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John Varvatos Star USA pulled from Macy's

post #1 of 28
1/11/12 at 8:04am
Thread Starter 
At the local Macy's, the employees were boxing up John Varvatos Star USA so it could be returned to Elizabeth Arden. Not sure if it's just this Macy's or chainwide (if you have seen it yanked elsewhere, feel free to sound off). Other Varvatos fragrances (original, Vintage, Artisan, and Artisan Black) were not affected.

On a different note, 1 Million did surprisingly well. The SA thought that Star USA was nothing special, and 1 Million was unique to the designer market. I'd tend to agree with her there...
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post #2 of 28
1/11/12 at 8:17am
Coming soon to a Marshalls/TJ Maxx near you!
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post #3 of 28
1/11/12 at 8:19am
I almost bought this yesterday when I was at Macy's it was $52 for the 50ml. Its nice nothing special...but the SA didn't look like they were ready to pack them up.
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post #4 of 28
1/11/12 at 8:22am
Probably nothing that will be missed.
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post #5 of 28
1/11/12 at 8:28am
A little of topic...but what do you guys think of the John Varvatos House?
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post #6 of 28
1/11/12 at 8:40am
They should pull the whole line, far as I am concerned. Don't like a one!
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post #7 of 28
1/11/12 at 9:08am
I think the line is okay. I really liked the first two, but I'm ambivalent about Artisan, don't care for Artisan Black, and Star USA is a joke. It seems like something an Ed Hardy-like designer would release, not a brand with an already well-established footing in the industry. It was a big step back for them...
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post #8 of 28
1/11/12 at 9:22am
I think Varvatos makes better frags than a huge majority of designers. Before I found basenotes, Artisan was one of the only frags I liked out of a store full of synthetic smelling junk. The SA at Nordys gave me a bunch of samples and Terre d'Hermes was the second designer I liked. I also have Versace Black Jeans and so far haven't found a 4th designer frag I'd want to own.
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post #9 of 28
1/11/12 at 9:46am
Star USA is not a very Varvatos-like release. Maybe they should have kept the bottle theme that the rest of his scents have, I don't know. I like the juice--it's hugely groundbreaking, but it's one of those scents that impressed me a lot as I wore it more and more. The topnotes are good but a bit generic-- the drydown is quite attractive on skin.

I don't think the juice is the culprit entirely, I think the way it was marketed (the bottle-- not right for the juice, the lettering font was very juvenile, the name-- kind of childish too)

Again, the juice itself is reminiscent of Joop Rococo Homme mixed with Marc Jacobs Bang. Too bad it seems to be a flop because it didn't have to be...
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post #10 of 28
1/11/12 at 9:47am
I've sniffed it a couple of times at Dillard's & Sephora, and thought Star USA was kinda nice. (it's actually the only Varvatos I've tried that I kinda liked). I probably wouldn't pay full price for it, but if it hits TJ/Marshall's/Ross, I may grab a bottle. (only thing I didn't like is the goofy packaging).

On a side note, I'm glad to hear 1 Million is selling well. I don't care how much criticism this one takes for its bottle and popularity, I honestly think its the best release (designer or niche) in the past couple of years.
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post #11 of 28
1/11/12 at 10:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oupavoc View Post

A little of topic...but what do you guys think of the John Varvatos House?

I have not found any worth purchasing.
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post #12 of 28
1/11/12 at 10:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by petruccijc View Post

I have not found any worth purchasing.

Yea.

Maybe they will get their shit together and release something that people will look twice at. Its like they have know clue who the buying public even is.
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post #13 of 28
1/11/12 at 11:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by petruccijc View Post

Coming soon to a Marshalls/TJ Maxx near you!

My thoughts EXACTLY!!
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post #14 of 28
1/11/12 at 11:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by petruccijc View Post

Coming soon to a Marshalls/TJ Maxx near you!

For sure!!!
Gary
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post #15 of 28
4/14/12 at 2:42pm
Bought this for $29.99 at Ross today.
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post #16 of 28
4/14/12 at 3:38pm
so glad i didnt waste my money and time on this house tbh
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post #17 of 28
4/14/12 at 4:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oupavoc View Post

A little of topic...but what do you guys think of the John Varvatos House?

I only enjoy john varvatos vintage from this house. most of line lacks in longevity.
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post #18 of 28
4/14/12 at 4:20pm
I love this but wished it were stronger
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post #19 of 28
4/14/12 at 7:23pm
Thought the original was decent and considered buying it. Glad I held off for a few years, none appeal to me whatsoever anymore.
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post #20 of 28
4/14/12 at 9:36pm
JV 10th Anniversary Ltd. Edition is fantastic.
A creamy, warm, dry, cinnamon, patchouli scent. It reminds me of L'Instant
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post #21 of 28
4/15/12 at 1:07am
JV USA is godawful and hands down the worst bottle ever made!
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post #22 of 28
4/15/12 at 4:14am
I tend to like the JV line, but Star USA was pure crap to me... and the bottle did suck... I don't have too much of a problem with the others longevity like many have mentioned here, but Star USA disappeared on me very quickly! We still had it on our shelves the other day, but I will welcome the day when this one is gone.. I don't ever show it and have no problem telling people it's not a good frag. Even the rep from JV admitted she didn't like it.
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post #23 of 28
4/17/12 at 6:44pm
OK, so Star U.S.A. is only half dead... apparently the 1.7 oz has been discontinued and was recalled, but the frag itself is definitely still being made and being pushed. Sadly, I still don't think it's very good nor does it last long
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post #24 of 28
8/18/12 at 7:32pm
Maybe it's because I'm new and don't know any better, but I LOVE the JV line (except Star USA...which, by the way, was still at my local Macys last month). Vintage was the first cologne that actually made me say "mmmmmmmm" every time I put my wrist to my nose. I didn't buy it because it wasn't what I was looking for at the time, but I would gladly swap the three bottles listed below for one new bottle of that stuff. Artisan Black is another favorite (and also on my wish list). I know people complain about how long they last, but both Vintage and Artisan Black went a good 7-8 hours on me...I can accept that!!
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post #25 of 28
8/19/12 at 12:42am
Easily the worst fragrance of the decade.
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post #26 of 28
8/19/12 at 1:42am
Out of the many recent frags I've tried, Star is fine, though certainly not a "must have" for the aficionado. I would much rather wear it than Bleu de Chanel, for example (which would likely make me feel ill quickly). As someone said on the recent BdC thread, if you ave 300+ frags and this is one of them, you might wear it a few times a year if you are being fair and not jumping on the hater bandwagon (assuming you like variety, as I do). I'll certainly swap my bottle off if I get a good offer, but in the meantime I'll wear it once or twice a year and enjoy it.
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post #27 of 28
8/19/12 at 7:56am
To me, the original is the only one worth checking out if you haven't already, but as the current owner of two 4.2oz bottles (trying to move one of them), I can say that the longevity is certainly lacking.
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post #28 of 28
8/19/12 at 5:49pm
I too really like the first one and agree that Star is lacking in longevity, but it's certainly not a "chemical nightmare" or anything like that.
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