Wisteria Hysteria is the second fragrance from British milliner Stephen Jones, working in collaboration with Comme des Garçons. I liked the first, 2008’s Comme des Garçons + Stephen Jones, enough to add it to my buy list but not enough to actually buy it: it’s among the many perfumes I would buy if I ever found it at a massive discount. Wisteria Hysteria — what a great name! — costs a little more and I like it a little less, so it’s not likely I’ll ever own it.
The first fragrance from Stephen Jones was meant to be a “violet that’s been hit by a meteorite”, but while the top notes were a little odd, in general I found it more wearable than the description might imply. Wisteria Hysteria tones down the oddness several notches while staying just inside the Comme des Garçons aesthetic…
