• About
  • Login to comment
    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Perfumers
  • Perfume Houses
  • Shop for perfume
  • Resources

Comme des Garcons + Undercover Holygrace, Holygrapie ~ new fragrances

Posted by Robin on 2 March 2010 36 Comments

CdG Undercover Holygrace

Undercover, the "cult label" of designer Jun Takahashi, has launched a debut duo of fragrances with Comme des Garçons:

Holygrace (shown above) ~ "a perfume of elegance, soap freshness and poison", featuring notes of bergamot, ginger and pepper.

Holygrapie (shown below) ~ "this perfume reflects the smell of babies, kindness and sensuality."

CdG Undercover Holygrapie

Comme des Garçons + Undercover Holygrace and Holygrapie are available in 50 ml Eau de Toilette, and can be found now for pre-order at Colette in Paris. (via colette.fr)

Update: see reviews of Holygrace and Holygrapie.

Filed Under: new fragrances
Tagged With: comme des garcons, jun takahashi, undercover

Advertisement


36 Comments

Leave a comment, or read more about commenting at Now Smell This. Here's our privacy policy, and a handy emoticon chart.

  1. Nina says:
    2 March 2010 at 11:15 am

    These are CdG? They look so cute and vintage and un-CdG! I love the sound of ‘Babies, kindness and sensuality’ – throw in a giggle note and it would be my dream scent…

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      2 March 2010 at 11:19 am

      Well, the brand is Undercover (same sort of collaborations as they did with Daphne Guinness, Stephen Jones, etc). And sorry to say I know just about nothing about Undercover as a brand except that it’s supposed to be terribly hip. Here’s an article about “the graces” that presumably inspired the first scent:

      http://seaofshoes.typepad.com/sea_of_shoes/2009/06/jun-takahashis-graces.html

      Log in to Reply
      • mals86 says:
        2 March 2010 at 11:43 am

        Huh.

        “Terribly hip” = Not me, I suppose.

        Log in to Reply
        • Robin says:
          2 March 2010 at 11:44 am

          I’m rather sure the clothes aren’t me, but terribly hip perfumes: might well be!

          Log in to Reply
      • Nina says:
        2 March 2010 at 12:15 pm

        Goodness, ‘hip’ is the word! Doesn’t quite seem to fit with the Victoriana packaging, though.

        Log in to Reply
        • Robin says:
          2 March 2010 at 2:05 pm

          Maybe the packaging is tongue-in-cheek. As I said, I know little about the brand, so most of this is going over my head.

          Log in to Reply
  2. Lavandula says:
    2 March 2010 at 11:34 am

    They are just so un-CdG that I adore them! they look so un-CdG that it’s just so CdG, You know what I mean? CdG is weird and suprising as always… Holy Grace sounds sooooo me, I love bergamot, ginger and pepper. Holy Grapie sounds… just so cute I cant resist trying them both!!! I cant wait til they make their way over here!!!

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      2 March 2010 at 11:44 am

      But again, see above — they aren’t really CdG-branded fragrances. When I announce CdG collaborations I include the CdG brand in the announcement only because I know people are more interested in the fragrance if they know CdG made it…but presumably the bottle design is by Jun Takahashi.

      Log in to Reply
  3. Lavandula says:
    2 March 2010 at 12:01 pm

    Well I can just say that I love Comme des Garcons even for their choices in their collaborations, You know what I mean? They would never collaborate with some commercial brand, making boribng, typical perfumes… Two thumbs up again, Comme Des Garcons is just simply the best for giving a chance to such small, but interesting brands!

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      2 March 2010 at 2:05 pm

      Agree wholeheartedly!

      Log in to Reply
  4. Abyss says:
    2 March 2010 at 12:25 pm

    Holygrapie? I suppose Ninfeo Mio is no longer the worst named recent release now. Plus babies and sensuality just seems like a rather peculiar mix.

    Cute packaging though!

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      2 March 2010 at 2:05 pm

      Holygrapie is an incredible name — wish I knew what it meant.

      Log in to Reply
      • mjr17 says:
        2 March 2010 at 9:43 pm

        Seems like a play on words to me between: 1) Holy- (as in Godly) -graphie (as in the root “graphus” for writing or that which is written and 2) more literally, holography (from which holograms are derived.

        Log in to Reply
        • Robin says:
          3 March 2010 at 10:05 am

          Probably.

          Log in to Reply
    • miss kitty v. says:
      2 March 2010 at 2:25 pm

      Yeah, actually “babies and sensuality” creeped me out. :( Bleh.

      Log in to Reply
      • mjr17 says:
        2 March 2010 at 9:44 pm

        ME THREE! I don’t want pedophilic associations with perfume, thank you very much!

        Log in to Reply
        • Pimpinett says:
          4 May 2010 at 7:42 am

          But sensuality isn’t the same as sexuality, they are not necessarily related at all. Unlike, say, sexuality and babies (and I’m thinking of procreation here, not paedophilia).

          Anyway, I’m not bothered at all, although I get the feeling that the fragrance might not be all that interesting. Will probably smell them regardless, though, since it’s CdG.

          Log in to Reply
  5. Joe says:
    2 March 2010 at 1:10 pm

    I do wish we could submit REAL launch copy for the Prix Eau Faux.

    Elegance, freshness, and poison? Holygrapie? HUH-WHA…?

    Oh, I guess this bit from Colette helps (maybe): “Jun Takahashi created the Holygrace and Holygraphie perfumes drawing inspiration from its creature GRACE and his child GRAPIE !”

