[Update: I should have mentioned that Now Smell This is taking Monday off for the holiday — we'll be back on Tuesday. Happy Labor Day, if you're celebrating.]
Today's poll was suggested by reader Lys, and references a statement made recently by Frédéric Malle of Frédéric Malle Editions de Parfums about the mainstream fragrance industry:
They don’t concentrate on the fragrance at all. They concentrate on the story, they concentrate on getting a star, or an image or a launch or an event. It’s an idea they sell. It’s the easiest way to sell a fragrance which will please everybody, because everybody likes Céline Dion, for instance — or many people do. They create the sale by selling something cheap in a small bottle. None of these fragrances are designed to last. Since Thierry Mugler’s Angel, created in 1992, the market has not generated one classic...*
I think most of us would agree with the beginning of that statement? Today we're discussing the last part: has there been a single mainstream classic since Thierry Mugler Angel? Presumably we are talking not about fragrances we think are fabulous and that we love, but about fragrances that were innovative and influential — fragrances that would rate a section in Michael Edwards' Perfume Legends, should he ever update it (right now, it ends, fittingly enough, with Angel).
But as always, you can also just tell us your scent of the day!
*You can read the whole thing at A master class on fragrance: Frederic Malle ‘publishes’ scents without stories at the Montreal Gazette.
SOTD is Atalier Colgne, Trefle, which I keep in my gym bag in summer.
I guess we are talking “post Angel” as being “modern.” But what is mainstream? Something sold either at Target or Macy’s I guess.
I think we would have to eliminate all celeb scents, since the companies ease them out of production when the celeb is no longer sufficiently famous, regardless of the quality of the scent.
On the other hand, given the importance of celeb scents, Wouldn’t Elizabeth Taylor’s or Brittany Spears’ first scent qaulify as “innovate and influential” on what the main stream market actually is?
Both White Diamonds & Curious were influential, but I don’t think in terms of the “juice”…more like the successful marketing of derivative but well done fragrances influenced the market to turn into exactly what Malle is complaining about!
I’d suggest YSL M7, which was noted by LT as the scent that launched the oud trend. I’ve never smelled it, though.
Good one! I’d go for that, although it was arguably a failure — you could say it was before its time.
M7 is better than bunches and bunches of niche perfumes! It’s a pitty YSL has done what they done to it. They killed a gem.
I am thinking if Feminite de Bois, launched by Sisheido the same year than Angel, can be considered a Legend, but i dont know if that could be considered “mainstream”… hmmm
It was hugely influential — it was the first thing that came to my mind, then I saw it was also 1992.
Romance by Ralph Lauren, Pleasures by Estee Lauder.
CKOne?
At least that was what I smelled all the time when growing up and there had been lots of copies of those perfumes….Not quite sure they’d meet everyone’s definition of classic!
CK One came to my mind too, and agree w/ Pleasures.
Not so sure about Romance, although it certainly sold!
Do people still wear CK One? It is so very 90’s to me, so evocative of its time. So is Pleasures, but I can see that having a bit more longevity for some reason.
I don’t think it’s widely worn, but it’s still worn…you could say the same of Mitsouko, after all, right? From my standpoint, if something was influential and innovative, it’s a classic even if it doesn’t continue to sell for all time.
Yes, Ck One is still hugely popular and can be hard to keep in stock. There is a following. It’s especially popular in Wal-Mart, Winners, the Real Canadian Superstore and Sears (at least in Canada). Coty does really well with it. I’d recognize any fragrance that successfully stays on the market for 10 or more years and was a game changer in the industry a classic.
The fact that cK One isn’t just unisex, it’s “for a man and for a woman” (unisexy?) makes it a standout for originality IMO.
I’m inclined to agree with Monsieur Malle on the whole Classic debate.
No scent for me today. I’m visiting Scent Bar for the first time (!) today, and I have on my wish list a new scent to wear for my wedding next month. Actually, it’s more of an elopement….with our parents (weird, I know). Any perfumistas out there have any fragrances in mind that one can wear to her own elopement? It’ll take place in Santa Barbara, in October, at night, candles everywhere. Thoughts?
Yay, have fun, and congrats on your pending not-quite-elopement!
Thanks, Robin! 🙂
Congrats, Bookgirl! It sounds like you have made wonderful choices for you impending nups. You will do the same at Scent Bar. Have fun!
Thanks!
The elopement plan sounds fabulous! Maybe Chypre Rose? Dramatic, Intimate and edgy all at once?
Are you referring to Tauer Rose Chypre? That was a scrubber on me last I tried it, but I could give it another whirl…..
Going out on a limb here Bookgirl with two suggestions that are polar opposites, to my mind anyway. Evening wedding could call for Divine EdP (at the scent bar) a rich, spicy, floral that’s a real throwback to earlier times and very glam. Or, conversely, Hermes Osmantha Yunnan, a lovely, elegant, somewhat innocent scent of pure happiness. Warm wishes for your happy day/evening/life!
Ooops, darn fingers OsmanthE, not OsmanthA. Should also mention Divine also makes a more modern, lovely choice L’enfante.
I didn’t try Divine when I visited, but I am ordering myself a sample, stat! Osmanthe Yunnan is also so gorgeous. Thanks for the recs and the warm wishes, hollyc! 🙂
This is a difficult question to answer for me–made especially so because I’ve only been down this rabbit hole a year or two. I don’t know which things are “modern” but still released before I started paying attention!
