Overall, 2008 was not a stellar year in the world of fragrances. Negative comments aside, there were a few releases this year that stood out (although clouded by a swarm of worthless stinkers).
Best of 2008
1. The star position this year goes to Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere. Even if you think the original is dated, or not your style, no one can deny that this reinterpretation is anything less than stunning. Subtle, elegant, genderless, and true to No. 5's style, Eau Premiere deserves the gold star this year for finding the perfect balance between new and old.
2. Jean Paul Gaultier Ma Dame. JPG marred the 90's with the stink of Classique and Le Male and was due for a good release after many of the follow-ups were less than exciting. Gaultier2 was a decent effort with it's cookie-sweetness, but I knew something great was possible, and then along came Ma Dame. Blatantly trashy, vulgar, and over-the-top, MD gets every proportion right.
3. Kenzo Power. Kenzo hit the nail on the head with Power. Beautiful bottle, beautiful juice. What more could you ask for? Although clearly "inspired" by Dior Homme, Power works on many levels, and dare I even say - elevated the game a little?
4. Ormonde Jayne Zizan. Vetiver-centric fragrances have been a regular source of disappointment to me. They fade too fast, are too soapy, or one-dimensional. Best to use in a base, I figure. Zizan starts out with the familiar Ormonde Jayne theme of pepper and bergamot, with a couple of quirky twists; then, out of nowhere, the Vetiver Sun rises and it's a beautiful day. This is glorious. -M
5. Serge Lutens El Attarine. How does one release three new scents a year and maintain integrity? I have no idea, but the house of Lutens appeared to be losing it's touch for a while there...then came along a bottle of sunshine. El Attarine captures every element of the Lutens style perfectly. Spicy, middle-eastern aspects, candied fruit, and a woody backdrop. Adding a new level to perfumery? Probably not. Perfecting one? Definitely.
6. Bvlgari Jasmin Noir. Bvlgari's first scents were ground-breaking. Starting with Jean-Claude Ellena's masterful Eau Parfumee au The Vert, followed by Pour Femme and Pour Homme, both decent for their genres, and finally topped off with Black, Annick Menardo's cheeky (yet brilliant) interpretation of black tea and rubber. You'll notice I skipped a few in between, and more notably the most recent additions to the lines, which were less than stellar. Jasmin Noir brings Bvlgari back into the game of subtle, elegant, and captivating fragrances. Well done...and welcome back.
7. Guerlain Insolence Eau de Parfum. The original release of Insolence (Eau de Toilette I guess you'd call it) was good. Solidly crafted, sufficiently loud so as to compete with the other atomic bombs in the Guerlain collection, and naively (and obviously) targeted toward the new Guerlain customer - young, rich, and into all things pink. Insolence Eau de Parfum brings this to the next level by darkening the composition (not to mention the bottle), adds an elegant dose of powdery iris, and focuses back on the traditional Guerlain customer - "experienced", rich, and last but not least, someone with great taste.
8. Perfumes: The Guide. Easily the most controversial and captivating perfume-related release this year, Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez did the impossible - they spoke the truth, and for a profit! Do I agree with everything? Of course not, but who cares? This is quality reading for anyone interested in the subject. Bravo.
What stunk in 2008
No shortage of candidates in this category, but some stood out more than others (in a bad way). Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria line continues to go down hill, Tom Ford's mainstream releases aren't getting any better (nice bottles though), and the flankers continue to be outshone by their predecessors.
1. Comme des Garcons Energy Series 8. What happened? CDG put out some of the most intriguing, interesting, and provoking scents available. Series 8 failed miserably. Citrus? Wow...cutting edge. Especially since the Cologne Series already had much of that subject covered.
2. Tom Ford White Patchouli. Cloying, invasive, and lacking patchouli. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
3. Guerlain Figue d'Iris. Cheap, incomplete, and worst of all - blatant misuse of the word "iris".
4. Six Scents Illicit Sex. First application had me struggling not to scrub it off immediately. After a couple of weeks, I managed to grit my teeth and reapply. I think the illicit sex took place in a locker room ripe with unwashed gym clothes and antifungal spray. I'm done. -M
5. Serge Lutens Five O'Clock Au Gingembre. Horrible name, generic liquid. This is bad enough to be the latest Gucci.
6. Escentric Molecules Escentric 02 and Molecule 02. Ooooh...look, EM bottled yet another aroma chemical and not much else. Yawn.
7. Prada Infusion d'Homme. If this were submitted to Gillette for their newest shaving cream, it would have been turned down. Dry, acrid, and offensive. Get the womens'.
8. Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme. Speaking of Gucci...wow, this is the bottled tears shed by Gucci's execs since Tom Ford left.
Before all the "you forgot..." comments are left, keep in mind that opinions will always differ, and that we haven't had the chance to smell every new release (yet). Having said that, please do leave your favourites for this year in the comments section, because I'm sure some great ones were missed.
Speaking of the releases that we didn't get a chance to smell - Chanel's Beige, Divine's new duo, L'Etre Aime Femme & Homme, the Byredo line, CDG & Stephen Jones, Frederic Malle's Dans Tes Bras, Jil Sander's 79 scents, the Lagerfeld trio, Rosine's Rose Praline, Lubin's reissues, not to mention Paris Hilton's Fairy Dust! What? It could be good. :-\
I'd like to personally thank all of our dedicated readers for making PereDePierre's first year a great success. Mark and Thomas have contributed honest, insightful reviews that allow the rest of us to make informed purchases, and have made my job much easier and enjoyable. To all the guest writers - your time and support have made the site what it is. Happy New Year! -Dane
Best of 2008
1. The star position this year goes to Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere. Even if you think the original is dated, or not your style, no one can deny that this reinterpretation is anything less than stunning. Subtle, elegant, genderless, and true to No. 5's style, Eau Premiere deserves the gold star this year for finding the perfect balance between new and old.
