Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue by Bond No. 9, 2008

Bond No.9 Lexington Avenue

My impression upon first spray of Lexington Avenue is sugar-sweet, fruit and violet over a woody base. The violet is not a candied or edible type, but gives a greenish floral quality to the super sweet sugar cane note. I have seen LA compared to Shiseido Feminite du Bois, so I have sprayed FdB on my other arm for comparison. Sweet--yes. Violet--yes. Fruit--yes. Woody--yes. However, FdB is significantly more sophisticated with its judicious use of candied fruits and violet, and its gorgeous "alternate oriental" base which includes beeswax, cedar and spices. LA has a woody base, but the super sugary top notes are really masking it to the point of near oblivion. In the top and early mid notes, instead of a creamy cedar, I smell the same woodified, synthetic "clean" patchouli that I have smelled in several other designer gourmand fragrances.

The sugar top note eventually fades, and reveals a sharp vanilla-lavender powder note that I also smelled in Bond No.9 Chinatown. I was not particularly enamored of the baby product effect in Chinatown, nor am I liking it any better in LA. One plus, however, is that the attenuation of the sugar note allows the woody base to come out more, and the base is rather nice, even if nothing ground-breaking. Checking in with the FdB at this point, I find the beautiful blend of fruit, violet and woody base that makes FdB so special. I am smelling the similarities in the woods now, as LA shows a bit more cedar, like the FdB. Still, LA lacks the subtlety and finesse that FdB has. With LA, I feel bludgeoned by sweetness, powder and patchouli. Having said that, I do enjoy LA more than Chinatown so far.

A little deeper into the development, and LA is starting to resemble FdB more and more. The cedar in LA's base is quite similar to that in FdB. However, where FdB maintains its complexity and subtlety, LA seems more simplistic with its smothering powder note. Still, the drydown of LA has been the most enjoyable part for me. Thankfully, it didn't take too long to get to this point! In the deep drydown, it is so similar to FdB that I think it would be difficult to distinguish the two unless tested side-by-side. LA is sharper, less complex, and thin smelling. The powder note is still present, but not as overpowering as it was earlier, and a faint leather note has come forward. Overall, LA lacks the top to bottom mastery of FdB. It is almost as if Bond No.9 took three parts from a Jean-Paul Gaultier fragrance such as MaDame, one part Sheldrake woody-oriental base, and mixed them without any consideration for blending the composition seamlessly. The result is that LA lacks the irreverent pop-style of JPG and the artistry of Lutens/Sheldrake, and instead seems like a clumsy attempt at modernizing a now classic woody oriental without one iota of true homage to its predecessors. Having said that, I do find LA to be enjoyable enough that I would wear it a few more times. I do not think I would want a full bottle because I do not think Lexington Avenue will withstand the test of time as Feminite du Bois does.