Play (2007)
by Comme des Garçons

A rather strange note in the opening: The first couple of times I smelled it, I got shades of the dreaded Guerilla 1. I really didn’t like this at first, but, its being CDG, I knew I had to give my olfactory synapses a few trial runs before I could begin to understand it. Each time I tested it, I warmed up to it a little, but I never have and probably never will achieve the love: the saffron note stops me every time. Everything else in Play I now find enjoyable and admirable. I have come to enjoy the “sea note” that I disliked at first. I can appreciate the balance and refinement of the opening and middle accords. I love the drydown. There are some extremely interesting things going on in the background and under the surface: the sophistication of the citrus opening with its pepper note; the wonderful interplay of oak moss and patchouli in the base; and the change from cold to warmth in the movement of the fragrance. But I will never get past that saffron. Very nice scent but next time… save the saffron for the paella.

I love this scent! I'm surprised to see the positive reviews of this here, most of the reviews I've read elsewhere criticize Play for not being avant garde enough. I think it is quite avant garde! To my nose Play smells as though someone made a pitcher of Tang and then spiced it with nutmeg and saffron before pouring the entire pitcher onto a flaming piece of plastic leaving an orange spiced melted mass of god-knows-what. I love it.

A clean and light lime and orange top, slightly peppery middle and herbal base. Very lively, actually. A nice citrus that is very approachable. I agree about the bottle's graphics. It freaks me out and I have to keep it in a drawer.

Outstanding.

I just got a sample of it today and it initially gave me deja vu. It reminded me of "T" by Tommy Hilfiger (the one that smells like a freshly washed t-shirt). However, the notes that rumble along under the bright sunny surface are nice and edgy-- A bit of burned rubber to go with a clean shirt. Very nice. I'd buy a bottle right now if the design on the bottle didn't look like some John Wayne Gacy clown nightmare. Still, it smells great.

There's been a lot of harsh words said about 'Play' elsewhere, but I find the inital citrus burst lovely with the orange/lime mellowing out nicely to a more spicy/citrus drydown. It is probably the most accessible and easy to wear of their range and is not really 'edgy', but the projection is hot, along with the aroma. Lasts all day!

Kaern

Pretty true to the notes listed. I got much of the Bitter Orange, lime, and sea notes. It is unique, especially for a citrus type scent. That said, I'm not a citrus type fan, but if I was I would definitely try. Pretty good longevity too for a citrus.