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Kenneth Cole RSVP is a joke

post #1 of 26
1/10/07 at 6:46am
Thread Starter 
Ok seriously "Kenneth", if that IS your real name...

RSVP is an absolute non-departure from anything else "he"'s done. What an utter lack of effort. I've lost respect for the scent line, even though "Black" was pretty good. It is total conformity with "the market" that ties his line together, but at least differentiate the scents from each other please. This is exactly the same uninspired crap that "Signature" was.

Go ahead America, buy into the mound of steaming bullshit that this pathetic fragrance is. I'm sure the sales associates will have wonderful things to say about RSVP, since they are mostly robots or zombies, all guided by a remote controlling center in New York. This piece of shit fragrance makes me want to lash out at the entire designer fragrance industry, the sales associates who perpetuate it, and the idiots who buy into the marketing to the extent that the absolute lack of cultural and artistic effort used to create such a joke of a scent doesn't even reveal itself to them. Go ahead, waste your money. But next time you want to throw away $60, just send it to me and I'll Fed-Ex you a box of dog shit instead.
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post #2 of 26
1/10/07 at 7:26am
I smelled RSVP at Macy's a few days ago.

Fortunately, there wasn't any ozonic notes like his other creations. Unfortunately, the Kool-Aid note from his other creations was cranked up to the max, which made it just as bad as Kenneth Cole Signature (one of my least favorite frags IMO).

And here's a juicy little tidbit from Sephora: "A portion of the proceeds from the sales of R.S.V.P. Kenneth Cole will be donated to HELP U.S.A. and the Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation. Log onto KennethCole.com for details." Granted, Coty (Kenneth Cole's fragrance licensee) is doing a good deed, but the scent still stinks, so why bother?
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post #3 of 26
1/10/07 at 9:58am
Kenneth Cole's perfumes are usually crap, in my experience. I do like Thermal Reaction and Reaction, but I usually give this house a wide berth.
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post #4 of 26
1/10/07 at 12:24pm
Scent elitists. Oi.
Wake up and smell the AdG. This is "Corporate America," and that's not gonna change any time soon. Get over it. Or, perhaps try looking at the scent from an objective, unbiased standpoint. You immediately had personal-bias before you even walked into the store to sniff it just because it's made by Kenneth Cole. It's such a "sell-out" brand, it's not aristocratic enough for your superior olfactory taste, etc. Try critiquing it on some other basis than "it smells similar to other things he's done" or what have you, because I can say that about YSL and just about any brand you want.
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post #5 of 26
1/10/07 at 12:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by genvy5

Scent elitists. Oi.
Wake up and smell the AdG. This is "Corporate America," and that's not gonna change any time soon. Get over it. Or, perhaps try looking at the scent from an objective, unbiased standpoint. You immediately had personal-bias before you even walked into the store to sniff it just because it's made by Kenneth Cole. It's such a "sell-out" brand, it's not aristocratic enough for your superior olfactory taste, etc. Try critiquing it on some other basis than "it smells similar to other things he's done" or what have you, because I can say that about YSL and just about any brand you want.

Which YSL?

There aren't that many KC scents around here, what does this smell like? RVSP isn't exactly a telling name.
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post #6 of 26
1/10/07 at 6:22pm
I am amazed at the constant bashing by so called afficionados...even though none are getting paid to create new scents themselves. Even if KC isn't your thing, it is to many others, even "GASP" to MANY members of the fairer sex. KC signature is one of the most complimented scents I have ever worn. But hey what is the opinion of a handful of beautiful young ladies compared to that of a TRUE scent expert bashing away at home on his pc!
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post #7 of 26
1/10/07 at 7:27pm
RSVP.......Not interested.....
Reaction and Thermal Reaction.....Not Interested...
Signature.....Nice....
Black.....The Best over all
KC New York......OK......
Gary
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post #8 of 26
1/10/07 at 7:35pm
Scent expert or no, "beautiful young ladies" or no, Cole's still a NO.
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post #9 of 26
1/11/07 at 7:33am
Thread Starter 
I thought it was extremely similar to Signature, which smelled like a few things that were already popular.

