parfums*PARFUMS Series 3 Incense: Avignon (2002)
by Comme des Garçons

Truly faked incense. It's good. I don't get the incense connection as the other reviews seem to talk about. And I have nothing more to add.

Unquestionably there's a charm in the lunacy of the entire CdG line, the 21st century's equivalent to Santa Maria Novella's old world weirdness.
Like SMN with Peau D'Espagna or Nostalgia, CDG hits a winner once in a while among all its cutesy avant garde offerings, and this is one of them.

Meditative? High Mass? Nicole Kidman in a Catholic schoolgirl's uniform slowly stripp--never mind.

(As a theological experiment you might want to wear this one on your right shoulder and Salvador Dali PH on your left. See if a little angel and a little demon perch upon them.)

Well, if nothing else you'll finally be able to answer the perennial question posed by unsympathetic acquaintances: " Why you spend so much money on fragrances? " With the honest reply: " Because I'm insane--but have far better taste than you ever will."

Now go ring the bells at Notre Dame and save the poor innocent gypsy girl . . .

Comme des Garcons Avignon

Incense-based scents are one of my favorite style of scents. I have loved the smell of incense from my teens lighting up a cone in the burner and listening to Led Zep or Pink Floyd on the turntable; to my adulthood and discovering the perfumes that hold the same olfactory pleasures. The perfumer who has consistently hit the high notes for me in this style of scent is Bertrand Duchaufour. He has made five of my very favorite incense scents and I consider him my High Priest of Incense. All stories have a beginning and M. Duchaufour's relationship with incense-forward scents began in 2002 when he designed two of the five scents in Comme des Garcons Series 3 Incense series, Kyoto is the other. Avignon is named after the city in France which was the Papal seat in the 14th century. Appropriately the central accord in Avignon is frankincense which any one who has ever attended a high mass will recognize. In point of fact Avignon is so true to recreating the frankincense accord that I imagine if you have bad memeories of the Catholic church you might find it hard to wear. Thankfully, I don't have any olfactory issues with the Catholic church. Avignon wastes no time getting to business as from the moment this hits my skin the incnse accord comes to life. Just like the priest swinging a censer I am immediately enveloped in a heady, intense cloud of incense. This is a bold beginning and in many cases it would be a hard act to follow as it has to be hard to compose when your crescendo comes at the start. One of the things M. Duchaufour does is to leave the incense accord in play but like that imaginary cloud of incense allow it to recede and be paired with patchouli in the heart. As any child of the 60's and 70's will tell you patchouli and frankincense go together like peanut butter and jelly, they're just natural partners and it is the same in the heart of Avignon. the herbal quality of patchouli added to the sweet resinous incense makes for a perfect balance. The whole scent is tied together with a beautiful vanilla in the base. The vanilla is used to accentuate the sweet quality of the incense and to contrast with the herbaceous quality of the patchouli and the choice of vanilla to close this off is nigh perfect. Avignon is an extremely strong scent on me but it has been mentioned in other articles that it is an excellent layering component when used in moderation. I know it is the incense scent I turn to when I am interested in adding a touch of incense to another scent. M. Duchaufour has gone on to make even better incense scents, Timbuktu & Jubilation XXV, but in Avignon his first steps on the incense road already showed the potential that those future scents would realize.

Along the lines of other reviews, I can only liken the scent of Avignon to having a religious experience....Born again? quite possibly. Absolution? guaranteed!
Slightly masculine but unexpected and pleasant for a woman. Heavy but balanced, uber- interesting and never turns syrupy sweet.
My personal favorite of the Comme des Garcons, its like a rare walk in the greenest, deepest woods of your dreams.

During my teenage years, I spent a lot of my free time as a senior altar boy. I still don’t know why I bothered volunteering for such work, as I actually disliked attending church. However, if I had to be honest with myself, it was probably a better alternative to being bored rigid amongst the congregation.

Yes, I much preferred being active at mass than passive, and enjoyed serving at benedictions and high mass. Avignon strongly reminds me of this period in my life but, while I consider it to be the best from the Incense line, it’s certainly something I can’t see myself wearing on a regular basis.

Its conventional frankincense, myrrh and cedar composition works extremely well, and I have yet to come across anything else that surpasses it. Unfortunately, its longevity and sillage is not as strong as I would like it to be. It's also too synthetic for my tastes.

Apart from Goths, those who have some fascination (or perversion) regarding churches and the extremely avant-garde, Avignon will not provide the level of versatility that one is usually used to. However, if your interests lie within its artistry, rather than in its potential accessibility, it’s definitely worth going for.

[Original submission date: 25 May 2008]

Heaven. Heaven. So wonderful! The EXACT smell of Catholic cathedral. That's it, not too complex: incense, beeswax-of-the-ages on aged wood, cleanish smoke, dust, a touch of mould. In hot weather, I find it going a touch sour, not too pleasant, but for cool days.... heeeeeaaaaven.