NARCISO RODRIGUEZ FOR HIM: I like Rodriguez’s designs. Louise has several of his dresses, and they fit exactly the way you’d expect a sleek, streamlined American high-fashion piece to fit — i.e. perfectly. Not a stitch out of place, not a body-hugging angle miscalculated. So it was with some trepidation that I approached Narciso Rodriguez For Him.
It’s not that I expected it to be awful, but that I was more concerned it might not be particularly good, which would diminish my respect for Mr. Rodriguez’s otherwise terrific work in the design industry. But I shouldn’t have worried — For Him is as streamlined and tailored as one of the man’s runway shows.
It is, however, extremely American, which means you’re not going to find any French fussiness, British stateliness or Italian voluptuousity (that doesn’t even sound like it should be a real word, does it?); instead, it’s direct, clean and without guile or mystery, hitting its stride right from the bright violet leaf opening and maintaining an athletic pace throughout. This can be either good or bad, depending on your personal style or given mood.
Comprised of the previously mentioned violet leaf, plus a light bodied patchouli, a near sugar-free amber and a synthetic musk that cops just enough to its animal origins to still call itself a musk and get away with it, For Him was originally intended as an extension of the Narciso Rodriguez menswear line, but that project has been axed due to market conditions and/or lack of positive response. Fortunately, the fragrance still remains available.
A good choice for the locker-room king in your life who’s looking for something simple, with no florals and no-fuss, but of a higher caliber than, say, Grey Flannel and Polo. I’m not knocking Grey Flannel and Polo, I’m just saying that Narciso Rodriguez For Him is arguably much better. At the very least, it’s a 21st century contemporary (as opposed to the oh so 20th of Grey Flannel and Polo), and it boasts a mellow, musky finish — but that’s American musk we’re talking about, pal, so don’t get your hopes up for any of that down and dirty stuff. That’s not how we play around these parts.
A video clip below of the Narciso Rodriguez Spring 2009 collection:
Narciso Rodriguez For Him was put together by perfumer Francis Kurkdjian under the direction of Rodriguez. Kurkdjian also created Narciso Rodriguez For Her, the Indult series, Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male, Christian Dior Eau Noire, several Parfums MDCI numbers and a host of other fragrances.
SINFONIA DI NOTE COEUR DE NOISETTE: Coeur de Noisette is just about the polar opposite of Narciso Rodriguez For Him. It starts off rich and potent and moves into a thick, resinous sweetness over time, trumpeting its old world charm and signaling its intention to stay put by the fire with a nice glass of brandy while the whippersnappers sweat it out on the squash court.
Like any self-respecting citizen of the empire, Couer de Noisette incorporates exotic elements into its repertoire: toasted island coconut, dusty arabian spices, new world fruits and florals plus a jigger of jungle woods; yet it’s still “of the people,” exhibiting an attractive gourmand flair that’s easy to like.
The first Sinfonia di Note fragrance I tested was Saveur d’Artichaut, a green artichoke floral with a distressingly murky aquatic base. Coeur de Noisette may be less adventurous in its intention, but it’s more successful with its execution. Could be easily worn by both men and women, though it has a delicious, vanilla and tropics aura I think I’d prefer to smell swirling about the female of the species — and it’s, like, serious vanilla through the drydown.
