Reviews of New York (1989)
by Parfums de Nicolaï

Smooth. Classy. Masculine. Sweet. Spicy. Oriental. Classic.

Jack of all trades, master of none.

A smooth classy citrus-vetiver oriental with woods and spices that morphs between different phases while still retaining its elegant (and very powdery) vanillaic character. Very well-done, but the progression it goes through feel familiar, orthodox, and conventional -- reminiscent of classic Guerlain's. (which turned out to be a pretty good thing!)

The first niche scent I tried where all the phases are completely noticeable and outstanding, blending seamlessly together to form one outstanding fragrance. A perfect citrus opening with some nice spices showing up quickly. Then, a magnificent moss and vetiver followed by an ambery/vanilla drydown. A Habit Rouge for this generation (and better in my opinion). This has perfect sillage and longevity. I love the fact you can purchase 30ml bottles for the unreal price of 45$. A must have. Five stars.

I had high expectations of PdN's New York, largely due to the frequent comparisons to Creed's Bois du Portugal. I own and really like BdP, but was wondering if New York might prove to be a better match for me. What I had hoped (and not by anyone's particular comment) is that New York would have a mellower opening than BdP, but match its drydown, which I find to be perfect. Or from another vantage point: I wish BdP had a less potent opening.

I would note that while the scents wear similarly, they are very different in constuction. The notes for New York are as follows:

Top: lemon, petitgrain, lavender, armoise
Heart: pepper, pimento, patcholi, cedar
Base: leather, amber, vanilla

The Nicolai website characterizes this scent as a "spicy oriental".

In BdP they are cedar, sandalwood, lavender and vetiver (there are certainly others, I don't see them listed at the Creed website though).

To me New York is a dense spicy scent, smooth, very classy and masculine and while one could never confuse it with BdP, there is a definite similarity. I would suggest the opening in New York is sweeter than BdP and the drydown is more centered on spices, compared to BdP which is more wood-centered.

Definitely a classy masculine worthy of consideration. I don't think I will be replacing my BdP with it, but it certainly is quite good.

My old standby, friend, and signature frag for fifteen years now. Have never once - ever - not been complimented when wearing it. I'm guessing that's because someone about it mixes perfectly with my body chemistry, but it also feels like a perfectly constructed work. Every note blends into the next and it develops in the most organic and beautiful way. Sillage is brilliant without overkill.

Not quite the holy grail as described by others, though perfectly safe and wearable. Easier to wear than, say, Bois du Portugal, with which it's often compared, and sure not to offend, I wear New York as I wear a favorite tie; comfortably and confidently.

Orange-Amber- very intense,sweet and dominating.As it has been said it´s very guerlain and it remains you of all these old, dated perfumes like muchoir de monsieur , heritage etc-warm, too warm and sensual, full of vanilla and too powdery.And what I disliked most is the the remaining huge and intense cloud of perfume that stays and comes again and again.............it remains me too of these old ladies perfumes or for an old boring , grey haired man!- heavy oriental und too much flavour !INothing special, unique, timeless or outstanding- simply an EdT-not luxurious, not special.Very disappointing!And I swear you-this is definitely not New York-you all know wht´s New York about!

Marvelously rich citrus oriental that has just that right vintage touch to it. Smells very classical and traditional, but without a single thought of it being somehow dated.

Deep and well balanced. Very unisex to my nose, although I`d like to add that here especially women should be very careful on the trigger. (2 sprays max, while men can shoot more liberally, up to 4 sprays)

Reminds me quite a bit of Chanel`s Pour Monsieur. This is more bitter spicy and not that full-bodied, though.

Great choice for continual use.

I find this to be a fuller citrus than Eau Sauvage and find it very similar in texture to Bijan Men's "powdery" drydown. Very mature. Great drydown of oak moss and light smokey vetiver.

This scent seems based on reflection. Many people have completed me on the pleasantness of it. It works for many, who may be unconsciously gratefully you wore it, but not for me. That doesn't strike down it's technical merits though.

The opening is sharp, I was immediately concerned this was going to go the way of a standard department store frag. Indeed if I would have whiffed this at Dillards I would have been instantly turned off.

It quickly cools down to a warm sweet woods. It's classy and non-synthetic, a bit of powdery throwback to yester-era. There is a bit of spice but not enough to declare it an important note. That sweetness though...that's the reflection. For me it's the whiff of something amiss in Mexico. Spilled sugar on a dirty floor. It's a bit cloying. Some childhood neighborhoods smell like that though; a tinge of sweetness in the air when the wind first shifts in the fall and you aren't accustomed to it. You noticed it and forgot about it until now.

