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Monday, February 16, 2009

Brooklyn by Bond No 9: Perfume Review

I am no expert on Brooklyn the borough, apart from a vague notion of it being a Russian Diaspora neighborhood, so I will just choose to rely on Bond No 9's cultural, demographic and real estate experts in their description of Brooklyn as a home to "a new generation of artistic émigrés". Apparently, "this is where the artists and musicians choose to move. It’s home to graffiti-ists [thus the bottle], gaffers, and key grips, to web designers and aspiring editors. This is where fashion stylists live. New York-bound hip-and-cool Seattle-ites prefer to move to Brooklyn; smart Stockholmers book their hotel rooms here."( from the press release)

Is Brooklyn the perfume hip-and-cool enough to evoke the artistic and happening borough? Perhaps in a sense that it is not classically masculine nor reminiscent of any older perfume, apart from, vaguely, Bond No 9's own fairly recent West Broadway. This kind of unisexy, understated, non-macho masculinity is the fashion of the moment, so in that sense, I suppose, the scent is in fact trendy. I said it before and I will say it again, I do like a lot this non-obvious, quiet, shall I say, "sensitive" masculine tendency. I also like when scents for men utilize traditionally feminine notes, like fruits, which I for some reason keep smelling in the top notes of Brooklyn. I would swear there are apples here...or rather, given the fizzy juniper note and sparkly grapefruit, some kind of apple cocktail. And boozy scents are invariably a hit with me. As are leathery one; and Brooklyn has that in spades in its base. Dry, spicy leather amplified by the woody-leathery guaiac note. I would not go anywhere near as far as Bond No. 9 people and claim that Brooklyn is "on the cutting-edge of perfumery". There is cutting edge, there is Brooklyn and there are many stops on the 5 express train separating the two. But it is a handsome, elegant, versatile and very wearable (for both genders) fragrance.

Available in March at Bond No. 9’s boutiques and Saks, $145.00-$220.00.

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18 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

as someone who was born and raised in whats now being called an 'artistic' neighborhoods (when the the only art was making it to school in one piece) i think this scent is a glorified version of what Brooklyn is supposed to be.Its lacking the depth and character of the many immigrant groups who came to the borough in the 30s -60s. i would have like to see the blending of cultures instead of an attempt of to cover Brooklyn's lusty,noisy diverse past and present..

9:41 AM EST  
Blogger elle said...

I *want* to like this scent because I really love this particular bottle. So far, however, I've had minimal luck w/ the Bonds. There are a few I've fallen in love w/, but sooner or later I found I fell out of love w/ all of them (sadly, after having purchased FBs). I don't hate them - just can't work up any enthusiasm for them. Still, I am going to work on loving this scent....*must* justify getting that bottle. :-)

11:15 AM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

There is cutting edge in Brooklyn: CB I Hate Perfume.

12:55 PM EST  
Blogger Beth Schreibman Gehring said...

I'm in agreement with much of what I'm reading here. The Bonds don't work for me at all with the exception of Saks for Her. I love the bottles though so I really wish that I could. I really love this bottle the most so i may yet be seduced:)
I am in full agreement with Tom... CB I hate Perfume is the cutting edge in Brooklyn!

2:38 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I really don't know New York very well...I wish I could visit different neighbourhoods then sniff the Bond 9s that are named after them.

There are so many Bond 9s and I've only tried a tiny handful. Chinatown is my favorite, so far, but I don't see how/what it has to do with NY's Chinatown. That said, I've also been to Brooklyn, Brighton Beach specifically. I wasn't fond of the area. Lots of dilapidated buildings, unhappy faces, drunken gypsy women in corners trying to read your palm. I'm sure this scent has nothing to do with those images...

Not sure if I'll try this fragrance unless it's right in front of me.

Definitely want to revisit the very vibrant NYC, though :-)

Lovethescents

2:59 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

M,
That's what I guessed. But I suppose, if it was realistic, it wouldn't be wearable

8:51 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

L,
The bottle is fun. But it's no Ankh :-)

8:52 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Tom,
True!!

8:52 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Beth,
The bottles are amazing, with the exception of that one with Pucci print that gave me headache

8:53 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

S,
Well, that sounds more like Brooklyn I imagined.

8:53 PM EST  
Blogger Unknown said...

I don't know Brooklyn that well, but I am a huge Bond fan - I think their fragrances are just so NICE - I mean, they are exceptionally complex.

And it sounds like the Brooklyn scent is, too, as I would expect. Sounds very wearable -

I read in WWD that there will be limited edition bottles designed by Brooklyn street artists. What a cool project, Cannot wait to see them... (and SMELL brooklyn!!!)

12:00 AM EST  
Blogger indieperfumes said...

I tried it yesterday on their signature thick circular "token" card, and I liked it much more than other Bonds, which I find much too sweet and high-keyed. This was very dry for a Bond, so I would say they did a good job for Brooklyn, where I have lived for decades. Brooklyn is very large so there is no real one aesthetic, you have the Russian immigrant Brighton Beach, Hispanic Coney Island, wealthy hipster Williamsburg, family dog Park Slope, classic Italian Bay Ridge, etc. etc. but this was Bond was not bland, not too sweet, the dry woody almost saltiness of it was satisfying. I would like to try it on skin.

7:04 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

A
That would be interesting to look at those bottles

8:04 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Lucy,
Please, let us know what you think when you tried on your skin.

8:05 AM EST  
Blogger Flora said...

After only trying one Bond scent so far(Saks 5th Avenue for Her) I am almost afraid to try any more, I loved it so much. Brooklyn would probably not be a "love" but I am pretty sure I would like it as a nominally masculine scent that could easily be unisex. I might want it just for the bottle!

12:51 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Donna,
It is nominally masculne, that is very well put! I think you might enjoy it in warm weather.

12:56 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

As a long time resident of Brooklyn, I am not a fan at all of the bottle's design. I think its more retro, which I guess in a sense, makes it modern. As for the scent, I really like it. I disagree in that I don't think its unisex. I find it way more masculine and very earthy.

9:39 PM EST  
Blogger Deepo said...

Lucy got it right (hi neighbor) - Brooklyn is so much more than one group and the fragrance reflects it. I also wish it was a little more complex, but i loved it on my skin. I'd like to get a really good spray rather than a wrist dab. The bottle is cute - yes, retro and so much of Bklyn is retro anyhow.

11:21 AM EST  

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