WHAT I SMELL: Knot is immediately cool to the skin and the opening is this refreshing mix of citrus and lavender. It’s clean, fresh and light and irresistibly pretty. After 10 minutes or so the musk and Tonka joins the mix to provide a bit of sour which soon dissipates to create more of a clean haze. The fragrance which started off light and pretty has moved slightly warmer to reveal a more sensual side with the lovely comforting florals sitting front and center. As it further develops, the fragrance becomes a lightly powdery, musky and pretty comfort scent.
Exotic and refreshing notes of clementine intertwine with a delicate heart of soothing lavender, the rich floral accord of rose and the lingering sensuality of peony essence, evoking the unforgettable breeze of the Italian Riviera on a sultry summer evening. An enigmatic base note of uplifting musk and Tonka absolute adds a passionate and lingering texture.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Dining alfresco under the stars and pretty lights on a warm summer’s eve.
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE KNOT: pretty, dreamy, breezy
BOTTOM LINE: Knot is a nice, easy to wear perfume that can easily take your mind off the doldrums of winter. I normally don’t care of clean musk fragrances, but the musk is carefully controlled and doesn’t completely dominate the perfume. Oh, and I love the bottle too; a great design.
For me, there are few fragrances that I am introduced to that end up receiving a 5 bone review. This past year, perfumer Hiram Green’s Moon Bloom was one of those fragrances that did. I had heard so many wonderful things about Moon Bloom and was late the game in checking it out, but it was well worth the wait. So when I found out that Hiram was launching his second creation, I had to be front and center to check it out. But before I get into my review, I posed a few questions to Hiram:
Hiram Green
The Scented Hound: From what I read, Shangri-La was inspired by the Coty fragrance of the same name (Coty Chypre). What motivated you to create this homage?
Hiram Green: I was experimenting with a variety of different materials, once I started to picture a Shangri La paradise in my head, the Chypre accord developed intuitively. I did not set out purposely to create this homage, it just happened.
The Scented Hound: Moon Bloom, your freshman effort was a critical success. Was it intimidating at all developing Shangri-La knowing that you set the expectations so high for your sophomore release?
Hiram Green: It was very intimidating launching Moon Bloom. I am a bit more relaxed with Shangri La. I feel that many of the people who enjoyed Moon Bloom should find similar qualities in Shangri La.
The Scented Hound: What’s on the horizon for Hiram Green next?
Hiram Green: I am always working on new fragrances. Nothing is quite yet finished. Are there any fragrances that you or anyone else would like to see from me? (see the Hound’s response in the Bottom Line section).
On to the review…
WHAT I SMELL: Shangri La opens with this curiously warmed citrus which seems tinged with a bit of clove. The fragrance is prickly to the nose with a peach note that’s rather jammy without being thick. There’s a mulled spice aspect about the composition that exchanges rounds between being more floral and then once again becoming more spiced. After around 20 minutes, the tonality of the fragrance begins to find its middle ground between the floral and the spice and Shangri La at this point feels herbal, as if it’s a special and mysterious creation that’s housed in an unassuming pouch made of burlap, leather and twine. After some more time, the herbs and spices are met with just a hint of light sugar or sweetened floral. It’s not until around the 45 minute mark that you really start to get wrapped up in the dust of the oakmoss which makes for a wonderful haze to base the spiced florals on. But just when you think that the fragrance is going to settle in to its final phase, the peach note really comes forth and it’s a bit dirty and roughened. In the end, Shangri La remains this dusty spiced peach of a perfume.
Almost one hundred years after Francois Coty defined the chypre genre with a perfume of the same name, Hiram Green presents his adaptation of this classic accord. Named after the fictional land described in James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon, Shangri La evokes a mystical fragrant paradise.
Shangri La opens with a sharp burst of citrus, followed by a rich bouquet of peach, jasmine, rose, iris and spices, all anchored by an earthy base of vetiver and oakmoss.
Lost Horizon – 1937
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Hiram Green named his perfume well…Shangri La.