Not for me, but plenty good for others. Worth a sample, you may just fall in love.

ideal for businessmen who go to Paris to cheat on their wives. after they had a stupid evening at the Crazy Horse they move on to Moulin Rouge and so on and so forth.

first of all, the fragrance is not very original (I get a lot of comments like, 'oh, you are wearing Egoiste again', or 'is that Eau Sauvage'), smells like so many fragrances out there, it's boring and dull.

secondly, it has nothing to do w/ NY.

finally, I have to concur with a couple of reviewers who mentioned three stages and a good dry down. it really does change through time and the dry down is nice, but nice is simply not enough.

Patricia de Nicolai is one of my favorite perfume artists. It is largely because of New York that I hold her in such high esteem. To me New York is Nicolai's homage to her Guerlain heritage. It is very Guerlainesque. Although they are very different fragrances to New York, I smell a tip of the hat to both Mouchoir de Monsieur and Habit Rouge. When she first launched New York Nicolai described it simply as a masculine oriental. And what an oriental it is! With its lavender/citrus opening New York begins its harmonious but complex spicy/resinous/woody symphony. It lasts a good long time, and it smells sublime! One of my top ten favorite masculine scents, New York is Nicolai's Tour de Force.

I'm a fan of PdN's line of colognes. After that experience and the raves about New York, I thought for sure this would be a winner.

It's not. New York is pretty much like every other department store frag out there. Combined in one scent.

Think of the last time you were in a room of older women at a semi-formal/formal event.

That scent is New York.

It's not bad, it's not awful, it has quality ingredients. It just isnt' distinguished.

What's not to love here?

As others have alluded, this fragrance is capable of morphing differently everytime you wear it. It has at its heart the spice and slight pepper accords that mingle with citrus in the same way as Chanel PM.

But I don't get the endless Creed associations here, as though that's where the Patricia was being drawn as a muse. Sure I can see the BdP references - but those same opening notes owe as much or more as a doffing of the familial cap to one of Guerlain's greatest creations (IMO), Heritage.

This is a rich and opulent fragrance which leaves the wearer feeling special whenever it is worn.

i rarely have an image associated with a scent which i wear for the first time and the Image that came to my mind when i wore this wonderful scent was...gold rimmed revolving doors at a plush 7 star Hotel with red carpets flawlessly clean and me, entering this place in the most comforting grey suit, red silk shawl & hat and ofcourse, PDN New york as me Sotd! :) quite obviously this scent has more to it than my quote above...This one exudes sheer class and maturity in the most relaxed and comforting way.

please dont expect this one to be the run of the mill orientals...NY opens with a muted silence, all i smell in the initial 1 minute is OIL. as the scent starts to settles one is introduced to a clear note of vetiver with bitter variations of citrus and herbs...20 minutes into the scent and i get this familiar smell far behind a wall of Pepper, clove and spices..something almost animalic (civet?)...and guess whose lurking behind...Chanel PM! NY definitely shares some key notes with PM, but its only relative, this does'nt smell anything like PM overall.

Now, this animalic note lingers around quite a bit giving off bitter powdery touch, almost metallic pungent and this stays on for quite sometime..its clearly as if it's holding back a collage of notes, waiting to burst forward..it's when this animalic note tones down that this scent reveal yet another character..the well rounded effect of oakmoss along with a controlled but majestic touch of spice and green notes on a steady base of amber, leather.

A must have in any wardrobe..and please don't expect it to be anything like Obsession "kind" oriental. this one's a unique take and for all you know, a very unique scent like no other.

Very much in the classic mold, this is a winner. It is elegant, restrained but not diffident, and it has a quiet confidence and dignity about it that bespeaks its breeding. Patricia de Nicolaï is a grandaughter of Pierre Guerlain, brother of the famous Jacques; perhaps one can see in this that there may be some truth in the Guerlain family mystique. New York is a beauty, a structured composition with a clearly discernible development. It says sophistication and style, but in a timeless mode. I don't think this one can easily be forgotten. Its balance, tenacity, subtle development, and sillage all make it a classic.

My holy grail. I literally wear this almost every day of the year.

I am giving this fragrance a thumbs up not becasue I like it, I do not, but because this is the first fragrance that I have smelled that truly trasforms throughout its drydown. This is at least three or four different fragrances in one. Mario Justiniani has described its stages perfectly. This is an tremendously smooth and rich fragrance. I get a dark creamy orange with spices on top, a powdery lavender in the heart, and a powdery leather at the base. Very well made stuff, but not to my tastes.