However, I *can* say that in my scent adventures, I have absolutely found myself mostly drawn to less mainstream frags. (This is perhaps not surprising, given my other tendencies, but all the same!) When I think of perfume houses that I can find at the mall and have sincere interest in exploring–it’s Guerlain, maybe Bulgari, Chanel, Estee Lauder and Prada.
Looking over THAT list, I wonder, does Bulgari Black qualify as a modern classic? I know it hasn’t been the most appreciated, but it is distinct and definitely about the juice, not just the hockey puck. It’s not clear to me if it’s been influential, though.
And which scent would be held responsible for the current trend in sheer, powdery florals (B. Paris, C. Baiser Vole, etc.)? Whichever it is, it could be seen as deeply influential.
Who *did* start the recent cosmetic powder trend?? I know that when I reviewed Balenciaga Paris in early 2010, and then Eau Claire des Merveilles in summer 2010, I didn’t discuss either as part of a trend.
Then when I reviewed Love, Chloe in late 2010, I mentioned the Balenciaga and the Eau Claire. The Cartier wasn’t til 2011.
But there could easily have been something else, even something earlier on, that didn’t make an impression on me, or that I don’t remember, or that I didn’t smell. OR, wonder if Infusion d’Iris (2007) really started it all, even though that’s not directly “cosmetic powder”.
I considered mentioning Infusion d’Iris, but I wasn’t sure if I was right on the lineage! Sounds like we’re in agreement. It isn’t as girly as the later ones, but it has that sheer floral aspect down!
And I read one reviewer calling IdI a modern classic…
Fine by me! (plus, I’m not a fan of any of the followers except Baiser Vole). While I like the Cartier very much, I still wouldn’t think of it as a masterpiece though – the Prada, yes!
I remember LT pointing out that the wider availability of synthetic iris (which is much cheaper than the natural material) was the reason behind the sudden influx of fragrances featuring iris a couple of years ago.
I’m not hugely knowledgeable about aromachemicals and behind the scenes developments but I wonder whether the cosmetic powder trend is down to something like that rather than a result of being inspired by a specific perfume on the market.
Oh, could well be — that’s what got oud going again.
SOTD = Le Labo Iris 39….and I got a compliment on it this morning! I scored a sample yesterday from Barneys and I am considering either getting a FB or including it as part of a 3 x 10mL Le Labo set where you can choose which 3 to include (there are exceptions). The price per mL is abysmal so I really have to like 2 other Le Labos to go this route.
As to the Poll… Why did he pick Thierry Mugler Angel as his standard for the modern classic (which is an oxymoron because “classic” is usually associated with ancient Greece and Rome)? According to Malle “The fragrance has to become sort of part of you. When you think of classics, they all have that in common.”
So, given HIS definition of classic, a classic is personal and can be niche, mainstream, smell good to you and bad to others, even a fruitchouli can be a classic because it is PERSONAL.
Not sure he meant it as a standard so much as the end of an era.
Y’know, I couldn’t think of a single one. M7 was a good suggestion but, on the whole, I’m tempted to agree with Malle. How depressing especially when considering the seemingly unrelenting flood of new releases.
The market has definitely changed, although I don’t think it was as bad in 1990s as Malle does.
Here are my candidates for modern classics:
Coco Mademoiselle – not my personal thing but rapidly becoming iconic, I think. Kind of the ur-fruitchouli.
CK One – agree with people above. Not a fave of mine by any means, I despise it, but ushered in the “clean perfume” era.
Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds – I think it’s a really well done perfume and it made celeb fragrance viable on a wider level. Still sells great.
Estee Lauder Pleasures – agree with above.
To me, I think a modern classic has to be something that has an impact on the mainstream and fundamentally stirs it in some way.
Agree on all three. Influential, widely available, widely worn.
Had another idea – what about Bath and Body Works Cucumber Melon as a classic fragrance? It was sort of unique and forged a new standard in body care products – and EVERYONE copied it. Not a fine fragrance, but definitely an influential one.
Oh, good one. I remember the years in the 90s when that scent was inescapable!
I think Victoria’s Secret “Tranquil Breezes” came first — it was a cucumber melon scent.
SotD – My own blend with Costus Root as the star. Costus oil smells to me of sweet dirty hair.
I think of Prada Infusion d’Iris as being a recent modern classic. I thought it was one of the best fragrances to come out in the mainstream market in many years.
Great topic, by the way.
Good weekend to all!
~Dawn
Great thought! Infusion d’Iris will be with us for a long time, I think. It was so different from anything else in the mainstream, and people love it. Chandler Burr would concur, and did–he made it part of his curated series, right? FWIW, I can’t wear this one, it turns weirdly chemical on me, but it is cooly distinctive on others. Be well.
Thank you, Hemlock Sillage. I am bummed out for you that this fragrance doesn’t wear well on you but glad that you can still appreciate it. 🙂
I will have to track down the Chandler Burr curated series you mentioned. I have not heard of it until now.
Be well too.
~Dawn
It’s on Open Sky. The idea is that he takes a fragrance, removes all labels, puts it in a plain bottle, and sells it unnamed. A month or so later, there is a big reveal, and he tells what the fragrance was. I’m oversimplifying, but his idea is to present what he thinks ate outstanding fragrances as just the fragrance, without the marketing.
