Squares Blue Black 02 by Shauno

Just as niche fragrances began to carve out their own niche as we celebrated Y2K one of the most creative houses dedicated to the idea of creating their own style of fragrance off the beaten path was Comme des Garcons. For me personally much of the early fragrances and perfumers came from Comme des Garcons that I think set many of the standards which have become commonplace in the last few years. Under the creative direction of Christian Astuguevieille, Comme des Garcons were arguably the most innovative perfume line going. Then I’m not sure what happened if everyone just started doing things the CdG way or if M. Astuguevieille wanted to take a different direction but for the last three or four years the majority of fragrances bearing the Comme des Garcons label didn’t hold the same thrill for me that they once did. As we entered 2013 Comme des Garcons I thought might not have the same drive to be out in front of the pack.

Then I received my sample of Comme des Garcons Black back in the spring and it sat on my desk for a couple of weeks because I just wasn’t excited about it. When I finally got around to it I was floored by what I smelled on the strip, I couldn’t wait to get it on my skin. Perfumer Guillaume Flavigny in his debut fragrance for CdG took the name literally and mixed three key notes as black as night in black pepper, licorice, and birch tar. This is what CdG means to me something which is not for everyone and challenges the limits of what perfume can be. M. Flavigny opens with a healthy piquant nose-tingling punch of black pepper which is quickly joined by an excellent licorice. Through this opening incense and leather intersperse themselves adding resinous and animalic contrasts, Then just when you’re getting comfortable thick glops of birch tar bubble up viscously to the top of my consciousness. As the thick tar bubbles it releases puffs of vetiver and woods. Black ends up smelling like a county blacktop at high noon in midsummer and it is fantastic. This has some kinship to 2004’s Comme des Garcons Series 6 Synthetic: Tar but the tar here is a beautiful progression out of the lead-in from the pepper and licorice.

When I received my samples of the three new fragrances which make up the Blue Invasion Collection I wasted no time trying them out only to be initially disappointed. These were very unlike Black and I wanted more of that but because of Black I spent some more quality time with these fragrances and realized these really hearkened back to the old Series 1-8 fragrances in which a perfumer created a specific accord and were simple studies in the craft of building a specific accord. Most of these were my education in how a perfumer could distinctly tune a specific smell to their own aesthetic through the use of other ingredients as modulators. When I returned to the Blue Invasion Collection with that mindset I found what easily could be called Series 9 in my opinion.

Buddha's Hand Citron by Jonathan Aller

Blue Cedrat was signed by Nathalie Feisthauer who did four of the previous CdG Series scents; Soda, Tar, Stickycake, and Lemon. Here she takes the cedrat, or as it is also know citron, and sets it in place right from the beginning and then takes juniper and rose to turn it from sunny soloist into supporting player. By the time the citron makes it to the base notes it is supported by a classic cedarwood base.

Blue Diamonds by Cedar Lee

Blue Encens is signed by Evelyne Boulanger who actually was the perfumer behind two of the Series 3 Incense entries; Jaisalmer and Zagorsk. Blue Encens is very different from either of those as this is an incense which is elided into softness by the use of strongly spicy notes. Mme Boulanger uses a trio of cinnamon, black pepper, and cardamom to remove most of the metallic edge of her central incense accord. It turns it pillow soft and just when I want to lay down in it she sends in the woods, cedar and sandalwood to remind you there is a steely core underneath it all.

Blue Santal is signed by Antoine Maisondieu and this really is a continuation of the themes he explored in the Comme des Garcons X Monocle Scent One: Hinoki and Scent Two: Laurel. In Blue Santal M. Maisondieu uses the resinous quality of pine to contrast with the dry arid quality of sandalwood. Blue Santal opens with the smells of piney woods oozing sap and then a wonderfully desiccated and delineated sandalwood contrasts that opener. For much of Blue Santal it is the tug of war between pine and sandalwood which plays out on my skin. I notice a bit of juniper berry, incense and white musk but this is all a duel of contrasting woods.

The longevity on all of the Blue Invasion Collection was below average barely making it through a work day and the sillage was also below average. Black had all-day longevity and average sillage.

Very often you‘re not sure what you’re missing until it returns. With the set of 2013 releases; Black, Blue Cedrat, Blue Encens, and Blue Santal it feels like Comme des Garcons has started to return to the head of the niche pack by returning to the ideals that set them apart from the beginning. If you’ve been taking a break from Comme des Garcons I think you should take a sniff of these four as I think you might be reminded of why you fell in love with CdG in the first place.

–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor