The Party
by Profumeria Gambarini

l tried this one way back in 2009, but l've only just realised that The Party & The Party in Manhattan are one & the same fragrance! l long since gave my sample away, (l got it as a freebie from Luckyscent, although it seems they no longer carry it) but working from my notes, this is how l remember it.
l get the weirdly good carrot note in the opening, along with citrus & a little spice. l don't really get the "floral heart", except for an impression of indoles, & then a whisper of vetiver & woods in the base. The whole thing lasts barely 2 hours, a problem which l see l'm not alone in having with this one.
l've never smelled Mitsouko (!) so l cannot compare the two, but of all the fragrances l've tried l think this is closest in feel to Jubilation 25; another thick, green, mossy floral chypre in a retro style. However, although l'm not a chypre lover, Jub 25 is one that l revisit from time to time, finding it intriguingly complex & interesting, & far longer-lasting. The Party, on the other hand, loses on all counts in that contest.

30th January, 2012.

The Party in Manhattan left me rather disappointed, yes it left me after what was slightly more than 2 hours. I think I read someone claiming it was reformulated already? Anyway, the start is glorious (really!), it wowed me. In the end there was a strange accord going through the heart - is it the mandarine and bourbon carnation (WTH is that?)? In a nutshell, yes it reminded me of Mitsouko, but the peach in Mitsy is much more interesting to me. I once sampled Rochas Femme and Jubilation 25... I think it could be closest to these. No monster sillage, no longevity, no rich feel of an extrait... and the price tag if I can get Mitsouko extrait at the same price?

22nd May, 2011.

What a fabulous retro scent.
It is glaringly obvious that this smells like vintage Mitsouko - it's the oakmoss.
Gorgeous chypre ,well made, well balanced ,tenacious, glamorous ,sexy .
However, saying all that, if I have a hankering for vintage Mitsouko and that divine bergamot, peach and oakmoss combo - I will seek out vintage Mitsouko extrait first and then The Party In Manhattan .
Though I am grateful that there exists a scent that is a dupe for old Mitsouko.
I love this stuff because it's a quality retro style chypre that's so hard to come by these days in this 'post oakmoss chypre era' and becasue it smells like Mitsouko.

21st April, 2010.

It is unsure whether it was Amouage or MDCI -- or whether is was a collaboration of these two established, quality-driven houses -- that secretly backed this incredibly-risky nine-figure undertaking.

That is, the super-clandestine, super-elite, Parisian-nobility's Anubis Priory’s perilous invocation ceremony...
which reanimated the great, iconoclastic scent-innovator Bernard Chant and re-assigned scintillating perfume-genius and lover of sensuality Guy Robert, each into his own youthful, delft-fingered, Patrician-nosed host.

The project: to create a perfect chypre, without regard to cost, totally-unisex, which expressed "lush formality".

Robert, feeling rejuvenated and nostalgic in his new, nubile form, looked to his father’s masterpiece, Chanel’s ‘Pour Monsieur’, whose ruination saddened him. And as an homage as well as in an effort to revive the original glory of the juice, he replicated ‘Pour Monsieur’s’ flawless, astringent clarity and unisex balance of chypric mossiness and tonic tartness. To that he further incorporated as much rich, luxurious aldehydes and roses and fruits -- in his signature style, ala Amouage’s ‘Gold’ and Rochas ‘Femme’ -- as he could without taking it into excessively "feminine" territory.

Chant, both challenged to revise Robert’s already-perfect creation without taking it over the top, and totally disgusted by the latest ‘version’ of his own masterpiece, ‘Cabochard’, adroitly and carefully incorporated his own trademark lasting, aromatic, citric-leather accord into the most-special juice. Acutely aware, too, of his impermanence and impending return to the beyond, he made very sure it was his best work yet. The unisex nature was totally, thus established.

The culmination of this supernatural mission was as perfect a perfume as the world had seen in many years. It was a bold, supremely-elegant, sensual fragrance that suited and reflected various dashing personages, from sylphine 'vamps' to gallant noblemen. Its masterful congress of natural notes and sumptuous, old school quality bespoke not only its momentousness, but also something else... something that could only be described as an ‘enchantment’.

To steer clear of any suspicion of its unnatural, pagan origins, marketers attributed its recognizable, 'yesteryear' disposition to its having been “inspired” by an ‘anonymous fragrance from the thirties’.

Needless to add, this bewitching, otherworldly brew is sold as “The Party In Manhattan”, and it ought have an undisputed featured position on every vintage scent lover’s dresser.

8th March, 2010.

It's a good fragrance- no doubt about that- but I think it copies the best part of Mitsouko without offering any new ideas. Many friends were so enthousiastic about it that I was nearly dying to try this scent, but unfortunately, I cannot quite join the concert of praise. The Party in Manhattan is a good chypre with a very old-fashioned feel to it (the name does not match the perfume in the least - I'd associate a scent with more oomph and a modernist approach) - but it is far too expensive and comes so close to Mitsouko that I can easily make do with my old Guerlain flacon of 7ml extrait.

20th February, 2010.

When I grow up and become an eloquent perfumista able to give lyrical descriptions of intertwining notes I will return to give this perfume the review that it deserves. But as a newbie all I can say is how this great perfume makes me feel. ECSTATIC!
It is a perfect blend: no screeching notes pull it off balance, no part of its development from first spray to drydown is anything other than a pleasure and there is no need to keep reapplying as this juice lasts and lasts and lasts and......
I love smelling like this! It is that simple.
Please try it
(Phew that is my first ever review done)

17th January, 2009.