The first was Infusion d’Iris, and the second was Mugler’s Cologne. I’m not sure what the third was, or if it’s been revealed yet. Interesting concept, but I’ve not been willing to hand over my perfume dollars for an unknown which I may ALREADY own. Check out the buzz…I know there were articles on Katie Puckrik’s blog, if you are interested 🙂
I think both Coco mademoiselle & Stella McCartney Stella are modern classics that was the first of its kind, the grown womans fruitchouli & the modern rose.
Coco Mad definitely makes my list!
My weekend started yesterday because I took a vacation day off work, actually not even realizing when I asked for the day off that Monday is Labor Day so I’d get a 4-day weekend. Yay for unexpectedly longer weekends!
As far as post-1992 “classics” go.. This is purely hypothetical, but I suppose if we could trace the lineage of all the fruity florals that are popular these days to a single ancestor (or even a couple of ancestors), and that ancestor was released after 1992, then I guess we’d have a candidate whether we like it or not. You couldn’t say it wasn’t influential, at least.
And funny that this post should mention Angel, because I’ve been revisiting it lately. I hated it the first couple times I tried it, but I got drawn back in, and I think I finally “get” it now. I’ve even been kind of thinking about buying a small bottle, so the Mugler lady at Macy’s gave me a sample so I could take it home and think about it. I wore some last night and really enjoyed it.
I second Marjorie Rose in wondering if Bvlgari Black might be a candidate for modern classic-hood. I finally tried it just yesterday, and I really really like it. It is definitely a unique scent. I don’t know if it’s the first of its kind, though. I kind of wonder if it could be considered a descendent of Dior Fahrenheit, though, since that one, to me, has a similar but stronger rubbery/gasoline note, and it is pre-1990.
Black is such a great scent! It’s a classic of some kind, although possibly not in the sense that Malle was talking about.
Hi guys – my list is already almost fully reflected by the comments above!
– Shiseido Femininite du Bois (also 1992, does it count?).
– M7 – absolutely.
– cK One and D&G Light Blue although L’Eau d’Issey was before them.
I’m adding
– Cartier Declaration.
– Kenzo Flower. I got your modern powdery for ya!
My top choice: Tuberose Criminelle. For being a classic and mother the “deconstructed mean flower” genre, M. Malle’s Carnal Flower owes a debt for sure along with a bunch of other exclusive-type fragrances. And as an ambassador for the Lutens line which totally shaped the streamlined look and smell of niche perfumery and “prive” lines and by way of that mainstream releases like the D&G tarot line. Pretty sure there’s a few post-1992 classics in there.
So happy you picked my question!
You suggested a great topic for a weekend discussion Lys!
Thanks Lucas! I like seeing that there’s a lot of consensus around the suggestions people are coming up with. At least around here, there are agreed-upon post-1992 classics.
Also, wonder if Angel will have the staying power of classics like Chanel No. 5 or Shalimar which you can still wear so many years later.
Also, realize Tubereuse Crimmy isn’t properly maintream, but that Lutens line sure impacted the mainstream. Now the mainstream is impacting Lutens, -le sigh-
Does Kenzo Amour pre-date B. Paris?
Yes, 2006.
L’eau D’Issey is #6 in our store (its the biggest volume in North America per sq ft). It does extremely well and people love it. Was #9 in my other store that I worked in. People just love it. It’s like Eternity from Calvin Klein; there’s something in that scent for young and old.
I think mr Malle has a valid point on the whole, since he makes it clear he’s talking about mainstream and not classics in the niche market. If I had to name some modern classics I would pick Coco Mademoiselle, Prada Infusion d’Iris and NR For Her I think have also been influential?
SOTD is Tauer Une Rose Chypree, fitting for the first day of autumn.
Hey, autumn doesn’t start until 9/22! (I must hang on to my last few weeks of summer)
Not in northern Sweden it does not, LOL!
The other day it was just 3 degrees Celsius in the morning- we’ll have the first frost any day now!
What a coincidence! My mum just asked me to buy her that Angel in Comets bottle which is shown in the picture.
It’s so hard to say if we have any modern classics nowadays. I find Malle’s perfume more educating than beautiful. They’re mind openers to me.
The only thing that pops up in my mind is Eau Sauvage by Dior. Heck it was reformulated, it still sells after this many years on the market.
My SOTD is Moulin Rouge.
I like that comet EDT bottle too (and the ad is great).
I think Narciso Rodriguez for Her from 2004 is a true modern classic. Like Angel it started out with a cult fan base. It really was a moderate succes, but today its fan base grows wider and wider and it is now really doing well. Ok, there were musk based scents before, but never as a majour high end designer scent. But it is the clean patchouli and white musk accord that makes For Her the first big neo-chypre. Also like Angel, once people are hooked they can hardly switch to another fragrance afterwards. All this without ever changing its print ad.
And without any huge investment in advertising at all, as near as I can see.
Eau Parfumee au The Vert by Bvlgari — also launched in 1992!
I agree with the above nods to CK One/L’eau d’Issey, Flower by Kenzo, NR for Her, and Coco Mademoiselle — meaning, I think of them as “classics” in a sense although Flower and CM are actually clearly derivative of other fragrances.
This was the only one I could think of, Egabbert.
What about Tommy Girl? Luca loves it.
