Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › Bond versus everyone else...
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Bond versus everyone else...

post #1 of 18
4/17/09 at 3:18pm
Thread Starter 
Hi everyone, sorry I haven't been on the board much lately. Life calls.

Anyways, I bought (among other things the 18-piece Bond sample set when I was in Vegas the other day.

Now I have smelled most Bonds on tester paper, but aside from the two that I already owned I had never had the chance to follow the entire note progression. Now that I have, I am a little disappointed. Why?

Because almost every Bond smells like a clone of an existing, established fragrance that I already own or know (and I suspect the 'original' bonds are simply clones of frags I've never smelled... yet).

Part of me is disappointed that I spent so much money on an "Impressions of..." sampler kit, and another part is sort of appalled that a 'lux' or 'niche' perfume brand would so blatantly release copies like that. I could understand when Sean Jean did it, but to charge $210 per bottle is is unconscionable.

I remember people bringing this up in the past, but it's been a while and Bond has released a few new scents since then.

Would you own a copy of both Little Italy and Play? Would you own both Chez Bond and Green Irish Tweed? Eau de New York and PdN New York? etc...

Am I just crazy or have other people noticed this, too? Sorry if I just missed a big discussion about this like two days ago or something


-ben
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 18
4/17/09 at 3:47pm
I haven't tried the whole Bond Line, but I was generally unimpressed. I would never, ever pay 210$ for a fragrance that isn't top quality (ie. Bond), and like you say, Bond fragrances are mostly just nicely packaged, variations on fragrances that already exist.

I mean, the quality and construction are usually pretty good, but to pay 4 times the price for something that is only slightly better than the original is ridiculous. For example, New Haarlem, IMO is better than its sibling Rochas, although I wouldn't pay a 400% price mark-up simply for an "improvement." Funny how New Haarlem wasn't simply plagiarised, it was plagiarised by its own creator, Maurice Roucel!

So, in answer to your question, I'd rather own the originals (that were copied by Bond), both because of price issues and a matter of principle. Can't stand plagiarism, whether it be in fragrance, music, literature, etc.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 18
4/17/09 at 3:50pm
I agree with you on all counts! (except PdN NY smells like BdP, not EdNY, which is very bright and lemony)

Most of them smell like rip-offs or at least "inspired-by's", and just about all of them seem "muddy" to me. The notes are not resolute, the seemingly-careless blending and proportions seem to take away from anything that MIGHT have been good, and I don't really find any of them to have any discernible character.

New Haarlem is pretty good, and is a noteworthy coffee fragrance, and Eau de New York holds it's own against other complex and long-lasting lemon scents... but with the exception of those two, I am not the slightest bit impressed.

And this is all without mention of the horrible bitch that runs the company.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 18
4/17/09 at 3:54pm
I don't know if I feel Bonds are ripoffs - but I generally have just been underwhelmed by the majority of their line. There are only a very few I personally think are worth owning - and I still would not pay full retail value for them (and I couldn't care less about the fancy bottle).
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 18
4/17/09 at 4:00pm
welcome back Ben! i still remember your (fab) collection from the time i joined BN. some excellent scents you had...

on Bonds...i have tested close to 12 of em...liked only two of those, which were riverside drive & Westside...yet to test bleeker street, silver Factory, wall street, chinatown, etc...rest were mehhh
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 18
4/17/09 at 4:00pm
I wrist tested Chez Bond and Green Irish Tweed, and Chez just felt sexier and more modern. Shrug.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 18
4/17/09 at 4:15pm
I'd love to know a cheaper version of chinatown, I have found a few that reminded me of it but not too closely. Other bonds I have tried left me unimpressed as well, I just dont think they are it for me.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 18
4/17/09 at 4:19pm
I'm considering a purchase of Coney Island, but if you are saying there is an existing fragrance out there that is similar and lower in price I would love to know what it is!
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 18
4/17/09 at 4:24pm
I do think Hampton's is like Silver Mountain Water.

I disagree with those that liken Wall Street to Erolfa.

I think New Haarlem could be likened to a few gourmands, but it has merits of its own.

If they are cloning stuff (and Creed's in particular), we would like to have their take on Feuille Verte.
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 18
4/17/09 at 4:28pm
I have a slightly different view on the Bonds.
No doubt that most Bonds may smell similar to a few existing fragrances and therefore you may call them copies but I feel that Bond actually improves the fragrances in terms of longevity & sillage.

For eg. I could never come to terms with the dismal longevity of Creed Millesime Imperial or Creed GIT. I then got Bond Wall Street and Bond Chez Bond. Both had incredible longevity and projection. Wall Street is fantastic. The cucumber note is unique and beautiful.
Bond Eau de New York is the best citrus/orange blossom fragrance that I have come across. It is the longest lasting citrus fragrance that I have seen. Bond Hamptons does smell like Creed SMW but it takes a different turn in the end and is quite good as well.

I love Bonds. They are incredible value. I don't pay retail for them, never would.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 18
4/17/09 at 4:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by scentsitivity View Post

I disagree with those that liken Wall Street to Erolfa.

That'd be me. Actually, more in between M.I. and Erolfa. (which isn't a bad thing, but lacks originality, as it was the first thing that entered my mind when I smelled Wall Street)
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 18
4/17/09 at 5:00pm
Well I own Bleecker, Riverside, Central Park, Coney Island and enjoy every single one.

They all last an extremely long last time, project well,


To be honest If i had to pay full retail I am not sure I would buy it only because of my budget but I think the ones I own I really love
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 18
4/17/09 at 5:54pm
everything on some level is an imitation of something else....there are very, very, very few fragrances out there which draw comparison to "nothing else" and even those still have some detractors that find their own comparison...

as far as Bond line.....outside of chez bond being very similar to GIT, i dont find any other one that is so "strikingly similar".

