and demanding fragrance to wear. If Davidoff's Cool Water, the other iconic aquatic fragrance of the era, was a picture of the crystal clear, warm and friendly waters of the Mediterranean, Kenzo pour Homme was the darkness of the desolate hadal waters of the Marianas Trench. This made it one of the scariest fragrances ever in my book. And since a) scary fragrances are not common at all and b) I like them a lot, there was no other way to go with Kenzo pour Homme except loving it.

I see what you mean, it's indeed a deep sea fragrance.