Thermal Reaction reminded me of John Varvatos, if I remember correctly.
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post #10 of 26
1/11/07 at 7:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gfinnil

I am amazed at the constant bashing by so called afficionados...even though none are getting paid to create new scents themselves. Even if KC isn't your thing, it is to many others, even "GASP" to MANY members of the fairer sex. KC signature is one of the most complimented scents I have ever worn. But hey what is the opinion of a handful of beautiful young ladies compared to that of a TRUE scent expert bashing away at home on his pc!

You forget... that a lot of the basenotes experts 'ARE' beautiful ladies....

a.
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post #11 of 26
1/12/07 at 9:04am
Woah ... Methinks Scentronic is having some anger management issues.
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post #12 of 26
1/13/07 at 12:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scentronic

Ok seriously "Kenneth", if that IS your real name...

RSVP is an absolute non-departure from anything else "he"'s done. What an utter lack of effort. I've lost respect for the scent line, even though "Black" was pretty good. It is total conformity with "the market" that ties his line together, but at least differentiate the scents from each other please. This is exactly the same uninspired crap that "Signature" was.

Go ahead America, buy into the mound of steaming bullshit that this pathetic fragrance is. I'm sure the sales associates will have wonderful things to say about RSVP, since they are mostly robots or zombies, all guided by a remote controlling center in New York. This piece of shit fragrance makes me want to lash out at the entire designer fragrance industry, the sales associates who perpetuate it, and the idiots who buy into the marketing to the extent that the absolute lack of cultural and artistic effort used to create such a joke of a scent doesn't even reveal itself to them. Go ahead, waste your money. But next time you want to throw away $60, just send it to me and I'll Fed-Ex you a box of dog shit instead.

Gosh...I didn't know Serpent had returned!

Just kidding...I agree with you that KC frags are rather poor efforts, but they fit the vast majority of guys who know or care little about cologne...they buy maybe a bottle once every one or two years, go the to the mall, the SA says ""Have you tried KC?" and sprays it on his wrist and he sniffs and says "OK, that smells good" and buys it. Same with the horrible Ferragamo scents.

No offense to "that guy." Let's face it...the # of knowledgeable, dedicated perfume fans, like us, are in a very distinct minority among consumers.
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post #13 of 26
1/18/07 at 9:07pm
I picked up a couple samples of this @ the mall last night. I like it!!! I don't know that I like it enough to buy a whole bottle of it, though. We'll see how I feel after I finish the two good-size samples. And I think the little wooden crate boxes are really cute.

Tell me, though...this smells REALLY familiar. Like it has a lot in common w/ a particular frag of the past. It may very well be a woman's perfume. What am I smelling?
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post #14 of 26
1/18/07 at 9:12pm
Why don't you tell us how you really feel?

TNMA
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post #15 of 26
1/17/09 at 6:43pm
I thought it smelled good. But I guess I don't wanna spend 200 bucks on a scent that could smell almost identical to something that's worth 20 bucks, just because it's "niche". Is "scent elitist" the word I'm looking for here?

What happened to people buying colognes because they thought it smelled good? Synthetic or not, it's cheap and it smells decent. Who the hell cares what brand makes it and where it's sold? I mean come on....
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post #16 of 26
1/17/09 at 6:59pm
I am not a fan of any KC scent....Reaction and RSVP are ok....that's about all.
Gary
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post #17 of 26
1/17/09 at 7:04pm
I am a scent Elitist.
Still, I think RSVP is the most unique of their scents. Do I smell rhubarb in there? It is sweet and spicy and it shares some similarities with the gem that is John Varvatos. It has good longevity and sillage and while it is not my style, they could have created something worst.
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post #18 of 26
1/17/09 at 9:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by old chap

What happened to people buying colognes because they thought it smelled good? Synthetic or not, it's cheap and it smells decent. Who the hell cares what brand makes it and where it's sold? I mean come on..

First of all, what's up with the 2 year bump? After 2 years it's ok to start a new thread.

There may have been a time when I'd agree with your statement, but with so many amazing fragrance and so much artistry available, a fragrance has to do more then 'smell decent'. I can buy almost anything in CVS and 'smell decent'. If I'm going to spend my money it's going to be because I find something special about the fragrance - notes, balance, construction, contrast, etc.