    Smell of babies reminds me of a silly comment on PP once where someone said they thought Cuir de Russie smelled like “Baby Skin”… which elicited comment shrieks from some readers. :D

    Log in to Reply
    • mals86 says:
      2 March 2010 at 1:34 pm

      (Somebody named a helpless innocent child Grapie?) I too find the ad copy bizarre, although as always it might be partly the translation…

      Baby skin, ON BABIES, is a fabulous smell. But I understand the implication that made everybody freak out – if you’re talking about a leather fragrance and you say it reminds you of baby skin, people wonder.

      Log in to Reply
      • Julia says:
        2 March 2010 at 1:36 pm

        That does give me pause for thought. ;)

        Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      2 March 2010 at 2:06 pm

      I don’t think that refers to a real baby. The Grace thing relates to dolls he makes.

      Log in to Reply
      • Joe says:
        2 March 2010 at 2:10 pm

        Yes. Via Google:
        http://hypebeast.com/2009/04/jun-takahashi-undercover-grace-exhibition-recap/

        I’m still not sure what the Grapie connection is, but this is all sort of too hip for me. I’m slightly curious to smell this only because of CdG

        Log in to Reply
        • Robin says:
          2 March 2010 at 4:59 pm

          Same here.

          Log in to Reply
        • Daisy says:
          2 March 2010 at 5:15 pm

          those stuffed animal/biped things frighten me…..
          Besides I’m more hippy than hip. ;-)

          Log in to Reply
          • Joe says:
            2 March 2010 at 7:55 pm

            I first read that (over a half hour ago) as 60s hippy-ish, but that’s NOT at all what you meant, is it?

  6. Julia says:
    2 March 2010 at 1:35 pm

    I’m with Joe re: the ad copy. When I see “soap freshness” and “babies” I think of philosophy baby grace though the notes read differently. I do like many of the CdG collaborations and trust that they are not going to release soporific pablum for the masses. I’ve never heard of Undercover but that is a reflection of my hipness, not theirs. If I purchased fragrance based on the hipitude of my wardrobe designers I would barely get beyond the t-shirt selection at the gap.

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      2 March 2010 at 2:06 pm

      LOL…I might not even make it up to Gap level.

      Log in to Reply
  7. Absolute Scentualist says:
    2 March 2010 at 10:27 pm

    Hats off to Comme des Garcons again. Unfortunately, Daphne and I did not get along at all, but I admired it for the unique and heady fragrance it is. As long as Holygrapie doesn’t smell like Clean Baby Girl (which just smelled waaay too much like A&D diaper ointment, thus granting me way too much reality when I put it on) I’ll be anxious to try it. And Holygrace’s bergamot, ginger and pepper? Wheee! I’m loving the idea already.

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      3 March 2010 at 10:05 am

      I did not love Daphne, but I liked both Monocle scents and the Stephen Jones. So far, I’d say they’ve done a great job with these collaborations.

      Log in to Reply
  8. quinncreative says:
    2 March 2010 at 11:53 pm

    They sound so unlike CDG, which is the point, of course. But “babies, kindness and sensuality” sends the slightest creep of ick down my spine. Make a sentence with those three words and see where it goes. Or maybe we should just chant One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn’t belong. . .

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      3 March 2010 at 10:06 am

      Given the whole picture here, I’m not creeped out at all.

      Log in to Reply
  9. Manna says:
    3 March 2010 at 2:09 am

    I read CdG and thought – Oh great, more interesting stuff coming! Then I saw soap and they lost me here… Then I saw babies and they REALLY lost me here.
    Whoever would want to PREORDER this?!?!

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      3 March 2010 at 10:07 am

      Probably lots of fans of Jun Takahashi.

      Log in to Reply
  10. AnnieA says:
    3 March 2010 at 2:49 pm

    What on earth would the scent of kindness smell like…?

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      3 March 2010 at 3:46 pm

      Chocolate & money?

      Log in to Reply
    • Pimpinett says:
      4 May 2010 at 7:38 am

      Homemade bread! :)

      Log in to Reply

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advertisement

Search

From NST at Twitter

  • Updated info on Kate Spade Cherie https://t.co/qOveal6WnF https://t.co/Q3cfGh38QA, 12 hours ago
  • "Dirty Soap The Laundress was the nice detergent on the market. Until people started breaking out into hideous rash… https://t.co/tmDgbc6ANE, 13 hours ago
  • "Dior Took Flack For Working With Johnny Depp After The Amber Heard Trial. Turns Out, It’s Going Well" (cinemablend… https://t.co/8kv3zZRC4n, 13 hours ago
  • The second set of bottles from the Louis Vuitton + Yayoi Kusama collaboration drops in March https://t.co/PQUSAI4wWH https://t.co/zBCa0PJn8w,
  • "LVMH's record-breaking results driven by Sephora" (cosmetics business) https://t.co/NKkwcZBJeW,

Browse by...

Topic

Perfume talk New fragrances
Shopping Books :: News
Body products Home fragrance
Polls Another subject

Date

December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022

Prior months

Author

Robin Jessica
Angela Kevin
Erin Guest Author

Tag

Celebrity perfumes
Cheap thrills
Collector bottles
Perfumista tip series
Video
The complete tag index

Recent reviews

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Moschino Toy Boy
Arquiste Misfit
Diptyque Eau Capitale
Zoologist Bee
Parfum d’Empire Immortelle Corse
Comme des Garcons Series 10 Clash
Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir
L’Artisan Parfumeur Le Chant de Camargue
Yves Saint Laurent Grain de Poudre
Régime des Fleurs Chloë Sevigny Little Flower
Chanel 1957
Gallivant Los Angeles
Amouage Portrayal Woman

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

4 January ~ damage poll
4 February ~ winter reading poll

TBA April ~ swap meet

Back to Top

Home
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy

Shop for Perfume Online
Perfume Shopping in New York
Perfume Shopping in London
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Links
Perfume Books
Fragrance Awards

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2023 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.