New York is compared to Bois du Portugal quite a bit; although they are in the same powdery family, they are entirely different fragrances. More like second cousins than siblings. In the same way that one could compare Creeds Erolfa to Bonds Wallstreet, or Acqua di Gio to Issey Miyaki.

Ok I sprung for a bottle of New York and have not regretted it a bit. I was drawn to it because of the favorable comparisons to another favorite - Bois du Portugal by Creed. I thought it would be hard to improve on BdP and since the Nicolai New York hit the shelves a short year and a half after Creed's best selling BdP was launched, I assumed it was a knock off. The notes are similar but it is different in a good way.

The opening is very smoothe lavender, orange and very woody. The midnotes pick up some wood and dryness from the cedar and sandalwood but the drydown is even better. New York improves on the similar opening to BdP most noticeably in the drydown when the oakmoss plays such a strong original role. The drydown has the same vetiver amber smoothe lightness as the Portugal but the oakmoss adds a dry raspy leather aspect that adds an entirely new dimension.

A great fragrance. Definitely in my top five scents of all time.

I just can't get over how New York smells exactly like some classic ladies' perfume. Or perhaps it's not reminiscent of a particular classic perfume so much as "stale old perfume" as such. You know, the kind that has been evaporating out in the light on your granny's dresser for centuries. Now, I appreciate a vintage classic, but not nondescript "old perfume". Definitely old ladies' perfume too, can't wrap my head around how this is described as traditionally masculine. True, if I press my nose to my skin, I catch a very fleeting citrus topnote and then briefly a more herbal/aromatic accord which feels classically masculine (it even reminds me of Yatagan) but after that it's just sharp/powdery and the sillage is all "granny perfume" from first spritz. Think Tabu, Youth Dew, Opium... Something rich, warm, slightly soapy and so very very powdery it's sneeze-inducing. Not horrible by any means but... why?

This is a great perfume. It's as if Jean Kerleo had reengineered Bois du Portugal - to the point where what defines it invites comparisons with Patou pour homme rather than the popular Creed fragrance. The essence of the Creed lies in its Occam's razor-like reduction to a few brilliantly combined basics that make for a sharply contured, beautifully precise masculine smoky perfection. Despite clear similarities in actual smell to Portugal at some stages of New York's development its attitude is entirely different. Like Patou pour homme it indulges in the complexity of its construction and wealth of rich ingredients, shapeshifting between oriental and chypre, layering citrus upon powdery florality, spicy wood and animalics, even crossing gender lines. It achieves this, amazingly, within a more conservative frame of gentlemanly deportment than Patou (which has a far more daringly herbaceous opening and turns sweeter in its cinnamon-clove-jasmin heart) but that is just another indicator of the particular genius of this creation. I would not want to be without any of these three masterpieces, which are related, yet so very distinct. My only wish would be that Patricia de Nicolai do something called "San Francisco" next.

If you took some of the best traits from the classic Guerlains such as Mitsouko, vintage Habit Rouge, and Vol de Nuit; amplified the virility to an appropriate level, threw in more spices and modified them with citrus and a subtle green note, balanced the clean woods and resinous amber to a frequency that resonated in a mysterious powdery core, blended it all to perfection, and provided enough contrast to keep it glowing until the end, you’d end up with something a lot like New York. It’s a spicy-woody-oriental with a significant chypric influence that makes for something cool-calm-collected-pensive-cerebral-agile-evocative-and intensely wearable. It benefits greatly from the animalic castoreum that gives it a fleshy warmth, and a smooth, velvety, oozing from the pores feel. The construction is flawless and the drydown is mercifully cool, never heavy or flat, and with enough interplay between notes to keep it interesting until the scent burns out. It sustains good redolent output for the ten to twelve hour duration, and while the sillage is always perceptible, it never surrounds you like a halo. It’s one of the best ever made, and one of the few that manages to keep my interest over time. It has the same kind of vibes as Chanel Pour Monsieur. Both smell great, have sufficient panache, and speak of mature gentlemanliness in way that few others can.

There are many great fragrances from this house, including: New York, Nicolaï Pour Homme, Odalisque, Le Temps d'une Fête, and Sacrebleu to name a few. Patricia de Nicolaï (the grand-daughter of Pierre Guerlain) is probably one of the top ten perfumers alive, and one of the reasons is because she’s, “…slow to create and slow to trash, with no fashion collections to speed up the pace of life, a launch every few years…”

Notes for New York include: bergamot, galbanum, lemon, thyme, cinnamon, clove, black pepper, pimento, vetiver, oakmoss, castoreum, sandalwood, and amber.

