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Bond no. 9 Bleecker Street fragrance review

Posted by Robin on 30 November 2005 46 Comments

Bond no. 9 Bleecker Street perfume

Bleecker Street is the 24th and most recent in Bond no. 9's series of perfumes celebrating famous neighborhoods in New York City. Bleecker Street is a fashionable shopping destination in the West Village, and also the location of the newest Bond no. 9 boutique. The fragrance was created by perfumer David Apel and features notes of violet leaf, cassis, thyme, jasmine, cedar, cinnamon, oakmoss, suede, patchouli, amber and vanilla.

Early reports that the Bleecker Street fragrance would pay tribute to the Magnolia Bakery (initially famous for their cupcakes, now famous for being featured on Sex & the City) down the street led me to assume that it would be a sweet, dessert-like gourmand. That is not quite what it turns out to be. Bond no. 9 is calling it a "woody gourmand oriental", which is somewhat closer to the mark.

Bleecker Street starts very green and herbal, with perhaps a touch of bergamot. The wood undertones are immediately apparent, but for the most part the thyme has the stage and it does not relinquish its position until far into the drydown. If you pay close attention, you will catch the cinnamon, and early on I smelled a very slight hint of caramelized vanilla, but the main feature of the mid-notes is a strong "fresh" accord, something vaguely marine or ozonic.

The dry down is woody-earthy-mossy. It is very well-blended and smooth, and no particular note stands out. It stays very fresh, and despite the gourmand notes, it does not have an edible vibe, nor is it at all sweet. I find it too fresh to appeal to me personally; fans of Bond's Wall Street or Hamptons fragrances might find it more to their taste. My favorite from this line is still Eau de New York, although I would readily concede that Chinatown is the most interesting and captivating fragrance Bond has released to date.

Bleecker Street is a unisex fragrance, and is available in 50 and 100 ml bottles of Eau de Parfum. As with all the Bond no. 9 fragrances, the lasting power is excellent, and the bottle, designed by artist Rachel Katz, is stunning.

For buying information, see the listing for Bond no. 9 under Perfume Houses.

Possibly of interest

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Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: bond 9, david apel

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46 Comments

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  1. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 11:10 am

    The gourmand aspect was lost on my skin…but that's ok, I liked Bleecker Street just the way it is 🙂 I wouldn't say it full bottle worthy, but I would like a decant for next summer. My two FBW favorites are Chinatown and West Broadway.

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  2. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 11:11 am

    It has a unique looking bottle but I definitely can not stand anything that seems aquatic. I will definitely be passing on this.

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  3. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 11:36 am

    I've been on the search for a fragrance that has the warmth and depth without the suffication and demand for attention, and Bleecker St has to offer. I am a huge fan of the vanilla, violet and patchouli (they are most prominent on my skin) which has been blended sensibly. I didn't catch the aquatic notes, but I do agree that it is a overall fresh appeal to the scent. I like how Bleecker St played with my emotions (first smelling it on a strip and then on my skin) however, I think the bottle is a miss.

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  4. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 11:49 am

    Hi R! Loved reading your review. I must admit that I love Bond No. 9 bottles but not the perfumes . There is something in all the drydown that I find not terrific or highly impressive. I do like Chinatown though.

    Also, they are pretty expensive expensive for what they are. Just my one euro cent. 😉

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  5. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 11:55 am

    I think Parislondres is right about the price. I would rather get a Hermessence scent over any of the Bond scents.

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  6. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 11:59 am

    I was disappointed, I was hoping for a sweet gourmand, or something a little different than most of line. It smelled pretty generic Bond to me and on the masculine side.

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  7. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 12:10 pm

    M, was trying to decide if this was a summer or fall scent to my nose. It is fresh, but not light by any means. Still love that bottle!

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  8. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 12:11 pm

    C, if you haven't tried it, don't give up yet. There is nothing aquatic listed and perhaps it is just me…

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  9. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 12:12 pm

    Ah, we are exact opposites: I would love to have that bottle but the fragrance is a miss for me. I hardly notice the patchouli, vanilla or violet.

    Glad you found a fragrance that you love though!

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  10. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 12:13 pm

    N, They are very expensive unless you buy by the ounce in the store, which I forgot to mention in the post (oops). I do love those bottles though!

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  11. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 12:16 pm

    C, I never thought about them being basically the same price, but they are. Interesting point. I think the Hermessences are overpriced too — but they are among my favorite fragrances in the world & so I'll pay what they charge. Thank heavens for the discovery sets!

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  12. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 12:17 pm

    I was disappointed in this one. The fresh, super green violet-leaf dominated, aquatic opening was something of a snooze. Pleasant if you like that kind of thing, but lacked something to give it extra interest. Gourmand aspects were MIA. A strange release overall. My favorite Bond is still Chinatown, although I've come to really like Eau de New York. You're right that for the cost, the star bottles are really only if you like collecting bottles; if you want the juice, it really is much more economical to buy by the ounce in the store.

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  13. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 12:22 pm

    Although now that I read the rest of the comments, it isn't just me…

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  14. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 12:24 pm

    V, wasn't really hoping for a sweet gourmand myself, just thought that was what I would get. Actually wondered initially if I got the wrong sample.

    This manages to miss the mark for me anyway. Agree that it teeters towards the masculine side of things, although that rather bothers me in itself.

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  15. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 12:26 pm

    T, thinking that less “fresh” and more cinnamon would have accomplished the extra interest, at least for me. Of course, when Bond no. 9 starts designing with me in mind they may as well close up shop and be done with it 😉

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  16. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 12:28 pm

    I wonder if your OY by Hermes lasts longer than the Bond scents? I am curious because the Hermessence is an edt and the Bonds are edp I believe.I know that Ambre Narguile lasts 7-8 hours but my bond scent seems to fade pretty rapidly after 3-4hr.

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  17. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 12:32 pm

    I thought that it was very confusing, because I was led to expect something else. At any rate, it is nicely done, and I actually enjoy the herbaceous notes of the opening.

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  18. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 12:35 pm

    See, that'd be brilliant. More cinnamon! But then I'd get a rash. But it'd be an interesting rash!

    You should totally hire yourself out to Laurice as a consultant. 😉

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  19. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 1:06 pm

    LOL — I'll let you know when she calls 😉

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  20. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 1:08 pm

    C, I am so surprised…with a few exceptions the Bonds last forever on me. Ambre Narguile & Vetiver Tonka both have excellent lasting power, despite being EdTs. They are like EdPs. The OY is more typically EdT though, after 3 hours, I can still smell it but it is light enough that it is no longer interesting to me unless I re-apply.

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  21. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 1:12 pm

    Thought I didn't smelled them next to eachother, I did find a strange similarity between Chinatown and KenzoJungle Elephant.

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  22. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 1:20 pm

    V, We are opposites there. It was too much thyme for me — something about thyme in fragrance always makes me think of roasting poultry. I liked the drydown better.

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  23. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 1:25 pm

    C, have never smelled Jungle Elephant but have seen the comparison before. Will have to look for it!

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  24. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 1:30 pm

    Lovely review.

    I will try and sniff this one out at Harvey Nicks on Saturday.

    Barry

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  25. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 2:23 pm

    I blush to admit that I have not tried any of the Bonds. I must. I live in the Chicago area and have to find out where they lurk.

    You know what I love about your reviews? It seems that every time I have a question while reading, you immediately answer that question. This time it was “I wonder what Robin's favorite Bond is?” and, boom, you answered. Responsive reviewing…it's kind of like talking.

    I have on Hermes Yunnan that I received as a sample this morning. After your review I called Hermes in NY and they obliged. I got all the Hermessences and a few others. Been samplin' a lot of citrusy things as it happens lately — Parfums de Nicolai Eau d'Ete; Hierbas de Ibiza; Etro Lemon Sorbet — all lovely and I'm not yet sure where I rank this.

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  26. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 2:30 pm

    B, Let me know what you think. Do you like any of the earlier Bond scents?

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  27. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 2:39 pm

    J, Thank you! Does Chicago have a big Saks? That would be the most likely bet, and I think someone told me that some of the Saks stores even sell by the ounce as they do at the Bond boutiques.

    So glad Hermes sent you samples. What did you think of the others — Vetiver Tonka, etc?

