Comme des Garçons White (1995)
by Comme des Garçons

Another Comme Des Garcons I've been using for quite a while in the past. An extremely exotic concoction of cinnamon, other spices (a lot of) on a woody/floral/fruity base. The whole fragrance has the typical CDG's incensey signature, but here it's drastically toned down to intentionally become barely perceptible. It's more like an overall vibe than a real note/accord.

Intense, important and very very (very) distinctive. One of the best and most influential compositions by Mr Buxton. A personal favorite!

24th August, 2011.

This one surprised me. Having grown a little bored of Comme des Garcons recently, I'd never gotten around to actually trying White. Slightly hungover one morning, I wanted something light and cool so I thought I'd give this a chance. I'm so happy I did! To my nose, this starts out like dry woods soaked in white wine. My wife says it smells like curry. I didn't get that at all at first. Soon, cinnamon follows and then the rose arrives. The woods in the drydown blend in perfectly. A really pleasant surprise - A beautiful, wonderfully made fragrance.

21st August, 2009.

Peppery, minty, airy, spicy, rosy. Mostly cinnamon and florals with a cool sandalwood and vetiver drydown. Excellent.

14th December, 2008.

A saleswoman handed me a bottle of White when I told her I was looking for something reminiscent of clove cigarettes. After sampling it, this struck me as a fairly close approximation. The clove is definitely present, along with some scents I associate with India, (sandalwood and cumin perhaps?) However, the smoky, boozy aspect of a clove cig is not present in White. Also, the sweetness factor was totally different. A clove cigarette has a subtle sweetness, the kind you might find in a fruit curry. White is sweet in a more synthetic, soda-pop way, which seems exactly how CdG might be inclined to interpret a pomegranate.

I can’t fault this fragrance for not being a fancy cigarette (as that is not at all its intention,) and I respect CdG’s attempt to create an oriental that is light, modern, and cool. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that this fragrance smells just a bit cheap.

23rd August, 2008.

Another one I hadn’t been aware of all these years. Somehow I had missed it until a couple of weeks ago I saw it in a small shop and thought that I should check it out. I’m happy I did. CDG’s White opens with a fascinating spice accord that strongly carries the aromatics of the spices with it. I love that medicinal / aromatic element in fragrances: That particular characteristic in White is as good as any I’ve smelled, especially because it takes the pomegranate note with it, and the result is a gentle and near exotic fruit / spicy accord intensified by aromatics. Once the medicinal aspects of the opening settle down some, we have a relatively discreet floral, fruity, spicy accord for the heart notes – so refined, so nicely balanced, with just the right touch of the exotic; and it has quite good longevity – as a skin scent with the accord, yes, “wafting” up occasionally. I don’t get a separate base – what I get is a continuation of the heart accord except that the clove note becomes more prominent and the amber grows a bit stronger as the time passes. CDGs White is a truly accomplished fragrance.

24th May, 2008.

Fantastic juice with a lovely dry down. Powerful and icy from beginning to end with a touch of incense thrown in with the rose. Have re-visited twice, but looking for 888 next time.

Kaern

3rd April, 2008.