Alaïa

Oh, what a masterpiece! There is one word that perfectly describes what Alaïa is, and "masterpiece" is definitely it. I will write a lot, I guess, but for a good reason - this is definitely one of the best perfumes I have ever smelled, and many prestigious perfume houses have not, so far, made a perfume as unique and as smart as this one. I must say that, like any perfume that is unique and artistic in a way (yes, because it is a true work of art), Alaïa is a perfume that stirs up "hate it or love it" reactions among those who have tried it - I am one of those who actually LOVES it, no wonder I bought myself a 100ml bottle. And why the extreme reactions? I will tell you why - this is not a perfume for everyone. It is feminine, but it could definitely be unissex, thanks to the combination of floral and leathery notes. This combination, however, may not be appreciated by people who are not open-minded in terms of perfumes and fragrances... What I mean is, if you're someone who's merely beginning your journey into the world of fragrances, if you don't know many essential oils and if you don't like distinctive, exotic fragrances, stay away from this perfume, since Alaïa is a powerful juice that transports you to other eras, other places, other ways of thinking.... The opening notes - mountain air and pepper - are exactly it. It's amazing. The first seconds embrace you with lightness, something ethereal, that you can't quite describe or understand - I suppose this is the "airy" note of the fragrance. Then a few minutes later comes a beautiful, floral core, and the rose here is beautiful and elegant. I am not talking about a childish or girlish rose , I am talking about a serious, adult, elegant rose that only gives you the permission to acknowledge it's a rose when you really pay attention to it. But it's the base notes, in my opinion, that really are the main stars of this show, and that really make this perfume the work of a master: how could a perfume have leathery notes in such a beautiful, seductive, feminine way, without smelling brute or masculine? Alaïa gives you the answer: the leathery notes - so typical in men's fragrances - are essential to make this feminine perfume powerful and fascinating. Leather and violet here are cleverly combined - a beautiful romance of base notes, a lovely union that gives you a contrasting, yet hypnotizing combination. What could be a normal, nice floral feminine perfume becomes an exotic trip to the deepness of femininity, to what being a woman truly means. This is not a perfume for any woman. I imagine a clever, opinionated, powerful, successful yet seductive, mysterious, artistic and very feminine woman wearing it. This is not a perfume for bland girls who want to live in a princess's world. This is a perfume for audacious women who want to lead the world. This is not a perfume for a woman who wants to be pretty, flawless and perfect all the time - this a perfume for a woman who wants to be, above all, herself, no matter what people think of her. The ambiguity and mysterious notes of this perfume make me think, in a way, that it defies the stereotypical view society has of a woman - that a woman should be sweet and nice all the time. This is not a "sweet and nice" perfume. This is not a boring floral or a predictable-full-of-vanilla "seductive" perfume. This a journey to a woman's inner self - floral yet bitter, sweet yet leathery, feminine yet masculine, tender yet harsh. A world of contrasts inside one bottle. If I had to describe this smell to someone, I'd say it smells like a living room in a mountain cottage filled with flowers - you feel the mountain air, the woody and leathery smell, but at the same time you are embraced by the floral notes. I congratulate Azzedine Alaïa for giving the most perfect inspiration - its childhood in Tunisia - to create this perfume. He showed with his fashion that he truly admired women and understood the beauty of a woman body - and with this fragrance, he - together with Marie Salamagne - have shown that they truly understood the essence of a woman. The true woman isn't girlish, isn't sweet all the time, isn't perfect, isn't predictable. The true WOMAN is bold, unique, audacious, amazing, mesmerizing - just like Alaïa is. Alaïa is not merely a perfume, it is a journey to the real meaning of femininity.

When I first saw an image of Alaia's bottle, I was enchanted. It's really a beautiful thing to behold. In my hand, it exceeds the expectations I had of it. If you hold it to the light, you can easily see how much juice you have left, which I like a lot and didn't expect. Opaque bottles are gorgeous, but a bit of a pain in the butt. I bought Alaia because of the bottle, which is why I wanted to talk about the aesthetic first. I didn't know if I'd like it, and honestly I thought I would but I knew there was a chance I wouldn't (given the tricky relationship I have with musk). I don't think Alaia is a good blind buy, but I got lucky because I absolutely love it. My nose is not super developed, so call this a layperson's review. I have three spritz on different parts of my body so I can be more thorough and accurate with my thoughts. The opening is sharp and citric, not in a cheapie, alcoholic way but in a purposeful one. (I'm guessing this is the pink pepper). It quickly goes a bit sweeter, but this fragrance is not very sweet, although that's subjective. I think this is when I get the leather note, and it's lovely. About twenty minutes later, the sharpness fades and turns slightly softer, and the leather is the star from here on out. There's musk but it doesn't bother me. Even later still, there's a creamier quality to the leather, I get a quality like amber in there, too. I don't get a lot of florals, and I can smell a hint of something "air-y" although I wouldn't have noticed that without looking at the listed notes. Alaia lasts about average on me, although I don't really care about longevity in my fragrances since I can always reapply. I don't have a problem of not noticing it throughout its lifespan, it's consistently there for me. I've worn this in early February in 80 degree Florida heat and I plan to wear this in autumn, too. Alaia is very unisex, although I think anyone can wear any fragrance.