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  28. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 2:51 pm

    Hmmmm. All you need say is “suede” and “aquatic/ozone” and I run for the hills. Suede notes remind me of the overall smell of a big dept. store perfume dept. The Bonds do last forever on the skin and it's too damn bad I don't like ONE of them overall. They do not “smell” expensive either…unlike the Hermessences which do have something “extra.” I'll run in The Perfume Shoppe tomorrow…will be in Vancouver to see some nuns get their heads chopped off (opera don't you know!) HA! K

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  29. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 4:08 pm

    R – sadly I am not interested in ounce sizes of Bond No. 9 perfumes because I have fallen for any.

    I so agree with KeviSantal below!

    Thanks to some of you lovely American friends, I have had the opportunity to try almost all with a few exceptions.

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  30. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 4:30 pm

    K, suede I can live with, marine notes only very rarely. Envy your trip to the Perfume Shoppe, they have a lovely selection. Find out if they are going to get the repackaged Laura Tonatto scents, and do enjoy watching heads roll 😉

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  31. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 4:31 pm

    N, I know — didn't really mean for you, just that I should have mentioned it. Hope you're feeling better today, BTW!

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  32. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 4:40 pm

    Jan – the Bonds can be found at Saks on Michigan Avenue. Like Robin, my favorite is Eau de New York (sort of a crisp floral-citrus green-mossy summery fragrance), but I don't find any of them full-bottle-worthy.

    I must try your tactic with the Hermessences samples, but I'm afraid I might really like one of them!

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  33. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 4:45 pm

    Hi R! I feel a lot better thanks! Hope you are feeling better too. :))

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  34. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 4:54 pm

    Will do. K

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  35. Anonymous says:
    30 November 2005 at 10:08 pm

    Those of us in Vancouver are very lucky to have a boutique like the Perfume Shoppe. In addition to their interesting selection of fragrances, their service is wonderful – they will happily chat to you about perfume and let you sniff to your heart's content!

    Highly recommended to fragrance-junkies visiting Vancouver.

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  36. Anonymous says:
    1 December 2005 at 8:35 am

    Like most others, I was disappointed in this scent, though I found the bottle, well, interesting. I do really like Chinatown (both the scent and the bottle) and (one that hasn't been mentioned yet, I think), New Haarlem. I have a candle of this that I adore (the candles are very attractive, too), as well a number of the candy-wrapper samples. Got a number of the other ones in samples, but I haven't made a full survey yet.

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  37. Anonymous says:
    1 December 2005 at 12:02 pm

    J, Marlen reviewed New Haarlem awhile back. It is not my favorite — don't like patchouli, don't like lavender, so no surprise there. But it is certainly one of the more popular scents in the line on the fragrance boards. How is the quality of the candle?

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  38. Anonymous says:
    1 December 2005 at 12:03 pm

    Would kill to have a store like that in my town! Of course, then I'd end up destitute & homeless anyway…

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  39. Anonymous says:
    1 December 2005 at 2:18 pm

    I sampled Bleecker Street last night – as mentioned by others, it wasn't what I was expecting (a foody gourmand with cupcake note) BUT I like it a lot anyway! It is fresh and green and doesn't have a nasty aquatic note. My bottle is already on the way from Saks.com.

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  40. Anonymous says:
    1 December 2005 at 2:31 pm

    T, so glad you love it, and don't get the aquatic thing I smell. Will envy you that lovely bottle!

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  41. Anonymous says:
    1 December 2005 at 6:47 pm

    Really good, I think (although I'm not a candle-quality expert). And it comes in a nice Bond purple jar with a bronze subway token top.

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  42. Anonymous says:
    1 December 2005 at 8:33 pm

    Thanks, I'm very tempted by the Chinatown candle even though I don't love the scent on my skin. I think it would be a perfect room scent, and the jar is gorgeous.

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  43. Anonymous says:
    22 December 2005 at 10:26 am

    9 Bleecker Street Perfume. Go to Number Nine Bleecker Street and see what it smells like before you buy this perfume. There are 8 cats there and the place smells like cat piss!

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  44. Anonymous says:
    22 December 2005 at 11:09 am

    The company is named Bond no. 9 after their location on Bond Street in Noho. Mind you, it might smell just as bad on Bond Street as it does on Bleecker Street, I've never been there 🙂

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  45. APassionateJourney says:
    13 June 2009 at 9:44 pm

    I was disappointed with this one :(. This isn’t gourmandy at all! It’s kinda growing on me, though

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    • Robin says:
      14 June 2009 at 11:30 am

      Sounds like you like enough of the Bond line already!

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