2. Jean Paul Gaultier Ma Dame. JPG marred the 90's with the stink of Classique and Le Male and was due for a good release after many of the follow-ups were less than exciting. Gaultier2 was a decent effort with it's cookie-sweetness, but I knew something great was possible, and then along came Ma Dame. Blatantly trashy, vulgar, and over-the-top, MD gets every proportion right.
3. Kenzo Power. Kenzo hit the nail on the head with Power. Beautiful bottle, beautiful juice. What more could you ask for? Although clearly "inspired" by Dior Homme, Power works on many levels, and dare I even say - elevated the game a little?
4. Ormonde Jayne Zizan. Vetiver-centric fragrances have been a regular source of disappointment to me. They fade too fast, are too soapy, or one-dimensional. Best to use in a base, I figure. Zizan starts out with the familiar Ormonde Jayne theme of pepper and bergamot, with a couple of quirky twists; then, out of nowhere, the Vetiver Sun rises and it's a beautiful day. This is glorious. -M
5. Serge Lutens El Attarine. How does one release three new scents a year and maintain integrity? I have no idea, but the house of Lutens appeared to be losing it's touch for a while there...then came along a bottle of sunshine. El Attarine captures every element of the Lutens style perfectly. Spicy, middle-eastern aspects, candied fruit, and a woody backdrop. Adding a new level to perfumery? Probably not. Perfecting one? Definitely.
6. Bvlgari Jasmin Noir. Bvlgari's first scents were ground-breaking. Starting with Jean-Claude Ellena's masterful Eau Parfumee au The Vert, followed by Pour Femme and Pour Homme, both decent for their genres, and finally topped off with Black, Annick Menardo's cheeky (yet brilliant) interpretation of black tea and rubber. You'll notice I skipped a few in between, and more notably the most recent additions to the lines, which were less than stellar. Jasmin Noir brings Bvlgari back into the game of subtle, elegant, and captivating fragrances. Well done...and welcome back.
7. Guerlain Insolence Eau de Parfum. The original release of Insolence (Eau de Toilette I guess you'd call it) was good. Solidly crafted, sufficiently loud so as to compete with the other atomic bombs in the Guerlain collection, and naively (and obviously) targeted toward the new Guerlain customer - young, rich, and into all things pink. Insolence Eau de Parfum brings this to the next level by darkening the composition (not to mention the bottle), adds an elegant dose of powdery iris, and focuses back on the traditional Guerlain customer - "experienced", rich, and last but not least, someone with great taste.
8. Perfumes: The Guide. Easily the most controversial and captivating perfume-related release this year, Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez did the impossible - they spoke the truth, and for a profit! Do I agree with everything? Of course not, but who cares? This is quality reading for anyone interested in the subject. Bravo.
What stunk in 2008
No shortage of candidates in this category, but some stood out more than others (in a bad way). Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria line continues to go down hill, Tom Ford's mainstream releases aren't getting any better (nice bottles though), and the flankers continue to be outshone by their predecessors.
1. Comme des Garcons Energy Series 8. What happened? CDG put out some of the most intriguing, interesting, and provoking scents available. Series 8 failed miserably. Citrus? Wow...cutting edge. Especially since the Cologne Series already had much of that subject covered.
2. Tom Ford White Patchouli. Cloying, invasive, and lacking patchouli. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
3. Guerlain Figue d'Iris. Cheap, incomplete, and worst of all - blatant misuse of the word "iris".
4. Six Scents Illicit Sex. First application had me struggling not to scrub it off immediately. After a couple of weeks, I managed to grit my teeth and reapply. I think the illicit sex took place in a locker room ripe with unwashed gym clothes and antifungal spray. I'm done. -M
5. Serge Lutens Five O'Clock Au Gingembre. Horrible name, generic liquid. This is bad enough to be the latest Gucci.
6. Escentric Molecules Escentric 02 and Molecule 02. Ooooh...look, EM bottled yet another aroma chemical and not much else. Yawn.
7. Prada Infusion d'Homme. If this were submitted to Gillette for their newest shaving cream, it would have been turned down. Dry, acrid, and offensive. Get the womens'.
8. Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme. Speaking of Gucci...wow, this is the bottled tears shed by Gucci's execs since Tom Ford left.
Before all the "you forgot..." comments are left, keep in mind that opinions will always differ, and that we haven't had the chance to smell every new release (yet). Having said that, please do leave your favourites for this year in the comments section, because I'm sure some great ones were missed.
Speaking of the releases that we didn't get a chance to smell - Chanel's Beige, Divine's new duo, L'Etre Aime Femme & Homme, the Byredo line, CDG & Stephen Jones, Frederic Malle's Dans Tes Bras, Jil Sander's 79 scents, the Lagerfeld trio, Rosine's Rose Praline, Lubin's reissues, not to mention Paris Hilton's Fairy Dust! What? It could be good. :-\
I'd like to personally thank all of our dedicated readers for making PereDePierre's first year a great success. Mark and Thomas have contributed honest, insightful reviews that allow the rest of us to make informed purchases, and have made my job much easier and enjoyable. To all the guest writers - your time and support have made the site what it is. Happy New Year! -Dane
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