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE SHANGRI LA: mysterious, spiced, dusty
BOTTOM LINE: Mr. Green’s second creation is wonderful and there is a quality and underlying spice that ties it to Moon Bloom and it is distinctively his. As far as I can tell from these first two fragrances, he can’t do any wrong so I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next…but I do have my weakness for big white florals, I would probably love it if he came up with a head spinning jasmine!
Since 1901, Bergdorf Goodman has been providing the utmost in quality, service and luxury to New York City on the corner of 5th Avenue and 58th Street. To celebrate this New York landmark, Master Perfumer Roja Dove was asked to create two exclusive perfumes that embody this legendary institution. Back in September, I reviewed Goodman’s, Roja Dove’s creation named for the Bergdorf Goodman men’s store. And now, Roja Dove has launched Goodman’s female counterpart, Bergdorf. Together, they were both created to personify Bergdorf Goodman, the pinnacle of style, service and inspiration for over a century.
WHAT I SMELL: Bergdorf’s opening is comprised of airy florals which dance around a bright bergamot. The florals are lightly sugared and candied making the opening so incredibly bright and cheerful that it feels like you’re running through a summer field of delicate wild flowers in a warm and sunny afternoon. The florals are hard to distinguish as they’re flawlessly blended, but the violet pops out as a cheery leader of the bunch. The fragrance is grounded by a hazy base of sandalwood which warms the fragrance as it moves from the shiny and carefree opening, to more of a refined, graceful and full-bodied floral that is wrapped around the edges with pink pepper. After around 15 minutes, Bergdorf turns into a ball gown. The fragrance dances, moves and twirls under a shimmering light. It’s pretty, lush and full of gaiety. As more time passes, the fragrance quiets as if the dancing slows and the party retreats to quieter and contained refinement. The florals then become deeper and they’re met with this lush and comforting warmth that is very secure in its majestic self. As beauty is not always what it seems, there is just a bit of dirty (I think it’s the castoreum) that brings a bit of realness to the florals as if to say, “all that glitters is not gold.” My favorite part of the fragrance arrives after around an hour when Bergdorf’s becomes smooth as golden silk covering the windows to the garden outside, which at this point, the now lightly creamy florals are hauntingly and beautifully restrained.
“Bergdorf Goodman, in my mind, has always embodied the refinement, glamour, and polish that is the very best of Manhattan.
With Bergdorf, I wanted to create an incredibly feminine scent that was unapologetically refined, elegant and sensual. A rich bouquet, with notes of Gardenia and May Flower, nestling on a base of Oakmoss and Vanilla”.
Roja Dove, Master Perfumer
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The life of Marie Antoinette, starting with her carefree youth as an Archduchess of Austria through her infamous and larger than life reign as Queen of France. It’s charming innocence in the beginning and grand, refined and strikingly beautiful throughout the end even when her world became oh so real.
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE BERGDORF: refined, graceful, stately
BOTTOM LINE: The problem with reviewing a Roja Parfum creation is that the development is so seamless and pulling apart notes is next to impossible. But what a great problem to have. It’s just testament to the talent of Roja Dove. I have to admit that at first, I was going to give Bergdorf’s a rating of 4 bones, but each time I wear this, my love grows stronger. So in the end, I have to up the ante. Bergdorf is a legendary perfume for a legendary store.
For those of you lucky to in be in NYC on Thursday December 4th, Roja Dove will be appearing at Bergdorf Goodman’s from 5 to 6pm. This is your opportunity to have Roja Dove himself, sign your exclusive bottles of Bergdorf and Goodman’s!
Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Roja Dove
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $545 for 50ml parfum, exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman via Roja Parfums’ Bergdorf Goodman Representative, Tom Crutchfield, 212-872-2768.
WHAT I SMELL: Knot is immediately cool to the skin and the opening is this refreshing mix of citrus and lavender. It’s clean, fresh and light and irresistibly pretty. After 10 minutes or so the musk and Tonka joins the mix to provide a bit of sour which soon dissipates to create more of a clean haze. The fragrance which started off light and pretty has moved slightly warmer to reveal a more sensual side with the lovely comforting florals sitting front and center. As it further develops, the fragrance becomes a lightly powdery, musky and pretty comfort scent.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Dining alfresco under the stars and pretty lights on a warm summer’s eve.
The Scented Hound 