Little Vanities
Mostly perfume; sometimes makeup; occasionally other things completely
Bond No. 9 West Side
My first fragrance commentary is going to be on one of my favourite perfumes: Bond No. 9′s West Side. (Favouritism?! Here?!)
First things first: This is one of New York perfumery Bond No. 9′s ‘Midtown’ fragrances, released in 2006. Their ‘thing’ is the neighbourhoods of New York City (again with the favouritism, my favourite place in the universe) and every fragrance that they release corresponds to an area in the five boroughs… theoretically. Lately they’ve branched out a little, releasing three collaborations with Harrods of London, and limited editions of their Saks exclusive perfumes for New Orleans and Boca Raton. That’s not to say that the brand is diluting, however– they still love New York through and through.
To be perfectly honest with you, I hate the bottle. All the Bond No. 9 fragrances come in the same star-shaped flacon in the full sizes (50mL and 100mL) and in a simple glass tube in the bonbon and sample sizes (7mL and 1.5mL). The glass tube is far more elegant and befitting of such a lovely fragrance. The West Side edition of the star flacon is a vibrant red with a blue and yellow treble clef motif. The Swarovski-crusted West Side edition is the same, but with red crystals surrounding the treble clef. Apparently the back of the bottle has the treble clef in multi-coloured crystals, but I am unable to find a picture. Either way, I find it far too childish for what is such an ‘adult’ fragrance.
The Bond No. 9 website lists the notes as rose, ylang ylang, peony, sandalwood, amber, vanilla, musk; and describes West Side as
Music to your Nose. You’ve heard the West Side… Now Smell it. A melodious full-bodied coloratura perfume, with dark-light, high-low, sweet-sharp floral and woody notes.
The musical imagery is fitting given that it is a tribute to the Manhattan ‘music district’ containing Carnegie Hall, Tin Pan Alley, Lincoln Center, Studio 54 etc. Personally I find it more of a theatre or cabaret scent– big, bold and beguiling. (And I honestly didn’t mean to alliterate that.)
It opens with a really, really big boozy rose note, and this is the main reason I call it an ‘adult’ fragrance. It’s in-your-face and sexy and confident and all too much for a shrinking violet or a young woman trying to establish her own identity. You need to know who you are to wear this, or it will wear you. The rose is sweet and powdery, but doesn’t for a second turn into that dowdy note one finds in grandma’s linen drawer. It’s far more subtle than the tart rose of Tea Rose from Perfumer’s Workshop.
The sandalwood and vanilla act to promote the rose, not overwhelm it, and it remains a sensual, rich smell all through the drydown. There is definitely a hint of musk in there, but I can never pinpoint when it appears or when it ceases to be noticeable. It just tickles at the edge of your senses, and you later realise it is gone without ever having been startled by the absence of it.
For some reason, the intoxicating headiness of the scent manifests itself in my brain as the image of buddhist smoke– as seen in this uchichiki (altar cloth) from the Japanese Edo period (click for larger view). Odd, considering there is no smoke angle to the fragrance and it’s entirely too sweet to be reminding me of incense. There is a little sparkle to it as one finds in champagne; bubbly and uplifting though by no means timid. In fact, timid is the last word anyone should use to describe this fragrance, from the smell itself, to the bottle, to the wearer.
This is a long-lasting, ‘go large or go home’ scent and it’s just perfect.
Little Vanities
Exciting, my very first post!
You may be familiar with this very well-composed photograph: it’s been floating around the internet for a few years now, mostly featuring on blogs and tumblrs of teenaged girls with a romantic bent.
You can see why: it’s a dreamy combination of perfectly muted colours, soft ambient lighting, and the girliest of subjects– the Chanel perfume bottle. What’s not to love about it?
What you might not know is that it’s only one of dozens of gorgeous photos taken by talented photographer and designer Tricia Breidenthal. I highly recommend checking out her Flickr account! It’s like taking a leisurely walk through a tea garden of gorgeousness, and the lady herself is a darling to boot!
I won’t claim to be an expert, but the Chanel bottle looks vintage to me– and not because of the yellowing label. (Does anyone else find yellowing labels ridiculously attractive, or is it just my bizarre tendency to find beauty in decay?) The Chanel bottle has actually evolved over the years, from a rather boring squared bottle in 1921 to the faceted crystal monolith of today. You can see an example of what I mean in the diagram on this page, where five incarnations of the design are shown.
To me, the bottle in the photograph seems to be the 1970 design– mainly because of the shape of the shoulders (not as sloped as 1950 and not as faceted as 1986). It also appears to have the longer neck of the 1950-1970 bottles, however, this is a matter of perspective depending on the size of the flacon. You can see examples of both modern and vintage Chanel bottles for sale on eBay all the time– they’re popular even without the iconic perfume inside!