If there is a fragrance line that I am an unabashed fanboy over, Comme des Garcons might be it. When I discovered the line in the late 90’s it was an eye-opening experience for me as these fragrances smelled different and they were like few other things on the market at the time.
The different series they produced from Series 1: Leaves through Series 8: Energy C were all studies in single notes. From incense to herbs to tar these series spanned the gamut of what fragrance could attempt to be. They weren’t all smashing successes but there were fragrances, like Avignon composed by Bertrand Duchaufour, that are among the finest examples of their class.
Lately Comme des Garcons has been in a collaborative mood and the last two years have seen them partner with the magazine Monocle, the store H&M, hatmaker Stephen Jones, architectural designer Artek, and fashion designer Daphne Guinness to create fragrance. I have found all of these collaborations to be very good fragrances and have enjoyed all of them; particularly the Monocle, Stephen Jones and Daphne co-creations.
At the end of June the next new fragrance from Comme des Garcons will release is Wonderwood. Courtesy of a preview sample via Luckyscent I have had the opportunity to try it.
Wonderwood is composed by perfumer Antoine Lie (he was also behind Daphne, 8 88, and two of the Series 8 Energy C fragrances, Grapefruit and Lime). Wonderwood is described as a combination of five real woods: Oud aka Agarwood, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Cypress and Gaiac; two woody notes: patchouli and vetiver; and three synthetic woods: Javanol (sandalwood), Cashmeran, and Pachminol.
When you look at that note listing the only notable woody note missing seems to be pine or fir. When you look at that note list you also undoubtedly get the idea that this is a wood fragrance to the nth degree and your tolerance for that sort of fragrance will go a long way towards how you feel about Wonderwood. I like woody fragrances and the idea of an “everything but the kitchen sink” approach intrigued me. My concern was that this was going to be too much of a good thing and potentially be heavy and overwhelming. Instead what M. Lie has created is a lightly composed mosaic of wood in fragrant form.
Wonderwood opens with cypress, gaiac, and vetiver. The lighter woods are a good opening and are allowed to settle over a slightly smoky vetiver. This evokes the smell of a smoky morning walk in a cypress grove. The heart adds in the cedar, oud and patchouli. The cedar is that of the well-known “pencil-shavings” variety and the oud trends towards its more medicinal aspect. By using patchouli as a connective note M. Lie manages to create a woody harmony out of what first seems like dissonance. Underneath all of this is a woody note I’m not familiar with and it gains in intensity as Wonderwood heads to the base.
The closest analogy I can come up with is in Donna Karan’s Wenge, this could perhaps be the Pachminol, and it adds a level of exoticism to the woody mix. The base is the mix of natural and synthetic sandalwood along with the Cashmeran. The synthetic sandalwood source, Javanol, adds a creamy texture which allows it to bridge the creamier aspects that Cashemran brings with the more strongly woody aspect the natural sandalwood adds. Throughout the development there are hints at spices far off in the background as I subtly pick up black pepper, coriander, and nutmeg.
Wonderwood has average longevity and average sillage.
I have been testing Wonderwood in the recent summer heat and I have found it to be curiously refreshing and the mix of woods makes it almost unabashedly masculine. Wonderwood is indeed a wonderful mix of wood.
Disclosure: This review was based on a preview sample supplied by Luckyscent.
Addendum: There is an almost “Twin Peaks” like video directed by The Brothers Quay which uses stop-motion animation to promote Wonderwood. You can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxtjoH–GbA
-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor