Quote:
Originally Posted by
LiveJazz 
These fragrances are from
Caron, a house with very little snob appeal. Even without that luxury aura, it's very popular here for quality alone. I suspect that if Creed were available for vastly less money, it would be viewed in a very similar way as Caron.
Thanks! And I think that's right - a Creed fallen out of popularity and onto hard times would probably resemble Caron. A bunch of mysteriously good frags available at curiously good prices, although a few of them would be reformulated to the point of horror.
The best part about Caron is that their masculines have weathered the storm nicely, and are relatively undamaged by modernization. Yatagan still rocks very close to the vintage formulations, and Third Man is actually more day-wearable than Guerlain's Derby, which it resembles. Pour un Homme is next on my list. I only wish Caron's masculine lineup was more extensive.
A thin lineup is, also, what would likely happen to Creed gone unpopular. Something would have to give as the prices fell, and it would probably be the depth of the lineup and some formulations.
I think Rochas and Lubin might be viewed as similar to Caron in some ways. Rochas tends to have excellent prices and reasonable presence at discounters. Lubin comes across like Rochas, but (unfortunately) prices seem to have stayed high. I think both houses have some excellent frags and non-snooty images. Still, for the money, Caron is outrageously good. Third Man is pretty damn close to timeless, and extremely wearable.
In spite of the prices, I'm quite glad that Creed is doing well. It's pretty hard to innovate otherwise. Caron isn't exactly busting down the doors with new entries and limited editions.