I'm not sure how much I have to add here: opening citrus blast, followed by...rapid emregence of a rather dry powder...slowly revealing a warm spicy accord (cinnamon-clove) before fading ever so slowly into woods, with the powdery note still resonating in the background.

One of the most surprising, and hence entertaining, developments on me since Amouage's Dia, but New York somehow fails to elicit any emotional response from me. It has all the complexity and changeability of the city of my birth, but it also reminds me of the "new and improved" Times Square: clean, safe, pleasant, and rather soulless, just like Stepford Connecticut.

Interestingly, I find it quite gender neutral, and I'd love to hear what some of the women think.

After my fourth or fifth wearing of NY, I gotta second Flathorn's take on this miraculous frag. On me the opening note is a creamy rather than acidic citrus with a breath of sweet herbs lingering underneath. Each time I wear PdeN New York it seems to morph in a different way - perhaps due to the weather.

Today - the beginning of a warm seaside mid-June - the subtle ambery, embery glow is already starting to emanate.

This is just so new York in it's complexity and subtlety and air of cosmopolitan chic. Very Guerlain - like she said!

I adore this fragrance. I'm surprised more women haven't written a review yet, because I know lots of women love it. I also love Naed Nitram's description, as his is what speaks to me most in this fragrance: "We tend to think of citrus as clean, sharp, bracing. But New York underwrites this with warm, sweet, seductive, sophisticated, mysterious tones that are quite ravishing in their way."
It's luscious but reserved, sensual but not sexual, uplifting but deep, crisp but soft, authoritative but flexible. And it smells great, it really does. If you've noticed I've made a lot of comparative descriptions of New York. That seems to define it best for me, a wonderful balance between almost becoming one thing then leaning toward something else, the layered quality it has.
Most have commented on its Guerlain sensibility. I guess that must be encoded in their DNA. Thank goodness Jacque was able to pass it on. I even smell a slight Djedi note to it. Another masculine fragrance that translates so well on women it should be considered unisex.

Marvelous scent -- truly one of the very best out there. Imagine Bois de Portugal with a more powdery drydown and just a touch less citrus. SPLENDID opening and wonderful drydown period. Lasts a very long time, too, and has superb sillage.

Somehow I took on to New York much easier than Creed's Bois du Portugal, probably because I was eased into its green spiciness in the composition. Green meaning something something earthy-herbal like cilantro/coriander. The citrus notes in BdP links to that green note to make it stand out, which I really don't like all that much. PdN New York provides a smooth, yet excitingly sharp cloud of spice to keep that green at bay. Call it blasphemy to the Creed BdP fans, but I think Patricia did this composition much better.

Chameleon is right! I went through more emotions with this fragrance than any I've ever tried. I started off LOVING it, the citrus was nice, not overpowering, and mixed in was something classy and warm. Soon, however, the powder came in full force and it was so cloying that I said to myself that I'd never wear it again. Then, a few hours later, the powder softened and I smelled some sweetness (amber?) as well, and the finish was more tolerable. I tried it a few more times after that and finally decided that the average of all of my emotions with it is just that this one isn't for me. Still, though, worth a try and definitely an innovative and interesting scent.

Fantastic scent! The stinging, spicy opening reminds me somewhat of living in the projects of Brooklyn, and the nostalgic amber brings back memories of the warehouses where we held hood brawls. Wonderful! Def thumbs up

This impressed me as very nice, but dated. Maybe I have been trying a lot of new fragrances lately and there are a lot of very interesting things around today, and this reminded me of a lot of great late 80s-early 90s stuff. For some reason I just can't get that excited about it. I wouldn't say its passe nor does it lack character or style. Still I think this is close to something I wore in the dark ages a decade or so ago that I have finsihed with, without looking back. Don't mean to be mean, but I won't run out to get it.

I love this opening. This is a citrus opening that never loses its grasp on sophistication and substance. I don’t recall another citrus opening as rich, refined, and mature as this one. The accord is very strong in spices, but the spices are combined so well with the citruses that together they seem to be presenting a totally new olfactory group. Impressive! The powdery amber of the next accord is about as attractive an amber as any I’ve tried ‘til now; and it so totally flows from the initial citrus accord. The amber seems to lose its powdery character when it combines with the vetiver in the dry down. The dry down is superb—velvety, elegant, proportioned, captivating. It’s fantastic, in my opinion, that an EDT so classic in construction and quality can be so contemporary and alive. What a magnificent fragrance. This is a must buy.

