It irks me somewhat, as a perfumista and a journalist, when companies from one country or market release exclusive scents for very limited markets; thus alienating a great deal of potential customers. Bond No.9, however, has managed to do so, quite elegantly and poignantly, without excluding any perfume lovers on this side of The Pond. Since 2009 Bond No.9, a NY-centric niche house, has been in perfumed partnership with the largest emporium of high end goods in Europe-Harrods of London. While making these scents exclusively for Harrods, Bond also made them available to the American market in their flagship NY store at 9 Bond Street, and via their website. For someone like me, who has never been to Harrods, these perfumes provided a luxurious perfumed escape for me over the week I tested them.
The London store covers 5 square acres and boasts a million square feet of retail space. With 330 departments a Harrods shopping excursion would surely take days, if not a week, for me. Opened in 1824 by Charles Henry Harrod at the age of 25, this store has managed to expand and grow despite world wars, depressions, recessions and even a fire right before Christmas one year. Harrods still delivered all its orders on time! The timeless elegance that is Harrods of London comes through in these fragrances. Bond No.9, a 21st century American company started by a woman, captured the old world charm and sophistication of Harrods, in superb fragrant forms, without being contrived or giving up one iota of luxury.
2009’s Harrods for Him and Harrods for Her were, in essence, the Adam & Eve of this entire Bond No.9 collection. Both created by Laurent Le Guernec, these perfumes capture British opulence and class without seeming stuffy or uptight. Harrods for Him begins with a strange and vegetal aroma of rhubarb leaves and chamomile muddled with star anise. The sour succulence of the rhubarb is held at bay by mild and softly herbaceous chamomile as it becomes greener and juicier from violet leaves, yet maintains an air that is powdery and soothingly floral. Star anise and pimento berries add a spicy, almost creamy, twist to this right into the finish of musk and sandalwood kissed with birch smoke. Harrods for Her complements her male counterpart in wonderful ways. Soft and wildly floral, she becomes sharper sweeter and spicier, yet is never unladylike. Her shroud of warm flowers and herbs hides her leather corset, fishnets and thigh-high boots as she becomes warmer, more sensual and playful. Both scents are posh and quite British, though feel more Heathcliff & Catherine on the Moors than metropolitan London.
Laurent Le Gurenec
The 2009 holiday season also saw the release of a very special Harrods/Bond scent. Harrods Swarovski Limited Edition was bottled in the familiar star-shaped flacon and bejeweled with Swarovski crystals decorating the front of the store. Despite the flashy and eye-pleasing packaging, it is inside the bottle where the magic lies. Here M. Le Guernec makes oud dance like never before. Without any bright opening citric notes or flashy flowers, this creeps stealthily in on panther’s paws, growling softly with a dark spiced feral musk, before stretching into an opulent silken heart of sweet and aromatic resins wafting mystery and exotic charms. Oud is, without a doubt, the focus of this scent; but it is not an aggressive or impolite perfume. The way in which the oud is spotlighted and celebrated by the notes cavorting around it is genius. The last lingering impressions are of vetiver, more smoky and earthy than dry or grassy, swirling around slightly charred oud, bordering on the sublime!
Romantic Pink Roses by Blanche Lindsay
Harrods Rose (2010) is an “old-fashioned” rose perfume in a shiny pink bottle, with modern savor-faire and sassy new attitude, smelling neither dated nor ubiquitous. Opening with a healthy blast of green and crisp narcissus, Bond has captured the leaves and thick stems upon which the rose will appear. Deliciously green and unabashedly floral this radiates the softer fruitier more dew-kissed aromas of the Queen of Flowers, maybe when she was still only a wide-eyed princess. The fusion of tuberose with rose here adds a darker, almost shadowy, ambiance to the floral heart yet it maintains a playful and joyful demeanor. As the rose opens more fully, the stems grow woodier and denser to support her. The same thing holds true, for the scent, as the dry down of botanical ambrette musk and cashmere wood provides a soft supple wooden framework for the roses to vine onto as they hang heavy and fragrant.
Desert Amber by Iglika
2011 saw the release of Harrods Amber, as Bond No. 9 continued this line (much like the British Empire) in a more oriental direction. Opening with saffron, bergamot, white peppercorn and nutmeg, this sets the stage perfectly for the sweeter floral heart and sultry resinous base to come. Spices add the crumbly dryness of amber while bergamot and saffron add a “golden glow” that is uplifting and delightful, as opposed to heavy or cloying. Osmanthus keeps the golden flame burning, while adding a fruity depth to the rose and milky jasmine. The sweeter aromas attenuate the already dulcet and heavenly warmth of its namesake, as more resins melt and flow over exotic woods before drying to a slightly musky finish.
Both Harrods Oud Patchouli (2012) and Harrods Agarwood (2013) are shadowy oriental jewels, carved and polished by Bond No.9, and set in Harrods perfume crown. Both center on the resin-suffused wood of the Aquilaria tree. Harrods Oud Patchouli takes davana flower, saffron and myrrh creating a dark potion of fruity floral incense-kissed bliss. As this potion takes effect warm thick patchouli mist rises, swirling about a deep rose and dessicated geranium. You don’t notice losing the fruitiness, as it waxes woodier and deeper. Sweet musk and gentle amber introduce patchouli to oud, and it is love at first sight. The finish of leather-swaddled oud with sandalwood projects wild ferocity and gentle warmth for hours. Harrods Agarwood pours thick and smoke-laden out of the atomizer. This made me imagine a mighty djinni from the Arabian Nights, exiting its lamp. Nutmeg, saffron and tea leaves create an intense opening chord-adding just the right amount of exotic to enchant. Foregoing any typical oriental flowers in favor of the dry throaty whisper of violets, even the heart of this scent is shadowy yet gorgeous. Suede softens the overall aroma, absorbing the excess smoke, while patchouli lingers in the background. Amber and rockrose resins add to the odd aroma of oud, as sandalwood again adds grandeur and warmth. This comes on like a lion, eventually becoming a gentle, yet amazingly strong, lamb.
Bond No. 9 counter at Harrod's
All of these Bond No.9/Harrods perfumes have above average sillage and excellent longevity. Bond has done a fine job of creating these perfumes for Harrods. Capturing centuries old elegance and panache in a modern perfume bottle is not a mean feat, by any means. Bond No. 9 owner Laurice Rahmé has raised the bar for luxury perfumes abroad without ever forgetting those back home. Bully!!
These perfumes can be purchased from Harrod's online or Bond No. 9. Prices vary by fragrance.
Disclosure: Reviews based on sample bonbons sent to me by Bond No.9 & decant of Swarovski Limited Edition from a dear friend.
John Reasinger, Senior Editor and Natural Perfume Editor
(not actual prize; just illustrative of Bond No. 9 sample packaging)
Thanks to our friends at Bond No.9 we have a set of six 1.7 ml bonbons to give away to one lucky US winner. The set will contain one bonbon sample for each perfume reviewed above, with the exception of Swarovski Limited Edition, so one of you lucky folks can spend a week virtually sniffing around Harrods too. To be eligible, please leave a comment stating which Harrods perfume might like best of the six and your favorite Bond No 9 perfume. Draw closes February 5, 2014.
Note: Unfortunately, the only Bond No.9 perfumed creation for Harrods I did not get to try was 2012’s Queen’s Jubilee, released to celebrate Elizabeth II being queen of England for 75 years. Besides being a Harrods exclusive, it was also available, until sold out, at the NYC store, yet no samples were made, making it a true once-in-a-lifetime-perfume. There are eight Bond-Harrods perfumes, to date, and I look forward to the next one greatly.
We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.