SOTD is Pamplelune + a bit of IcyHot…an odd but compelling combination…
Agree with all of those, The Vert especially. I think that tea accord launched a thousand upscale industrial products, too–fancy hotel soaps, make-up powder, shampoo and so on.
Oh, that was the first which I bought as a working adult. In fact, I have just concluded there is no substitute for it, and I will have to buy yet another bottle. I had no idea this came out in the same year as Angel.
I think, generally,the perfume industry is alot like the movie industry. They want one huge hit for the entire market (although the perfume industry prefers to cater to the taste of teen age girls, rather than boys), and then in the next year, they want to put out a new marketing scheme for re-packaged last year hit.
Modern classics:
Gucci Rush and Envy
(Envy should have never been discontinued for exactly that reason apart from smelling great).
I love both of them! They are terrific, but I’m not sure if they were very influential? I can see shades of Envy in Be Delicious but they were both done by the same perfumer (Roucel) so I’m not sure that counts. I hate that you can’t find it in stores anymore!
You are probably right but I think both of them should count as classics for radically setting standards of modern perfumery. Both reinvented classical genres; I could not imagine a more modern green floral than Envy. I think of them as contemporary No5s.
I just remember a similar discussion on Grain de Musc were Denyse proposed contemporary classics: http://graindemusc.blogspot.com/2010/08/proposals-for-top-10-contemporary.html
That’s a fascinating point about whether something has to be copied in order to be influential. I think I agree with you that setting standards is also critical, and Envy and Rush certainly do that.
This question reminds me how little I know about fragrance and marketing. I assumed that with the celebs that are chosen to helm the newer scents, and their legion of flankers, creating a classic was no longer the point. Volume and youth have been the order of the day for some time.
Prada Infusion d’Iris was the only one that came to mind. It was derivative and not aimed at teens. The only celeb scent of the last two decades that I responded to was Lovely by SJP. Also, not aimed at kids.
This change seemed to have ushed in the interest and success of niche lines. So good. I love the legs and substance of a classic, but I am also love the thrill of the hunt.
SOTD – L’Ambre des Merveilles. I have been walkiing around looking like Bela Ligosi, with my nose stuck to the crook of my arm.
That Bela Lugosi line is MARVELLOUS. I laughed for a good two minutes at the imagery!
I was never wearing these but I think they both can be considered as influential modern classics:
Laura Biagotti Venezia
Lancome Tresor
Just looked it up out of curiosity–My mom wears this–Tresor is dated 1990. I had no idea it’s been around so long.
Jean Paul Gaultier Classique is DEFINITELY a Modern Classic… Still Sells Scads! and Still Smells as Unique, Quirky and Divine as Ever.
Flowerbomb i’d have to say is Another one… ushered in the whole “Fruitchouli” Thing and is still the template for that kind of scent and still going MIGHTY Strong! I mean Hell… “La Vie Est Belle” smells like the Big Sister of it, so if fragrance houses (and one as big as Lancome) are still Aping it… well…. it’s got some legs!
As For Scent Of The Day…. Undecided As of Yet… Back Later with that Info! 😉
I thought of Classique too, but can’t make up my mind about it. Any way you look at it, the early 1990s were good years for perfume.
No SOTD just yet.. the Mugler lady at Macy’s yesterday told me that Neiman’s and/or Saks already has the leather line, so I’m off to find out if that’s true!
Yeah so the Macy’s lady didn’t know what she was talking about. Saks won’t have them til almost November.
But I did get a bottle of Bvlgari Black at a discount shop for a good price.
Nordstrom will get them too.
I second Cartier Déclaration; that’s the first one that came to my mind. Widely influential on the men’s fragrance market (and the women’s, to some extent), gave rise to Iso E Super as the de facto woody note, and still a strong seller. I’d also add Bulgari’s The Vert…but that was 1992, wasn’t it?
I would second Flowerbomb and Coco Mad., and the Bulgari Green Tea fragrance started the tea fragrance trend, didn’t it?
Excellent poll! I can’t think of many myself, but I’m with those who mentioned NR for her.
Robin, could we do another poll, niche classics? We could restrict it to decade, perhaps – 1990s, or 2000s. I’d be interested to see how much consensus there would be. (Or perhaps it’s been done already?)
Added to my list!
Cybele you are right. I didn’t count Envy b/c I couldn’t think of how it influenced the market. And yeah, Be Delicious is completely worked off the Envy formula with minor tweaks to make it “nice.” But I would see how Roucel’s body of work around his floral-Roucelade base – what is that, magnolia, LOTV, etc? – including Envy, Be Delicious, Missoni – would overall be classics. Cheap but credible transparent-luminous master perfumes. So, nomination for the Roucelades.
(this was meant as a reply to Cybele’s discussion on Gucci Rush and Gucci Envy).
I sure vote for the Roucelades!
Narciso Rodriguez For Her
FlowerbyKenzo
J’adore by Dior
Ambre sultan Serge Lutens
Chloe by Chloe
Coco Mademoiselle Chanel
Light Blue Dolce Gabbana
One Million by Paco Rabanne
Acqua di Gio Armani
Boss bottled by Hugo Boss
…
Frederic Malle didn’t step in a perfumery since 1992!
I heartily agree with so many of these suggestions: particularly Declaration, Kenzo Flower and Amour, NR for Her.
Since we’re discussing mainstream, popular scents, can I suggest Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely? I have long championed this as the classic ‘school run’ fragrance of my generation. It’s based on NR for her’s musks, but adds to it to make it more all-round wearable. Similarly, Lolita Lempicka (the original) is also still pretty big, I’d suggest.
I always think of LL as so related to Angel. Do you feel that it did something new?
To me LL has a different feel than Angel, it’s so fruity-tasty and it’s less dissonant …
LL never struck me as being similar to Angel. When I tried LL all I got was a big screeching violet and not much else.
Agree with you about Lovely and the school run. In other words, it meets women where they actually are in their lives.
Succinctly put. And a lovely turn of phrase!
Oh yes, that is a great way to put it.
Hello all,
Some of you mentioned
-Kenzo Flower ( my personal favourite 10years ago)
-Stella by Stella Mc Cartney
-Coco Mademoiselle
and I will agree I lwould like to think they are modern classics
However,and except for the lovely fragrances that you have suggested ,it strikes me that noone mentioned
Dior’s “J’ adore”
which was launched in 1999( I think)
Since then and for every single year , it has been among the best sellers (+even its flankers: e.g:J’adore-L’Or )
Furthermore,it was well-received by the worlwide perfume-fora
So, a commercially successful,, yet quality- perfume
Why not a modern classsic ?
J’Adore–good one–I second that one.
J’Adore–yes, I second that.
A modern classic and a precursor to the fruity floral craze, but done much better, IMO: Prescriptives Calyx! (I don’t think anyone mentioned this one yet.)
SOTD: SL Santal Majuscule – my new “must have a full bottle” fragrance. It’s fanfreakintastic.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Oh, yes, Calyx! 1986 and way ahead of its time and totally a classic
Wow NancyG – all the way back to ’86? I didn’t realize it had been *that* long ago. Sheesh.
Sometimes I think of Calyx as influencing Envy but maybe that’s me.
I think Calyx and Cristalle influenced Envy, and Pleasures did according to L.Turin.
Oooh, I’m waiting for my sample of Santal Majuscule to arrive. I’ve read mixed reviews so I can’t wait to sniff it for myself.
I could never wear Calyx, though. That tropical fruit (papaya? guava?) really smells like…ahem… ‘ripe’ garbage on a hot summer’s day to me so, along with sulphureous, ‘sweaty’ grapefruit, it’s a big no-no.
Over the years I kept trying with Calyx, and I do think it smells (mostly) great. Inevitably, though, her melon goes absolutely rotten on me – exactly as you’ve described it!
LOL I take melon and guava notes for granted they’re such a ubiquitous presence in my fragrance landscape so it always makes me 🙂 that people have such a problem with them – I just can’t imagine it! To me melon in perfume is like aldehydes (the “aldehydic”-smelling ones) are for people who have always liked and been around aldehydes.
Does Anais Anais count?! I say this because, me and friends wore it in the early 90’s when we were teenagers, and I know teenagers still wear it today – even a friend of mine in her thirties still wears it occasionally! It seems to have transcended time and maintains its appeal to each successive generation.
Pierre Guillaume said at a talk once that he believes Mugler’s Womanity to herald a completely new direction in modern perfumery. I think Dominique Ropion created it (maybe in collaboration with others?! Not sure?!?!) I have no idea if this has current commercial appeal though?
I reckon that if Ormonde Woman, Sel Marin and Carnal Flower had powerful advertising campaigns behind them and reached a mass audience, they’d become modern classics – beautifully crafted AND with commercial appeal!!! But I’m glad they don’t, as I don’t like smelling like EVERYONE else! SOTD was the above mentioned classic Sel Marin, clinging on to the last of the warm weather in London! It is slipping away from us, Autumn is sniffing at our heels already! DON’T GO!
What was the first no-oakmoss, patchouli “chypre”? Whichever fragrance it was certainly started a trend.
Would that be Rue Cambon?
I’ve seen Narciso Rodriguez for Her called a chypre (!), maybe that’s when the word lost it’s meaning 🙁
Erm…Angel?
These days anything even with a hint of patch in the base (from CM, Prada, NR for Her to Miss Dior Cherie etc, etc) gets called a chypre and you can trace them all back to Angel.
N.R. for Her was mentioned above, but I’ve always thought of that one as the first of the laundry-like, clean, white musks and not as a chypre…hmmmm.
Was it perhaps Agent Provocateur?
I have not read perfume legends and my timeline when fragrances were produced is poor.
What was the first iconic oceanic fragrance? The ones I think of are Escape and Issey Miyake. Do either of those make the list?
I love Jardin Sur Le NIl. Perhaps it would lean toward iconic if it had better lasting power.
Well, I suppose there’s Cool Water and Dune. Escape and Issey Miyake are also good choices but I think the poll is about classics in general, not my favourite category which is oceanics.
Sur Le Nil is heavenly!
I have also been thinking about CSP Aqua Motu, which was originally released as Motu in 1992. I can remember suddenly wanting something cool and unisex in the 1990s, and buying Motu.
I consider Alien a feminine classic and M7 a male.
I read Prada Infusion D’Homme is a best seller, as Terre D’hermes. All these quite distinct to me. If I’m not mistaken, Le male is from 1995 and Dior Homme from 2005. They broke some rules and paradigms on male’s perfumery.
