Just as days begin to warm and greenery reappears, New York perfumery Bond No.9 will be releasing its newest scent Hudson Yards on April 1, 2014. In keeping with its mission statement to eventually perfume all of New York City, one neighborhood at a time, this eau de parfum is inspired by and dedicated to the city’s newest neighborhood. It is so new, it has yet to exist. The Hudson Yards area is a large area in western midtown Manhattan bordering the Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen neighborhoods. This neighborhood, scheduled to be finished in 2017, will transform the city’s skyline and create a modern oasis where before there was only concrete and parking.
Architectural Rendering
Bottled in an ultra-modern iridescent chartreuse green flaçon and festooned with on a large green cloth rose on the bottle neck, Hudson Yards’ packaging is meant to reflect the multifaceted metropolitan gemstone soon to be set in urban greenery with acres of parks. The fragrance, composed by Laurent Le Guernec, represents all of these elements, offering a truly modern take on green spicy and floral.
"Snowdrops the Promise of Spring" by Angela Davies
Fresh foliage and shoots have always symbolized the renewed growth of the season and no flower says “spring is here” quite like lily-of-the-valley does. Its unique scent, sharply green yet pure and fresh, leads the opening along with silky freesia; the resulting combination makes me think of snowdrops growing in bright sunlight, dripping in icy dew. A subtle yet perky pink pepper creeps in to enliven the white flowers while keeping them from seeming powdery or too feminine. This piquant and tender warmth gives way to more sensual aromas of freshly opening peonies and Bulgarian roses. Classic floral notes layered over each other can often overpower a perfume. The addition of a watery lychee reins in the bombast of rose, accenting her freshness instead, and lightens the creamy peony with an oblique sweetness.
This verdant vision of the new neighborhood weaves steel concrete and glass into a thriving landscape of living foliage, showing we can be modern and urban while still respecting and living in harmony with Nature. Hudson Yards matches it in concept and construct. The base, combined absolutes of orange flower and iris brightened with white musk, finishes this vernal energetic perfume with sleek modern accents incorporated into a lush green and floral framework. Despite the fact this is flowery through and through, it radiates a sophisticated androgyny as it comes to rest as a skin-scent, maintaining modern edginess with sensible elegance. In the song “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell they paved paradise and put up a parking lot. If the finished project mirrors this perfume, in any way, paradise will soon be returning and reclaiming that asphalt and cement. Sillage: above average. Longevity: average.
Notes: wet lily-of-the-valley, sparkling freesia, pink pepper oil, peony buds, Bulgarian rose oil, lychee fruit, orange flower absolute, iris absolute and white musk.
Hudson Yard is available on the Bond website and will be on counters April 1, 2014. It is available in 50 & 100 ml EDP, body silk lotion and scented candle.
John Reasinger, Senior Editor and Natural Perfumes Editor
Bond No. 9 has generously offered 1.7 ml mini bonbon sample sprays to two US readers. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying you live in the US, your favorite Bond No.9 scent and the next part of NYC you would like to see scented. Draw will close on April 3th, 2014.
We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.