parfums*PARFUMS Series 2 Red: Rose (2001)
by Comme des Garçons

I find this very similar in style and profile to Tommy Girl, but with rose instead of...whatever that floral note is at the beginning of Tommy Girl. And I say this as a fan of both fragrances.

CdG S2Red: Rose starts with a gorgeous blast of berry-sweetened rose. I can't actually pick out the berry note until a bit later, but it's evident in the brightness of the top notes. The floral debut is bold, fresh, and delicious, a velvety, red rose that's neither cloying nor excessively sweet. Gorgeous.

I sampled Frederic Malle's Une Rose yesterday and loved it. But CdG Rose holds its own against this much more expensive competitor. It's a bit brighter, louder, less dark and earthy. But both are convincing, naturalistic roses.

Unfortunately, CdG Rose exhausts itself after about 45 minutes and modulates abruptly to a much quieter berry/tea drydown...just like Tommy Girl. Unlike Tommy Girl's drydown, which lasts for hours, CdG Rose's disappears completely after another 45 minutes. It's the Incredible Shrinking Fragrance!

As lovely as the experience is, I can't see pursuing such a fickle fragrance.

16th November, 2009.

Rose scents, for me, generally conjure up images of Grandma trying to look sexy for Grandpa's 75th birthday, complete with lingerie and too-red lipstick, an image which I would like as far removed from my brain as humanly possible. CdG's take on Rose, however, sidesteps this nicely, being neither old lady-esque or overtly sexual. And while the combination of rose and raspberry sounds uber-feminine, it just takes a little panache for a man to pull this off. A unique addition to any fragrance wardrobe.

11th November, 2007.

A modern rose fragrance to be used any time. It's one of those fragrances I grap when I can't make a choise. It's not overpowering, fresh, good staying power. I like the combination with the fruits which makes it not old fashioned, what many rose fragrances have.

6th November, 2006.

A very nice scent — a realistic rose note with lots of raspberries for sweetness and musk for sweetness and substance — it’s a good combination — it’s a safe combination. It’s not the sort of combination that one pays niche prices for. As for the other notes, I don’t get the pepper that is supposed to be in the accord. Overall I would say it’s more feminine than not — not because of the rose but because it’s so berry sweet. I find this scent especially linear with very little happening, except for the lessening of the rose / berry accord from the strong opening salvo until the ultimate expiration, which comes all too soon. Although it is a pleasant scent, I find nothing really outstanding about it — in fact, I think that several (much less expensive) designer rose fragrances could easily compete with and be judged better than this fragrance. And, as far as other niche rose fragrances go, well…there are many niche rose scents that are superior to CDG’s Rose. Rather short-lived.

25th May, 2006. (Last Edited: 18th March, 2008.)

A rose by any other name wouldn't smell as intoxicating. Rose is merely an accent here combined with raspberries and musk. Light, fresh, and unmistakably CDG.

15th January, 2006.

A stroll through a rose garden...deffinately a bit more on the femenine side...a day in the court of a beautiful queen, admirers come from all around just to drop rose pedals at her feet, the intoxicating scent fills the fresh crisp breeze that seems to have come from another time...when the earth was young...relaxing, sexy, almost regal...CDG does it again!!!

28th December, 2005.