It's a citrus! It's a chypre! No! It's--It's--

The most bizarre (good smelling) frag I own.

Can't make head or tails out of it. One reviewer used the word 'chameleon' to describe it. I concur. I also concur with the positive comments about how well blended New York is, but it's time to take a break from all those upward thumbs.

New York starts out as a happy and well bred man about town.
From there it transforms itself to, among other creatures:

A hip and sexy woman's playfull scent ( No, I'm not kidding, see The Female Discussion Forum )

A prim little old lady's eau de nostalgia.

A stuffy, ever so formal gentlemen's club.

And--after a few more spins, ends up as what it started.

Whew! I think if you like Jicky, BdP and most Lutens, you'll really enjoy this one.

A bit of a misnomer. If this is New York, then the Eagles are raw delta blues. This one doesn't evoke any New York images in me, except maybe 5th Avenue or downtown slackers in cashmere turtlenecks. A fleeting citrus note quickly taken over by cloying powder. Cacharel, in my opinion, is a much better choice if you want something warm, sweet and seductive.

Perhaps the most adult scent I own - its complexity teaches my nose lessons in the perfumer's art every time I wear it. It tricks me too - that citrus opening fools me into misremembering the nature of the fragrance as it later develops. A sure fire champion.

Definetly one of my favorites. Spicy and formal but also with amber, lemon, and other sweets hiding in the background that give it a casual, versatile edge. Extremely long lasting and suitable for almost any occasion. Believe the hype on this one.

My second signature scent, this is perfect. A masterful blend of aromatic spices and creamy amber that remain in perfect balance throughout the drydown, one never overtakes the other until the last few hours when it becomes clean and powdery. Everyone should smell this at least once.

A perpetual favorite. I remember something Luca Turin said on his blog about this one - he was dividing masculine scents into a variety of categories and this one fell into the genre of scents that simply "smell great." I agree.

Like others have said, New York is reminiscent of classics like Jicky, Mouchoir de Monsieur, etc. To me it also strongly compares to Chanel Pour Monsieur, with New York being longer lasting and more complex, if heavier. I see that many people like to wear this scent in cold weather. To me it's one of those scents that's perfect all year.

"What IS that you're wearing, Sir?", my good man asked, continuing with "In the 90 minutes you've been getting ready it has changed character three times!"

New York is a chameleon scent on my skin. It opens with a large but very short-lived dose of citrus (think YSL PH Haute Concentration for initial impact, though not longevity). This is followed by entry into a surprising powdery phase that begins to subside after 90 minutes, but never disappears entirely. There is cloves and a touch of thyme, cinnamon, black pepper, and pimento in the midnotes, and amber and vetiver in the base. The amber is deftly handled, the scent never getting very sweet on my skin. Overall, it is artfully blended, and with the exception of the citrus opening no other feature stands out besides subtle, discrete harmony. This could be a good thing, or for some people a not so good thing. Definitely try to sample before purchasing.

Wicozani

The opening is strong and almost too sharp and shares, as one perceptive reviewer has commented, some notes with that fine scent Bowling Green. But the true wonder of Nicolai's New York is in its development. We tend to think of citrus as clean, sharp, bracing. But New York underwrites this with warm, sweet,seductive, sophisticated, mysterious tones that are quite ravishing in their way. In spite of partial affinities with Bowling Green, this is fairly unique and a bit of a wonder. A sort of 'citrus-oriental'? Very layered, suave and luscious.

Magnificent! In the 1994 edition of his perfume guide, Luca Turin awarded a "heart" (his highest mark of approval) to New York, so I tried it. I agree with the parallel that Isabelle noticed with Jicky. Both have fairly sweet Oriental bases beautifully disguised behind bergamot and herbs and (in New York) a bit of something woody. I do not find the citrus notes to be either dominant or long lasting. New York persists well; traces remain the next day. Turin was right in one other regard: You donít easily grow tired of this fragrance. In cool weather, I use more of this scent than any other.
I find that this juice requires careful handling. If partial evaporation has occurred (e.g., in the nozzle of a long-unused sprayer or in a cheap plastic vial), New York can become unrecognizably cloying. So, waste a squirt or two before application, or you may hate it. Handled right, it is hard not to love.

A superb, classic men's fragrance with a wonderful development through many layers of delight. A masterful creation. Reminds me, in many ways, of a sweeter version of Mouchoir de Monsieur by Guerlain.

A wonderfully luxurious citrus. Very smooth. Suited for a night out to the theater (not the Cinema 4) or a very elegant dinner. The only downside is the price. Holy Cow!!