Perfume Review: Commes des Garcons Play

Review by Tom

Comme des Garcons is one of the more interesting houses out there, to say the least: they feature scents that run from entertainingly odd to just plain bizarre. I love them for that, just not necessarily enough to go for a full bottle. Play could be the one to change that: it's perhaps the most accessible of anything they have yet put out, but still with that CdeG odd edge to it. Opening with the tang of something that it took me about an hour to identify: Tang. Yes, Tang, that slightly metallic orange powder that you haven't had since the 70's when people were still innocent to the idea that the food the astronauts had to eat might not be as good as the real thing. Here however that tangy tang of Tang (I'll stop now) is as delightful as the first lick of an orange slushee on a hot summer day.

As the scent progresses the orange becomes a bit more marmaladey (but never as complex or rich as say, Mandarine Mandarin) with a distinct note of saffron and black pepper. "Sea notes" are listed, but happily for me did not appear, what did was a slight incense. Aftera few hours I was left with a very nice skin scent (maybe that's the sea notes?) with a bare hint of orange peel. Today in Los Angeles it was in the 80's with humidity to match: I don't know that I would necessarily want to be wearing anything much more than bare hints, if only in the interest of not killing those in smelling range. I don't want to damn Play with the faint praise of calling it "pleasant" (although it is very much so; I was happily sniffing my wrists the whole afternoon); the trademark CdeG bizarreness is there, just filtered through a much lighter composition. If you are interested in a new summer citrus, or have been previously frightened by a Comme des Garcons, you would do well to climb into this sandbox and Play.

Play is available for $90 at retailers that carry Comme des Garcons scents, such as Luckyscent.

Image source, Luckyscent.