Is it possible to actually, truly fall in love with a fragrance? The latest from Comme des Garçons, 8 88, which intends to capture the smell of gold, is causing all the warning signs: a compulsion to be around it, a need to fondle it and an unhealthy desire to spiritually consume it. But it's not love at first whiff. In fact, initially, it's just the opposite: a blast of pepper spray. Such is the reverse psychology that typifies Comme des Garçons' scents. But if you stick it out, you're rewarded for your unfaltering faithfulness to the label's genius as that first jolt is softened with warm notes of saffron, and underneath that are hints of geranium and amber. $105 for 50 ml, $80 for the candle, at Comme des Garçons locations worldwide.
|
|
 |
 |
Tom Ford gave us Black Orchid, a sharp-toothed gothic floral for the stiletto set, and then its charming little sister, Black Orchid Voile de Fleur. Now, for ladies who layer their fragrance, comes an even more addictive version of Voile de Fleur, in the form of pearlescent shower gel ($31) and body moisturizer ($38). A men's skincare line is also in the works: a tawny, palm-sized soap-on-a rope ($18), a shower gel ($30), a hydrating emulsion ($34), an after-shave splash ($52) and its forgiving follow-up, an airy after-shave balm ($40). Available in March at Bergdorf Goodman, all men's products are flavored to varying degrees with Tom Ford for Men, a slightly spicy, woody fragrance that conjures fantasies of hot lumberjacks on holiday.
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
For months now Chloé has been nesting, preparing for the arrival of its signature Eau de Parfum ($110 for 2.5 oz), its first fragrance in nearly three years. It even threw a party in a decked-out Paris apartment in what could be considered its nursery, where everything appears to have been thrown together to give attendees a sense of the perfume's personality: accidental luxe. Except this was no accident, and now the baby is finally here, a jubilant but complex little package of delicate rose and white flowers, balanced by juicy lychee and shy cedar. At Chloé stores worldwide and Saks Fifth Avenue in New York.
|
|
Though based on concepts of yore, Apothia (a lexicographic blend of apothecary and utopia) doesn't dwell in the past. Not only do they make the only candles you'll find with a heat-impervious rubber grip, but last year the Fragrance Foundation—the Oscars of perfumery—gave the company the Interior Scent of the Year award, which basically means theirs are the best candles in the world. Made from wax so pure and gentle it's incapable of burning the skin (too bad for us kinky folk), the candle's drippings double as solid perfume—for real. The latest scent, Verde ($46), was inspired by that golden hour in Mexico when the sun, done charging up gardens for the day, begins to wane and it's time to sit outside, order a margarita and ponder the mischief the night will bring. At Fred Segal in Los Angeles and Barneys New York.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Shoptart
01, 22, 16. Nope, it’s not bingo night; it's the numerical filing system at Maison Martin Margiela. Adding to the mathematical fun is a new line of fine jewelry in absurdist proportions and scale. Also this month: Comme de Garçons for H&M, Louis Vuitton and more. By Franklin Melendez Message Boards
"Madonna starves herself on a raw macrobiotic kosher vegan kaballah diet and works out three hours a day to maintain the physique of a 12-year-old gymnast boy, and then has the cheeks of a 300-pound woman implanted into her face. And her forehead is like a plastic baby's bottom. It's like Nicole Kidman's forehead at the height of her botox addiction, and we all remember how unfortunate that era was."  Hint Shop
If Rad Hourani were writing this blurb, it would be over already. That's because, for the soon-to-explode French-Canadian designer, it's all about extreme minimalism. Thus, the concept behind this one-size-fits-all, unisex, sleeveless T-shirt—printed with the dates and times of a calendar—is that it can be worn by anyone, anytime. |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
