Ralph Lauren Love, UESism and Ninaisms

Decidedly, I have been spending too much time in the UES. And 40 hours a week in West Midtown apparently haven't even started to cure my UESism. To wit: my affection for Love, the limited edition perfume by Ralph Lauren. Actually "affection for a perfume by Ralph Lauren" is, perhaps, a symptom of UESism, in and of itself. Chandler Burr describes Love thus: "It’s as conventionally beautiful as the women in the “Fifth Avenue to Lexington above 70th but below 96th” zone, all getting their hair highlighted at the same salon. There’s zero edge...(...)" And I completely agree. It's one of those perfumes that is hard to break down into ingredients because it is so...prettysmoothperfumeygeneric. With emphasis on pretty and generic. As prettily generic as, well, Lauren's or Kors's fashion. (It is "aesthetically pleasing", it is cohesive, it is reliable, it is oftentimes impeccable, but edgy it is not) As generically pretty as Tiffany jewelry. (Again, it is mostly timeless and flawless and makes an unerring gift and I want more of it, make no mistake about it, please...I am panicking a little bit here, what if I never get another blue box after this?!...All I am saying is Tiffany is not avant garde. But neither am I!) Is generic too harsh a word? Perhaps. Let's call it approachable, universal. Which is in a way ironic, when one applies those words to describe something evocative of UES. To make the long story short, Love will not take the prize for the most innovative perfume of our generation. Or the generation before. But the slight bitter booziness of the top notes, the simultaneously ripe-honeyed and sparkling quality of the rose in its heart, the creamy, appropriately luxurious feel of amber and sandalwood in the base are, to me, very appealing... especially that strange bitter booziness...Love is pretty (not beautiful- pretty), elegant, wearable, versatile...it is something that, when worn, would never make anybody "question your taste level". And, as Burr points out: "... it will make quite a few men in the East 80’s lean appreciatively into the necks of quite a few smartly dressed women." And that's always a bonus. Available in an egalitarian range of prices, from $90.00 to $600.00 for a fancy, rather cheesy crystal flacon. Fellow Project Runway fans, so what did you think of this season? Image source, Vogue.