Avant Garde (2006)
by Martine Micallef

I am not a big gourmand fan, but I like Avante Garde. I kind of liken it to a similar scent as a dark chocolate covered cherry. As I love dark chocolate covered cherries it is hard for me to dislike this scent. That said, it is a bit strange walking around smelling like one. It really does not smell exactly like one, but it is the closest descriptor i can think of. Maybe in a more romantic situation this might work, but as a general daily wear scent it is tough to pull this off. Longevity is quite good, but projection is only average. In the end I have to give Avant Garde a thumbs up, but just understand what you are getting into before you buy as it will not be for everyone, and non-gourmand fans in particular may have issues wearing it. This should not be a blind buy, IMO.

18th January, 2012. (Last Edited: 19th January, 2012.)

There’s something intriguing about this one. My first testing of it gave me so little to go on that I scrawled a vague, noncommittal description then put it away and forgot about it. On finding it today I gave it another trial. This time the balance and discreetness exhibited a new-found depth and proportion hiding under the translucency of the fragrance..

Avant Garde is very hard to describe because it’s so subtle. First off, I get no citrus or orris in the opening…. I get a soft, translucent powdered cocoa note, balanced by an enrichment that I can’t really identify – except that the pyramid says “tobacco” and that could very well be. It holds that cocoa texture for a couple of hours and then gradually drifts off with a somewhat sweet drydown of tonka. As translucent as it is, I love the balance and delivery… and, most importantly, I feel good wearing it. Sillage is of skin-scent tenor and its longevity is poor.

13rd May, 2011.

I like this however there's something in it (possibly the musk) that puts off people around me (i.e. they sneeze a lot). I do not like that in a fragrance. Avantre Garde is a fresh musky scent that feels casual. The freshness is too much, though and feel unbalanced with the musk leaving an odd peppery note that lingers around. It also feels very robust and thick. I wouldn't spend a lot of money on a bottle.

9th October, 2009.

If you put 70% cocoa pebbles and 30% fruity pebbles in a bowl and top it with grape soda you may get an idea of what Avante Garde smells like. As it dries to the base it only gets more chalky. In fact, there doesn't seem to be any real base notes at all. If worn on clothes a fruity wet smell stays prominent throughout even after the cocoa and grape soda dissipate, which is better than chalkiness, but has been done much more pleasantly by countless other perfumers.


I really wanted to like this considering that at the time of this writing there is only one review, but there just is no hiding this unpleasantness.

9th April, 2009.