Hamptons and SMW? i owned a bottle of each and can tell you that i find that comparison ridiculous....where SMW is citric in its basic nature, Hamptons is pure sugar sweetness.....where do you guys see close proximity between those two is beyond me.

Wall Street? Erolfa?....Erolfa is all salt and ocean water....and to me Wall Street is not even a direct aquatic but a fragrance with some slight aquatic qualities.....the cucumber freshness and tangy sweetnsess is what defines the fragrance....and the fact that many say that those two are almost identical is ridiculous......how about people making more sense and comparing the obviously similar Erolfa and everyone's favorite Bulgari Aqua?

and enough with rochas and New Haarlem comparisons.....just because they have some similar notes that doesnt make them "equals".....i actually personally couldnt stomach New Haarlem where i found the patchouli dominated the coffee note and made it dark and bitter as opposed to vanilla/caramel infused unbound sweetness of Rochas...if anything....A*men Pure Coffee is a very well done version of New Haarlem....and why? because any damn gourmand with coffee presence can be easily compared to New Haarlem.

and what about Andy Warhol Union Square? Lexington Ave? Fire Island? Bleecker Street? Riverside Drive? West Broadway? West Side? where are their "creed twins"?

i recommend we all stop generalising and letting others opinions influence our opinions before we actually smell the fragrances....

P.S give Bleecker Street a real wearing.....not only is it incredibly unique, it is "as good as it gets" in my book for what I seek in a frag.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 18
4/17/09 at 6:27pm
I'm the odd bird who likes Bond and Creed about equally! Probably my two favorite companies. And I actually may prefer Bond overall in terms of the sheer number of scents that I like. I also am a big fan of YSL.

But...if I could only have 5 scents for the rest of my life, it would probably be Creed SMW, Creed GIT, Terre dHermes, Dior Homme and one more cold weather scent. No Bonds in that group for me.

Maybe Bond Central Park and Creed OV would be my next two picks.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 18
4/17/09 at 7:20pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by acceptfacts View Post

everything on some level is an imitation of something else....

You can write a novel. You can write a horror novel. You can write a horror novel involving a crazy animal- a dog even.

But when you write a horror novel about a st. bernard who has rabies who terrorizes people trapped in a car and other stuff straight out of Cujo, then your book will probably be called a rip off.

I'm wearing Chez Bond right now, and although there are some slight differences w/ the drydown and I think that GIT has more complexity- Chez Bond IS GIT.

It's not a generic kind of smells-sort-of-like-what-my-uncle-wears resemblance. GIT is Cujo- instantly recognizable, archetypal- and Chez Bond is a book about a rabid st. bernard named Kujo. In my opinion, of course.

I also wouldn't say that we are comparing Bonds to Creeds; in my original post I compared bonds w/ CdG and PdN. Every label has frags that just aren't very original- CdG, known for their offbeat ideas, has released a few things that probably smell just like everyone else's interpretation- like Rose for example. There's only so much you can do with a 'pure' rose note. YSL surprised me, at least, by releasing their latest Homme or whatever it's called that smells like every other Macy's men's perfume counter spray.

What I meant originally is that it seems that Bond is consistently releasing thinly-veiled 'interpretations' of popular existing scents. Many people like that Wall Street, Little Italy, and Eau de New York have really great longevity and sillage, and I wouldn't disagree. However, I question how I can continue to support a company that is unable or unwilling to innovate. Or, at the very least, how much I'm willing to spend for a pretty bottle.

I look at the good Montales, Tom Fords, Comme de Garcons, Tauers, etc etc which are fantastic perfumes that do not step on other labels' toes. It is possible, even in this jaded day and age, to create an original, artistic, and beautiful fragrance.

So Bond noses, if you're listening: Blow me away. Surprise me. I will be first in line to buy it. Until then... meh. If I want graphic design, I'll go to a graphic designer. If I want perfume, I'll go to a perfumeur. It's up to you to decide which business you're in.


-ben
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 18
4/17/09 at 7:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by greyhueofdoubt View Post

So Bond noses, if you're listening: Blow me away. Surprise me. I will be first in line to buy it. Until then... meh. If I want graphic design, I'll go to a graphic designer. If I want perfume, I'll go to a perfumeur. It's up to you to decide which business you're in.


-ben

Chinatown is an original standout, as is Silver factory (to a lesser extent). Interestingly, I prefer Wall Street, Little Italy and a few others to either of them ..
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 18
4/17/09 at 7:36pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by zztopp View Post

Chinatown is an original standout, as is Silver factory (to a lesser extent). Interestingly, I prefer Wall Street, Little Italy and a few others to either of them ..

Ah, you got me there. I'm not really familiar with other scents that fall into, for example, the Chinatown category- as a result, I might have assumed that they, too, had very similar counterparts. If I was wrong about those, I apologize.

I admit that I will be wearing Little Italy this summer, among others by bond. This is more about what it means to release a fragrance, to create an original fragrance, to be a leader or a follower, etc.

Maybe I've been reading too much Nietzsche lately.

Wall street, on the other hand, has a certain powerful ozone/cucumber thing that gets kind of old for me after a while compared to similar scents. It's like pepsi- it tastes great at first, then it gets over-sweet and cloying and you wish you chose coke instead

-ben
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 18
4/18/09 at 2:53am
I'm not a huge fan of Bonds but I do like some of their fragrances.

Riverside Drive is excellent and head and shoulders above anything else I've tried by them - I own it and love wearing it.

Hamptons is great too but suffers from poor longevity IMO although I do own it and again enjoy wearing it.

I also think that EDNY is good but goes sour on my skin after a while.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: MFD Archive
Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › Bond versus everyone else...