Had I not entered the shop seeking for a sample of another hot-stock designer fragrance, I had been told it's worth a sniff, I would have missed this marvel for good. Or at least for a very long time. The shop-assistant sprinkled a few drops of the perfume on my wrist and while I was waiting for it to calm down and develop on my skin, started looking around for anything unfamiliar and interesting. I asked the woman if she had something subtle and sophisticated yet possessing an edge. She smiled and pointed to Alaiia's shelf. I didn't even remember the name of the perfume. Hours later I could only recall the shape of the bottle and its colour. It was beige. And those very few hours later as I was sniffing my hand I discovered that I had actually discovered a new world without even noticing it. Mind you, I've been deeply into vintage and niche fragrances nowadays, so the common modern perfumery although luxury cannot easily attract my attention. Most of them sound the same, but that was totally different. Several days later (actually today), I got back to the shop and asked about the same perfume. It turned out to be Alaiia Nude (or Blanche) It doesn't matter because what really important is, I asked to try the Black bottle too. Within a few minutes I was already irreversibly and desperately in love with it.I fell for it like a teenage girl for a mature movie star. I love leather thread in perfumes, but when combined with a truly pure, genuine and fresh mountain air, modest violet and honest rose, I can't help but adoring it. So beautifully unexpected! Blanche and Nude are exquisite, but this one is a marvel. Planning to purchase a bottle. It's more than a worth. It is truly a story as some of the fragranticans noted. I can describe it as a troubadour's love story. 6 out of 5. Rest in peace, master Azzedine! So sad I didn't get to know you earlier. Yet I believe your perfumes are here to stay.

Human essence ★★★★★ A true olfactory masterpiece. An invisible story written in molecules, sweetly sailing through the air. Words fail me when I smell Alaïa – it surmounts me with the utmost beauty and sublime grace. It smells of past life, the caress of your loved ones, childlike naiveite and devastating emotional hardship. Like the perfume itself contains the life stories of its past wearers. I smell feelings and memories of things I never experienced yet I'm tricked to believe they're mine - a benevolent aura layers me with human affection. You can genuinely smell that Azzedine Alaïa himself was deeply involved with the creation of this eau de parfum. This is his personal story to us, an emotional gift that is profoundly nostalgic and longing but ultimately loving and joyous. Marie Salamagne was the perfect choice of a perfumer for this job, she truly understood Alaïa. If I look closely, there is a part of her story hidden in that bottle aswell. After reading reviews from Luca Turin and Bois de Jasmin whilst wearing Alaïa alot, it dawned upon me what makes this so personal and familiar to me. It indeed smells like "olfactory crowd noise" as Turin put it - like you're at a social gathering and you get whiffs of various fragrances yet only vaguely and nothing dominates (no Poison at this party). Perhaps reminiscent of the general perfume counter smell aswell. Powdery, sweet-ish, some freshness, makeup. Why does it feel personal? Because this hard-to-pin-down expansive and hazy beige aroma was always present at dinners and other gathering when I was growing up, and I learned it as the universal scent of human beings when they're happy and enjoying their favorite people. Soundtrack: Pink Floyd - The Great Gig In The Sky

This rather seductive and attractive slender black bottle was displayed in my local perfumery. I had seen it advertised somewhere in Toronto but didn't get a chance to sample it. I was hesitant because I thought it would be another fruity, floral, sweet and cloying, mainstream fume, aimed at the madness of the masses before Christmas. Kudos to the designer, this one took me by complete surprise! The first note that I can smell in the opening is violets, of the Parma violet kind, but not too sweet and certainly not sickly or overwhelming. The second note to kick in is the pink pepper which complements the florals and the musk tones it all down, to something which is beautifully seductive, quietly powerful and effortlessly charming. Other reviewers have said that this is an androgynous fragrance and I tend to agree, although I feel it leans more to the feminine. The leather is brief and not too pronounced and there is a lovely sweet rose note in the composition. The drydown is simply stunning! It takes your breath away. If any of you have smelled the vintage version of MoschinoMoschino, it smells like that. There is a subtle sweet woodyness which clings to the skin and whispers to you all day long. This is a hidden treasure in a sea of mediocrity as far as new fragrances are concerned. It is a far cry from fruity florals, sickly sweet vanilla puddings and banal bottles of smelly water. I am impressed, I applaud the designers both in the notes and the bottle and I have already put a FB on my wish list for Christmas. (I'll probably have this before Christmas if I'm totally honest). This is a perfume lovers perfume!! Gorgeous!