Comme des Garçons will launch 888, a new scent designed to capture the fragrance of gold, next March:
“We started with the concept that we wanted to find if gold has an odour and we looked for an olfactive expression. I looked at a number of different materials and decided very quickly on Safraline because of its very specific character.”
Safraline is a molecular derivative of saffron created by Swiss perfume house Givaudan (see Cosmetics International 6 July), whose perfumer Antoine Lie created 888. (via cosmeticsinternational)
Additional notes include pepperwood, curcuma, coriander, geranium and amber. 888 is packaged in the Comme des Garçons pebble bottle redone in a gold finish.
The perfume will be available for the next week or so at a temporary location in London's Burlington Arcade (somebody run over and get me a bottle, ok?); then launches worldwide in March.
Comme des Garçons 888 is £52 for 50 ml Eau de Parfum. You can see pictures of the launch party at Diane, A Shaded View on Fashion. (additional information via wallpaper) Update: see a review of Comme des Garçons 888.
8 is the lucky number in China. This one could become a big hit overthere. 888 and smelling like gold…
Trying to ignore all the caustic comments running through my mind about gold and the price of the Luxe scents (that 285 for the Patch still rankles). This actually sounds really fab. *Want*.
Could become a big hit here too if it is any good
LOL — true enough! But it does sound fab, and I want also.
*faint* Everything about this sounds perfect, even if I don't know what 'pepperwood' actually is. Where is this temporary location? How temporary? I can feel perfumadness coming over me…
Can they make it more difficult to get until march? We'll be selling it out of the trunk of our car in a little alley in Chelsea, look for the red door, bring your own brown paper bag.
Sheesh. But I still want it.
In the Burlington Arcade, do get over there and tell us how it is!!! I think it was to open for a week, but don't know when the week started. Go now!
Yep! Do get some for The Perfumed Court, P!
I've got a bottle coming my way next week so I'll update you when I've had a sniff. Also Burlington Arcade is near me so I'll be sure to try and check out the CdG Guerilla site. Conveniently it's a few minutes away from the Ormonde Jayne shop so if I just HAPPEN to drop in and spend all my wages in a 5 minutes I'm sure my bank manager will undeerstand. Or maybe not.
Yay, do let us know!
Oh wow. I hope this turns out as fantastic as it sounds. Safraline, huh? Cheaper than saffron EO, that's for sure! I'm only iffy about the coriander note, but I definitely anticipate me at least picking this up from The Perfumed Court.
I love it when people do scents based on concrete concepts. Yay synaesthesia.
I am intrigued!!
Dear Robin
I loved the 100 fragrances list, I just wanted to say that.
I wrote a post but my computer froze and I could not get in online.
And now about 888: I will make a try for it!
A coworker is in London until the new year, so I asked her (gently
)
to please get me a bottle if she can get her hands on one.
If I get it, rest assured that I will email you a mini-review.
And regarding the name… I found this online:
” “8″ is a lucky Chinese number because the sound for “8″ in Cantonese sounds like “fa,” or fortune.”
I hope so too…and I adore coriander so I may be in luck!
Ditto!
Thanks so much P!
On the packaging (see the link to the launch party post above) the name appears as “8 88” (e.g., space after the first 8). See if you can figure out what that's all about
And do let us know if you smell it!
This appeared in stores locally this week, and I've just taken a spritz on the back of my hand. So here goes:
My first impression is of an artificial coldness (the gold?), after which it teeters towards a feminine heart, before settling into a less-intersting l'Anarchiste-style base. I think the Caron is a masterpiece and I would choose it over 888 any day. I love the way l'Anarchiste offers up its metallic tones. 888 is one dimesional in comparison.
Though I thought it was mildly interesting, my eight year-old daughter hated it.
I have a half dozen other CdGs that I consider masterpieces – or at least pretty damn good – and I don't think this is one of them.
Hope to review it next week. Not sure I'd call it a masterpiece either, but I liked it more than you did.
Hello darling, I like your reviews very much. I had a chance to try this perfume here in London and wrote a review on it on my site: http://www.winewomansong.com
Look forward to your review!
xjuel
http://www.winewomansong.com/2008/03/comme-des-garons-888-2008.html
oops, here's the address on my site if you would like to drop by. xj
Thanks!