My Queen (2005)
by Alexander McQueen

Upon spritzing, my immediate reaction to MY QUEEN was: "How many of these light woody florientals have been produced on behalf of clothing designers over the past couple of decades?" I'd venture to guess that the number lies in the dozens, but it may even be hundreds...

Yes, the story of MY QUEEN seemed initially to be the same old hum-drum refrain: slightly sweet wood blended in with "abstract florals". However, as it developed a bit, I suddenly remembered what this one reminded me of, in particular: Trussardi JEANS. What marks both MY QUEEN and JEANS off from the rest of the crowd, is the inclusion of liatrix, or so it seems. They both also contain violet, but probably the most significant link is...drum roll...(I can report after having returned from a factfinding mission): Anne Flipo designed both! Dominique Ropion is said to have had a hand in this creation as well, but the similarity to JEANS makes me think that Anne Flipo was really calling the shots.

The liatrix (tobacco-esque) note is far more pronounced in JEANS than in MY QUEEN, but combined with the violet, I cannot really deny the appeal of this composition. I'll buy a bottle not because I find it unique (it's not), but because I love JEANS! Give me violet and liatrix any day. Thank you again, Anne Flipo!

2nd September, 2011.

My Queen is a very unusual fragrance. It's sweet but has a bit of warmth, almost spiciness (pepper or cumin?). There's something a bit masculine lurking in the background, perhaps cedar. Given the orris and heliotrope as listed notes, I expected this to be much more powdery. The vanilla has a presence but it never over-powering. Very well-blended and long-lasting on my skin ... 6+ hours.

I like this very much and don't know what took me so long to sample it.

UPDATE - I tried the lotion and decided that it is not worth owning. It's a cheap lotion with that tell-tale plastic/synthetic smell. Pass on the lotion!

31st August, 2011. (Last Edited: 10th September, 2011.)

l bought my bottle not long after this was released, & the scent still reminds me of that period of my life; a period of great upheaval but also of romance. Therefore l love it for sentimental reasons, as well as olfactory reasons.
l get a big burst of lush violets from this, but instead of being overly sweet, they are balanced & given depth throughout by the patchouli, cedar & vetiver. The orange blossom gives it sparkle, & in the far drydown l get the sweetness of vanilla & heliotrope. There is much talk of this being a skin scent, but l get great sillage from it, especially on a warm summer evening, & have received many compliments on it. lf you want violets with a twist, l highly recommend this lovely fragrance.

17th February, 2011.

My Queen is a prime example of a powdery purple floral but it has a misfortune
to fade from my skin it opens with an powdery note of violet it's sort of a reminiscence to kenzo flower but more
milder and diluted and doesn't cloy
dries with an nutty fringe of almonds
heliotrope makes it milky and a bit soft
but i'm not noticing any orange blossom
then dark musk dries the middle with an
animalistic qualities,

the drydown turns powdery again with iris with it's earthy accord in a lot of
perfumes i don't detect patchouli but
in My Queen i can smell a good deal
and doesn't overwhelm me and it ends
with dry vanilla.

My Queen it's hard to say that it's a
above average or an average scent it
advertises as a supreme darkly regal
scent but to me it's a weak scent
tries to be unique but it fails so
i give it a 3.

18th December, 2010.

The design house of the late Alexander McQueen (not unlike Vivienne Westwood) was very interested in the use of images of European aristocrats and royalty. For much of history of the Western world, fashion and taste was dictated by aristocrats and also by popular stage performers, both male and female. Today, fashion is dictated by the aristocracy of the media: the celebrities.

Nevertheless, I sampled My Queen by Alexander McQueen and was struck by it's genderless qualities. In fact, this might even qualify as a "masculine," the purple-girly bottle and the name aside. I am one of the first to say, "Wear what you like regardless of the bottle or the label," but these are my observations.

My Queen was released in 2005 after the controversial Kingdom. It is, in fact, a toned-down version of Kingdom. It's my understanding that it goes beyond the three-tier pyramid to four levels of notes:

(From Marina Geigert's blog, "Perfume Smellin' Things): Marvelous (Parma violet and sweet almond), Dazzling (orange blossom absolute, white musk and heliotrope), Mysterious (patchouli, cedar and vetiver) and Intoxicating (Florentine iris and vanilla).

The drydown is surely unisex, with the patchouli, cedar and vetiver. As for another "queen," ELdO's Delicious Closet Queen attempts to start with a masculine exterior with feminine underneath, My Queen attempts to start with a floral set of feminine notes with a masculine set of base notes.

This does have a floral opening, but ends with a predominantly patchouli base note. Good staying power and sillage.

19th October, 2010.

Someone told me that dead people smell like violets. This perfume smells like dead people. (No, I don't see dead people!)
What's the point with this? I get violets, violets and violets.

13rd October, 2010.