NEW: John Varvatos For Women (for you chypre fans).

[MFfan310]

Just when you thought chypres were a dying breed with all those reformulations and discontinuations, here comes John Varvatos, with his first-ever women's fragrance being... a chypre!

And a real chypre, at that. The folks at NowSmellThis report that the B.P.I. brand's first-ever women's scent's notes are top notes of aromatic grappa, Georgian apricot, Damascus plum and golden mandarin; middle notes of rubrum lily, Indian mango blossom, Egyptian jasmine and Turkish rose; and bade notes of oakmoss(!), patchouli, tonka beans and wild honey.

The scent will launch in February 2008 at Saks, and will enter full distribution shortly afterwards. Go, John, go!

[Divatologist]

I'll definitely be on the look out. I love the JV scents for men. Hopefully this will help me learn what exactly a chypre frag smells like. I'm still trying to figure all this note stuff out LOL!! I can't just keep on saying it smells good all the time.

[jillsy]

Hopefully this will help me learn what exactly a chypre frag smells like.

Me too. Chypre makes me think Mitsouko and Miss Dior... neither of which work that well on my skin but I sometimes wear if I'm feeling brave!

[jdnba]

Hello ladies:

Recently i was in california training for my new position and there was a saks near. I was interested in geting something for my girlfriend for her bday and happened upon JV for women. I love Varvatos for men on me so i fgured let me give it a whirl....i gotta tell you ladies this stuff is really nice and i would not smelling it on my girlfriend....i am not as astute at picking out notes in womens frags, but this one is powerful and evocative. I actually smelled the parfum version which comes in a smaller deep pink bottle with the little oil dipper and i was lovin it....i hope you girls get the shot to smell it soon i think you will be pleased.

When you do smell it, let me know what yall think as i would love a womans perspective on it.

~Nick

[Heartwood]

I didn't get real chypre at all. In fact, my overall impression was more like a fruit-blend pina colada (something about the tonka bean with all those fruity notes, I think). I tend not to care for sweet, fruity scents and found this too much in that direction. I really didn't get any oakmoss (synthetic or not) at all. Revlon's Flair does a better job of interpreting classic chypre with a strong fruity vibe, imo, even though I find the fruity chypre thing weird. I prefer greener, drier chypres like No 19, Silver Cristal, and Safari. I haven't tried Mitsouko, and obviously should. But sorry, as a chypre fan, I just didn't feel it in JVfW.

Diva-- Paloma Picasso is a big floral chypre that I bet would smell great on you. Sample it with No 19, and some Ysatis, and I think you'll have an "ah-ha, chypre!" moment. I otherwise don't get "chypre" from JVfW, or Narciso Rodriguez for Her, or many other so-called modern chypres.

[DadaSiegt]

I've smelled a sample of it, and it strongly reminds me of the hodgepodge of scents you get as soon as you step into the perfume department of any big department store.

[Divatologist]

I didn't get real chypre at all. In fact, my overall impression was more like a fruit-blend pina colada (something about the tonka bean with all those fruity notes, I think). I tend not to care for sweet, fruity scents and found this too much in that direction. I really didn't get any oakmoss (synthetic or not) at all. Revlon's Flair does a better job of interpreting classic chypre with a strong fruity vibe, imo, even though I find the fruity chypre thing weird. I prefer greener, drier chypres like No 19, Silver Cristal, and Safari. I haven't tried Mitsouko, and obviously should. But sorry, as a chypre fan, I just didn't feel it in JVfW.

Diva-- Paloma Picasso is a big floral chypre that I bet would smell great on you. Sample it with No 19, and some Ysatis, and I think you'll have an "ah-ha, chypre!" moment. I otherwise don't get "chypre" from JVfW, or Narciso Rodriguez for Her, or many other so-called modern chypres.

Oooooh OK! You know I use to wear Paloma Picasso when I was a teen. I vaguely remember how it smells. So, No 19 is a green chypre huh. I'm learning. I actually ended up purchasing JV. It is indeed a sweetie, and everybody knows I love my sweet frags.