It's not about cost (one of my #1 favorites, Dior Homme, can be found for under $40), and it's not about brand name (I own many Ralph Laurens and I just bought a fragrance by Bath & Body Works), it's about quality. If a designer label puts out a quality fragrance I've got no problem buying it. The problem is the overwhelming majority of designer fragrances are released for a worldwide public and not fragrance aficionados and collectors.

Everyone has their own reason for buying fragrances, and I'm certainly on board with the idea that RSVP smells decent... almost everything at my local department store smells decent... I'm just looking for a little more.
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post #19 of 26
1/17/09 at 11:34pm
I love the topnotes on Reaction... but then it's gone. Poof.

Can't ever see myself buying a KC fragrance because of that.
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post #20 of 26
1/18/09 at 6:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bbBD View Post

There may have been a time when I'd agree with your statement, but with so many amazing fragrance and so much artistry available, a fragrance has to do more then 'smell decent'. I can buy almost anything in CVS and 'smell decent'. If I'm going to spend my money it's going to be because I find something special about the fragrance - notes, balance, construction, contrast, etc.

It's not about cost (one of my #1 favorites, Dior Homme, can be found for under $40), and it's not about brand name (I own many Ralph Laurens and I just bought a fragrance by Bath & Body Works), it's about quality. If a designer label puts out a quality fragrance I've got no problem buying it. The problem is the overwhelming majority of designer fragrances are released for a worldwide public and not fragrance aficionados and collectors.

Everyone has their own reason for buying fragrances, and I'm certainly on board with the idea that RSVP smells decent... almost everything at my local department store smells decent... I'm just looking for a little more.

That's exactly the point. Many of the fragrances that I end up testing out at Macy's or Von Maur smell decent, but not special enough for me to warrant skin testing or buy them on the spot; however, there are fragrances that pop up that make me think "This is the one". (I wish we had a Sephora here to get access to more scents, but that's a different story.)

But if a designer brand like, say, Versace, comes out with a new, very high-quality scent that blows me away, I would strongly consider adding it to my wardrobe. Likewise, Kenneth Cole's new T-Shirt coming out soon (the fragrance, not the shirt) doesn't have to stand up to the likes of By Kilian, Serge Lutens, and Parfumerie Generale to make me think about buying it, even though I love and admire all three of those niche houses. Instead, it has to beat a lot of the existing and other new stuff that's on the crowded Macy's shelves. We need to put fragrances into perspective, not into wide-range view.
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post #21 of 26
1/18/09 at 8:22am
I actually quite like KC scents.. although a little weak,
"if i like the smell what the hell"
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post #22 of 26
8/24/11 at 11:34pm
Holy fuck. Umm I know this is one old thread....but I just had to post that the OP's post is one of the most venomous and unnecessary overreactions i've ever seen on these forums. Nothing awful about it. It's not really that bad, I got it as a gift, wasn't wowed, but it's nothing like how OP described.
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post #23 of 26
8/25/11 at 8:24am
Doesn't he have an Izod logo for an avatar or is the mouth supposed to be closed on the Izod alligator?
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post #24 of 26
10/11/11 at 11:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Delicious Scent View Post

Holy fuck. Umm I know this is one old thread....but I just had to post that the OP's post is one of the most venomous and unnecessary overreactions i've ever seen on these forums. Nothing awful about it. It's not really that bad, I got it as a gift, wasn't wowed, but it's nothing like how OP described.

I don't want to start a new thread on this, but I agree with Delicious Scent. Just because you hate the scent with a passion, doesn't mean you need to call people who like the scent "idiots" as you so elegantly put it. I could personally bash many niche fragrances that everyone wets their pants over for smelling like garbage but I don't because everyone has their own tastes. Calling someone an idiot for buying a fragrance that, for them, and for me, smells great, lasts long and garners huge compliments (not to mention that my lady friend absolutely loves this on me) is childish.

I personally love RSVP and actually prefer it over Black. Black seems to fade fast on me and doesn't appeal to my nose as much. Signature is nicely done, but I still like RSVP the most out of the Kenneth Cole line. Also, I love the box.
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post #25 of 26
10/12/11 at 5:11am
Never was a fan of this one.
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post #26 of 26
10/12/11 at 5:39am
I haven't actually sniffed RSVP, but methinks the OP is overreacting just a little.
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