Most of my ideas have been stated already but I’m wondering about Donna Karan Chaos? While wondering, I thought of how different the Chaos reissue smells compared to the original. Since the original, with it’s whopping dose of spices, isn’t availabe anymore, what about Commes des Garcon Original edp? the one that *acts like a drug*? Seems like that must have been a game changer in the unisex spice genre.
How do I get an avatar?
I established mine at gravatar.com. You’ll need to upload the image that you want to use. Then if you use the same e-mail account there and here it will show up. At least that’s what I recall from doing it several years ago.
Exactly, thanks!
I’m quite surprised to see so many mentions for Coco Mademoiselle and Narciso Rodriguez for Her. Nothing against them – I not only wore both when they first came out but finished bottles and bought replacements – but, to me, they are clearly continuing the Angel legacy rather than being innovative, stand-alone fragrances which not just inspired hundreds of imitations but, arguably, gave birth to a whole new genre of perfume.
I don’t think there would be Coco Mademoiselle (or Coco Noir), NR For Her (and, by extension, Lovely & Elie Saab), original Prada, Lolita Lempicka, Miss Dior Cherie, Black Orchid, Sensuous Noir, Piguet Visa (!) – just to name but a few – if it weren’t for Angel. It’s really hard to think of another scent (let alone a mainstream one) that’s been quite as influential as Angel for the past 20 (!) years. A number succeeded, for sure, but a combination of innovation, influence, commercial success and longevity really puts Angel in a category of its own, imo.
It’s very true that Angel started the trend for sweet patchouli-inflected frags. I think the green tea and calone families were also innovative, iconic, and influential though. (Though I don’t like any of them as much now as I like Angel and friends.)
So many classic fragrances can be traced back to ancestors who did the real leg work, though, that dismissing Coco Mademoiselle or NR for Her as mere spawn of Angel and thus not “classics” in their own right is missing the point, I think. Mitsouko is a direct descendant of Coty’s Chypre, but is it considered any less of a classic just because it was based on an older blueprint? Not every classic perfume reinvented the wheel.
(Also, I suspect that NR for Her would have existed with or without Angel; it has more in common with old-school floral musks than with Angel’s gourmand patchouli fireworks. For my money, NR is as close to a classic scent as this generation has.)
Modern Classics post-1992
Aqua di gio pour homme – 1996
L eau d Issey pour homme 1994
Dior J Adore 1999
Hermes Un Jardin Sur Le Nil 2005
And that is just from the top of my head.. I think that there are a lot of “new-classics”, the fact that they sell millions and we smell them everywhere should reinforce that, yet on this kind of circle (and by that I mean perfumistas such as the ones that frequent this blog, me included) sometimes something being popular takes the “thrill” out of the frag and we become jaded.
Those that I’ve mentioned above sell millions to this day and were distinctive enough, IMHO to name them modern classics. 🙂
I like the suggestion of J’Adore!
Agree.
I’m also going to suggest L’AP Mechant Loup (1997), the first of many highly original (I’m tempted to say weird) perfumes by Bertrand Duchaufour. Next were several for CdG from 2000-2003, and then Timbuktu for L’AP in 2004 (which I almost started with), and then Dzongka in 2006, followed by the Eau d’Italie series, and of course many other great L’APs, and singular scents for MDCI, Frapin, Penhaligon, Neela Vermeire and others, not to mention the wonderful collaboration with Denyse Beaulieu. And there’s no telling what’s next!
Perhaps his influence is on the patron companies rather than the public, but he is his own trend: redefining the envelope of perfume and how to smell good.
Wow, that’s quite a list!
How about Fendi Theorema (1998)? I realize that as a gourmand it’s in Angel territory, but it’s just so distinct with its orange, ginger and spices, and woods base. And it’s a favorite and much-lamented pick of many perfumistas.
My own SOTD is Kilian Rose Oud. Lovely.
Love Rose Oud! I’ve been testing the new Guerlain Rose Nacree; so far I like Rose Oud better.
Great discussion. I’d like to think that Chanel No 5 Eau Premiere could be a modern classic but if ‘classic’ means influential and much copied, I’d say it won’t be. But perhaps it may be influential in the sense of setting a standard: showing how good a flanker can actually be. I hope it sells well. I suspect it may, especially as a gift.
Yes, Malle makes great fragrances but the fact that they are in a very boring bottle prevents me from buying them. Perhaps I’d have to be like a lady at the turn of the last century and look at them like plain apothecary vials, and then decant them into something more aesthetically pleasing.
As for celebuscents, they also prevent me from buying because I refuse to add to their already over-flowing coffers. I don’t worship anyone enough to want their scent. The bottle and the juice would have to be exceptional to make me purchase. G of the Sea was worthy!
The comments above have certainly brought up some wonderful great-selling fragrances but I tend to agree with Malle that Angel was the last great perfume. It was a ground-breaker in both its juice and packaging; it’s an icon.
Oh, you could sell me Lipstick Rose or L’eau d’Hiver out of a kid’s plastic Transformer’s thermos, and I’d be happy! 😀
Actually, that would be sort of hilarious, now I think on it! (If vaguely impractical.)
Dude if they put those in a Transformers thermos, I would own them!
After giving it some thought, seems like the logical next step to, say, the Hello Kitty line!
I forgot a wonderful one, Le Baiser Du Dragon!!!!
I’m wondering about the vetivers – how about 2006 Encre Noir?
Encre Noir is a great call.
