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"Men Smelling Badly" - Chandler Burr in NYT

post #1 of 20
3/13/07 at 5:47am
Thread Starter 
Chandler Burr compares Osmanthe Yunnan (Hermès) to Sunset Heat for Men (Escada) and Chrome (Azzaro) in the New York Times "T Style Magazine" (March 11, 2007). Four stars for Hermès, one for Escada, and zero for Azzaro. "To smell Azzaros Chrome is to feel metal running through your veins instead of warm blood."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/11/st...=1&oref=slogin

I don't care for Azzaro either (although I don't get the frozen beach and metal blood metaphors). I haven't tried Osmanthe Yunnan and Sunset Heat.
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post #2 of 20
3/13/07 at 6:09am
Thanks for the heads up, I always enjoy reading them.
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post #3 of 20
3/13/07 at 8:08am
I own 5 of the 6 Hermessences. However, the one that I do not (because I just DON'T LIKE IT) is Osmanthe Yunnan.

Funny story behind this: I went to a botanical garden in Atlanta & there was an Osmanthe tree there (atleast 10 feet high) and it was in full bloom. The entire area surrounding the tree smelled just lovely (like peaches and nectarines, is what I remember). I was so struck with the fragrance I wrote down the name of the plant on a piece of paper, so I could research it when I got back to Miami. Found out that Osmanthe does NOT do well in the Miami heat & humidity.

A few days later, I read online that Hermes was debuting the newest Hermessence and it was going to be an 'Osmanthe' scent. I literally RACED to the Hermes boutique here in Bal Harbour to try it when it was released.

I hated it.

Inversely, the last Hermessence to debut, Paprika Brasil, got trashed by most perfume critics and I LUV it (must be the saffron and pimento notes).
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post #4 of 20
3/13/07 at 8:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marcello View Post

Chandler Burr compares Osmanthe Yunnan (Hermès) to Sunset Heat for Men (Escada) and Chrome (Azzaro) in the New York Times "T Style Magazine" (March 11, 2007). Four stars for Hermès, one for Escada, and zero for Azzaro. "To smell Azzaros Chrome is to feel metal running through your veins instead of warm blood."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/11/st...=1&oref=slogin

I don't care for Azzaro either (although I don't get the frozen beach and metal blood metaphors). I haven't tried Osmanthe Yunnan and Sunset Heat.

I find Chandler Burr's use of elusive metaphors more confusing than illuminating. Like most "fashion" writing, Burr's image laden prose works best at face value.
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post #5 of 20
3/13/07 at 9:08am
Thank you for the link! I sometimes agree and sometines don't but it's always nice to read everyone else's opinions.
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post #6 of 20
3/13/07 at 10:01am
Thread Starter 
Just came back from the department store, where I tried Sunset Heat for Men. If I were to rate it against Chrome, I'd give one star to the latter and none to the former. Overall, I find that the fruityness of Sunset Heat makes it more suitable for women. I haven't tested it on the skin, but the paper blotter smells rather cloying. I tried the feminine version as well, which is quite similar.
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post #7 of 20
3/13/07 at 12:45pm
thanks for posting this Marcello. Great avatar btw.
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post #8 of 20
3/13/07 at 2:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by fredricktoo View Post

thanks for posting this Marcello. Great avatar btw.

you're welcome! The avatar is a detail of a huge floor mosaic in Belém (a parish of Lisbon, Portugal) at the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries). I took the picture last summer. Here's an image of that specific scene from wikipedia (click to enlarge)
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post #9 of 20
3/13/07 at 2:45pm
Hahahaha, I thought there was an error since Chrome had no stars, but I guess Burr really detests that fragrance (as I'm sure many people here do including me). His words sure have a kick to them. I like that.
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post #10 of 20
3/13/07 at 3:04pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Redcomet View Post

Hahahaha, I thought there was an error since Chrome had no stars, but I guess Burr really detests that fragrance (as I'm sure many people here do including me).

actually, the editors forgot to add Burr's rating system:

(0) Do not inhale
(*) Inoffensive
(**) Eminently sniffable
(***) Breathtaking
(****) Total nose job
(*****) Transcendent
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post #11 of 20
3/13/07 at 3:14pm
I really like Chrome and the ladies REALLY like Chrome on me..............so that's all that matters. Guys/gals don't count a fragrance out just because one of the "experts"--a term I use very loosely--does because you may actually like/love the fragrance. My .02
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post #12 of 20
3/13/07 at 4:56pm
Thanks for the link. It's interesting to keep up on Chandler Burr's opinions.

I think his similes are improving: "Chrome smells like a sheet of aluminum on a frozen beach" is a lot more attainable than his comment that Terre d'Hermes is NOT a truck driver on the New Jersy Turnpike. I never did get that truck driver one and I assumed he was simply slamming New Jersy.

I wonder if he actually did mean to say that men have a bad sense of smell... in which case, his title is rather a self criticism.

I kind of like Chrome once in a while and, as cookesoul says, the ladies really like it. I'll keep wearing it even if it does make my sense of beauty rather unsubtle.
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post #13 of 20
3/13/07 at 5:22pm
it's OK. Living in NJ means you get to yell every time you recognize an outdoor scene or place you've eaten or shopped in the Sopranos. Tony takes the NJ Turnpike. Funniest thing I ever saw was when "Fat Tony" was gonna kill Homer Simpson and they did an animation of the opening credits from the Sopranos.

anyone know the name of the song and performers of the song playing during the opening credits?
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post #14 of 20
3/13/07 at 7:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by fredricktoo View Post

. . .
anyone know the name of the song and performers of the song playing during the opening credits?

OT but here goes anyways:

Alabama 3 - Woke Up This Morning [Chosen One Mix]
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post #15 of 20
3/14/07 at 10:08am
Yes, I too must show my support for Chrome, it's one of my favs of all time. I am surprised by the comment as I always found it to be a universally pleasing scent.
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post #16 of 20
3/14/07 at 10:55am
I was a long time fan of chrome. The ladies loved it. So did I.
But after using Creed MI for awhile, one sniff of chrome causes my nose to feel like its burning. The top note is so bitter, sharp, so strong. I cant use it again
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post #17 of 20
3/14/07 at 12:07pm
Being the lady who likes Chrome here, too!
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post #18 of 20
3/14/07 at 4:57pm
Am I missing something as to why he groups these three together, and why he is reviewing them now? This reads like three totally unrelated capsule reviews thrown together under a common headline but with no other effort to link them or provide transitions. Is this the normal style for Burr's NYT column?
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post #19 of 20
3/14/07 at 5:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tuner_Watson View Post

Am I missing something as to why he groups these three together, and why he is reviewing them now? This reads like three totally unrelated capsule reviews thrown together under a common headline but with no other effort to link them or provide transitions. Is this the normal style for Burr's NYT column?


In answer to your perplexity, let me quote someone whose opinion I trust very much:

Quote:
Originally Posted by scentemental View Post


Burr's articles are usually full of half-digested information and in some cases egregious errors. . . . The word "sloppy" comes to mind. I don't see any of his articles taking more than ten minutes to write for a first draft at the most. They always strike me as minimally researched, perfunctory, and shallow.

In my opinion, he is essentially talentless as a reviewer of perfumes. . . .

scentemental

scentemental

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post #20 of 20
3/15/07 at 1:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tuner_Watson View Post

Am I missing something as to why he groups these three together, and why he is reviewing them now? This reads like three totally unrelated capsule reviews thrown together under a common headline but with no other effort to link them or provide transitions. Is this the normal style for Burr's NYT column?

I'm not defending Mr. Burr nor am I arguing the points that you guys are making about Mr. Burr's credentials/style...

However, why must a perfume critic review three scents that have some similarity? Are movie critics in the NYT expected to put their movie reviews together with similar movies? Are the restaurant critics supposed to group their reviews together by cuisines? Don't restaurant critics review some 'new' restaurants and then some others that have been around for years? What about the music critics? CD Reviews? Theater critics?

I read Mr. Burr's reviews (and many other critics reviews, including reviews here on BaseNotes) with no 'related' theme required for me to enjoy them (whether I agree or disagree with the review).
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