I haven’t explored vetivers very much. I know the current incarnation of Guerlain Vetiver, which I like but find turns soapy on me about half of the time. How does Encre Noir differ? Does it predate the Guerlain?
No on the predate – Guerlain Vetiver is 1950s. EN makes me sneezy so I’m not going to take out my tester for you >:D but from memory the Guerlain has more lemony citrus up top and more tobacco in the base while EN is more like vetiver, embellished only in a way that keeps the main note central (Vetiver Majuscule – Capital Vetiver!).
Have you tried Vetiver Pour Elle? – depending on what you consider soapy you might like it b/c the big citrus is really dialed back (altho it features some amped-up aldehydes).
I haven’t tried Vetiver Pour Elle, but I recall the name from previous conversations here. I will have to look into it!
For me, Guerlain Vetiver can smell like bar soap to me in the dry down–a nice smell, but I usually prefer a little more complexity. Not sure why it isn’t that way consistently, though. Other times, it’s like chewing on green grass–fresh, but less like detergent.
Love Vetiver Pour Elle, but wish that it wasn’t so hard to find! Anyone have any suggestions where to locate this elusive one?
It certainly wouldn’t win on being THE original vetiver, but I remember such immensely positive reviews that for some reason It came into my head. Because I don’t generally like anything with a bitter tone I haven’t fully explored the note. (Magie Noire literally turns my stomach – but I guess thats the galbunum)) Still, I have tried a few – the Guerlain (current) version is just a bitter acid on me. Fat Electrician was nice, but I stayed on the fence about it. Vetiver Oriental I really liked but its a little pricey; its also quite sweet and my passion for *sweet* is starting to fade. And, I just have way too many orientals…
I gave into Encre Noir because although it seemed quite bitter, it was also strangely addictive. It was a sale and I WANTED to buy something (terrible reason – I know). It has received amazing reviews, lasts on my scent-swallowing-skin and I thought it might add a nice dimension to some of my sweeter orientals. So I went ahead on Saturday and bought it. And now – I am utterly enraptured – cant get enough of it, keep spritzing just a little more on…in love!
Wow! You and I often share tastes. I will have to seek it out!
I’d be interested in knowing what you think, so let me know!
What about the original Vera Wang scent? That strikes me as a modern classic if there ever was one. It’s not notable for any particular new, thrusting ingredient combination like Angel or Eau de Issey, but it’s elegant and office-friendly and I’d wager that it won’t smell embarrassingly old-fashioned for a long, long time.
And I’m really, really sorry to bring this one up, but Aquolina’s Pink Sugar has to qualify. It’s unspeakably vile, but it sells like the dickens, and launched a thousand imitators. I doubt people will be wearing it in 20 years’ time (except maybe ironically), but you can’t tell the story of scent in the last ten years without leaving a lot of room for Pink Sugar. And now I have to go take a silkwood shower to get it off my brain. It disgusts me even to think about it.
And what about
Bugger me, I clicked post while in full flow. I was going to say BEFORE I SO RUDELY INTERRUPTED MYSELF what about Comme des Garcons Avignon? I know it’s niche beyond niche, but it’s still a major milestone in modern perfumery. I can’t imagine there are many perfumers who haven’t been influenced by it somehow.
And lastly, Diptyque’s Philosykos. The fig that conquered all. It wasn’t the first, but it sure is the most widely-loved. Olivia Giacobetti’s magnum opus has to make the list.
And oh hell, while I’m thinking about Giacobetti, what about Dzing! being a modern classic? Does that qualify for iconic status?
Good call on Phylosykos! Also thought of mentioning Avignon in commenting on Duchaufour; it’s possible that’s the one that should be highlighted as the classic that launched the Duchaufour trend rather than Mechant Loup. It’s hard to pick one flake in that snowball!
Yes, I doubt there’d be a Prada Candy if there weren’t a Pink Sugar. And I think about half of the celebuscents I’ve sniffed have that same feel *unfortunately*.
I always think of Prada Candy as Prada’s Permission to Wear Pink Sugar
Yes! It’s Pink Sugar with fewer apologies!
Estee Lauder’s Bronze Goddess
Hermes Eau des Merveilles
( also DG Light Blue not my favourite but generally very popular )
modern classic summer scents
Bottega Veneta’s lady-like leather was pretty interesting, for a more main-stream perfume.
There is a wonderful fruit leather idea that I think of as starting with SL Daim Blond, an apricot (osmanthus) suede. Variations include L’AP Traversee du Bosphore (apple loukhoum leather), MDCI Belle Helene (pear leather), and DSH Mata Hari (apricot leather chypre). It may be a segment of earlier fruity leather chypres, I suppose, or perhaps it came from his own Cuir Mauresque, but it’s a useful idea. Not exactly widespread yet, but who knows.
Interesting observation. While Angel is an iconic scent, I don’t think (and don’t want to think) that classics have stopped there. It’s hard to find spectacularly innovative mainstream perfumes. Somehow with Dune and Angel inventing the linear structure – it seems that innovation came to a halt and perfumes kinda stayed going in that direction. But there are some iconic scents that happened since then – Tocade (1994 – same linear story), Le Mâle (1995), Bvlgari Black (1998), and if judging by popularity alone – and Coco Mademoiselle (2001), Narciso Rodriguez for Her (2003) and Lovely (2005), which is probably the only celebrity fragrance that I would consider a candidate for an “iconic fragrance” – though it does not exactly offer something all that different from NR. though for those three, I think only time will tell: Remember how Cabotine (1990) was worn by EVERYONE and everybody back in the early 90’s? (unless they were wearing AnaisAnais – which is is from 1978…) – I doubt that anyone would consider them classics by now. They sure are distinctive scents, but I don’t think they come even remotely close in terms of popularity (customer approval) or their aesthetics/design significance (industry expert appreciation).
Kingdom and M7 were rather iconic too, and may have influenced greatly what happened later in the niche world – but since neither were a commercial success and already discontinued – we probably can’t really consider them as classics. A classic would and should survive the test of time like Shalimar, No. 5, Mitsouko and the other masterpieces have.
I would probably agree with him. And I don’t think it somewhat coinciding with the IFRA stomping around later in the 90’s is simply sheer coincidence. Heck, thanks to them, even the established ‘classics’ no longer smell the same as they did when they *became* classics!
SOTD is PR Metal. I sprayed away, and I must say that I smell damn good, lol!
I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! 🙂
Bit late to the poll…
SOTD is Nahema (spritzed on from a store, still don’t own, although it’s at the top of the wish list). I also have a spritz of on of the new Tom Fords on my finger. Has anyone tried? If I recall from past discussions here not everyone loves the Private Collection line, but I love some of them, so am curious to hear if anyone else has tried the new four jasmine releases.
Two scents nobody mentioned and I’m wondering if they might qualify- Tommy Girl and Happy – both remind me of the 90s and in a way a precursor to the scents aimed at teen girls, although looking back both of these are infinitely better and higher quality fragrances than the “light, fresh” stuff you get nowadays.
Hi Naomi – I tried the TF garden scents but so far have only worn one, Lys Fume. What did you think of them?
Yesterday was Bleu De Chanel As SOTD and i think that is certainly a qualifier for a Modern Classic!
others that might apply…
Clinique Happy….
Donna Karan Cashmere Mist….
Viktoe & Rolf Flowerbomb….
P.S. SOTD is Fahrenheit 32… Love this Fragrance….
I got a fat catalogue from Saks Fifth Avenue that has a blister sample of Coco Noir in it. It smell so GENERIC – basically like the perfume section in Sephora when people are testing different scents, including some J’Adore and Stella. I’m trying to convince myself that it’s pleasant so that I can buy it for the bottle, but I’m finding the calone somewhat at odds with the patchouli. Too bad!
I would suggest Eau Parfumee au The Vert
Definitely – there have been so many tea and light citrus scents resulting from that one!
I would suggest Dior Homme for its new floral sensuality in masculin market and Narciso rodriguez for her which bring a new breath in the line of sticky chypre as miss dio cherie and co…
Happy Labor Day all (even if you’re not in the US–what the heck!–pat yourself on the back for being a working person)!
I am wondering about the popularity of scent and scented products in the past 20 years. It seems both more common (like The Body Shop, endless flankers, etc.) and more unpopular (scentless work places, cultural shifts towards “clean” scents). Does this increase in hype that Malle comments upon lead to more sales or just different ones? Many of the classics that I prefer would certainly struggle to survive in today’s market.
You’ve pointed out some interesting paradoxes, Marjorie Rose. There are more scented products – detergents available in many different scents, plug-ins, diffusers, on and on – but less “real” perfume.
I’ve been thinking that it may have something to do with more assiduous personal hygiene and the decline in smoking. In the last century, perfumes had a lot more to compete with!
“Many of the classics that I prefer would certainly struggle to survive in today’s market.”
That’s interesting, and one of the many reasons I love these discussions so much. Just what does makes something a ‘classic’? I read and responded to his statement assuming(always a fantastic idea! 😉 ) he was using it in terms that included said fragrances would still be well known, not discontinued, and widely available.
So many lovely fragrances are discontinued, it seems like they’re just not given the same amount of time to develop a more widely flung fan base as they have been in the past. That, and the amount of new releases that now come out in a given year, makes for much more an uneven playing field imo.
Excellent points!
Strange, nobody talks about Terre D’Hermes, in my opinion is the epitome of the Elena’s scale, that beggan with Bvlgari au the vert and Declaration, and it’s a modern masculine classic.
Well I’m a bit late but what the hell:
– For women: Definitely Coco Mademoiselle and J’adore by Dior.
– For men: Dolce & Gabbana The One For Men and Dior Homme 🙂
What about Armani (Black) Code?
I’m not a fan but I consider it a classic in terms of influence on other fragrances.
Love this topic! I think it’s fair to say that Monsieur Malle is leaving out a few post-Angel creations that did innovate and leave their mark, setting new olfactive trends. My vote for the modern classics is: definitely NR For Her, Coco Mademoiselle, L’Eau d’Issey, Pleasures, Tommy, Kenzo Flower and Amour, Gucci Envy and Mugler Alien EDP (which I didn’t see mentioned and I think may have heralded the return of the heavy jasmine?).
There have been many perfumes since Thierry Mugler Angel that can be considered Modern Classics.
Some include:
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle
Lolita Lempicka
Narciso Rodriguez For Her
Kenzo Flower
Christian Dior Hypnotic Poison
Issey Miyake L’Eau D’Issey
Estee Lauder Pleasures
Michael Kors Michael
Bvlgari Pour Femme
Hermes 24 Faubourg