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!

I was unimpressed at first wearing. Should know better. Try 3 times before dismissing a scent. I’m on wear #3 and ready to trade my samples for a full bottle. This is a zen fragrance, calming, centering. I recognize a faint similarity to Gucci II for her (pink juice, lethal weapon glass bottle), but I enjoy this much more. Others may think the comparison ridiculous, but that’s what came to me at first spray. Something similar in the pink pepper and florals, but Alaia is more expansive in scope and feel. It’s fresher yet more animalic. More sheer than Gucci II, yet by no means light weight. Image of cold water hitting hot rocks is spot on. I used to work at a spa where hot rock massage was a popular service. Will never forget scent of steam rising from the water as it ran over rocks. It’s amazing how the perfumers captured that moment, & the symbolism it contains, in a bottle. To me, that’s why perfume is art, not just craft. The rocks are grounding, dense, heavy, and smooth, like Alaia’s base. The rocks are placed on skin, steam rises, warm at first, then in the metamorphosis from liquid to air, the steam shifts from hot to cold in wonderful, refreshing way. Luca Turin mentions this scent does that rare alchemy of starting at the base notes and progressively elevating to top notes as it lingers on skin. It so does. Will stop the oversell by saying I think Alaia is an incredible value, delivering a scent experience that could easily be mistaken for niche. Love.

It’s really hard to pick up a distinct note. I found it to be spicy, ozonic, mineral, slightly metallic, with a hint of gasoline, solvent liquid, pleasant aldehydes, and flower sweetness of peony and young rose. The temperature of it is absolutely unrecognizable - it combines cold airy touch with warm and thick aroma of something you don’t expect to smell on a human. The most adequate association is hot concrete or melting asphalt, but I really want to believe that’s how lava smells like This is exactly the fragrance that makes a great trio complete: Ganymede, Bois Imperial, and Alaïa Ganymede is something that cannot be described but must be experienced: clinically cold, sterile, clean, slightly maniacal. That’s an underworld dimension with unsolvable riddles that puts you in a mental cage The second one is a fresh and crisp woody fragrance with a luxury lounge feeling that I admire for its simplicity, efficiency, and performance. It’s safe and neutral, but not artistic at all. Bois imperial sits exactly in the middle of the spectrum And here’s a hidden gem that nobody put next to the names before - Alaïa. The paradox here is that the fragrance happens to give burning hot feeling, yet not through generic viscous notes, but a blend of surreal essences. Like the hot as a concept has been torn out of the heart of fire and forged into a similar clean environment. It shouldn’t work and never meant to, but it does...

This is also available on the Alaïa Paris website although it is about £100 for a 100ml bottle. However, I adore this perfume and had to get a bottle for old times sake. I tried this when it first launched, it was summer and I got so many compliments on it. The description of “water poured over hot bricks” really does sum up this fragrance, it has an essence of heat about it. To me it also smells very classy and expensive. For me it works better in summer heat, in winter it smelt a bit screechy on me. It is a surprisingly fresh perfume given the notes, nothing in this feels too heavy. The violet in this is prominent but doesn’t have a Parma violet vibe like Balenciaga Paris or Insolence do to my nose. It is well balanced with the rose and leather. The body lotion of this is gorgeous, so sad it is discontinued as I often wore that on its own and it would project as much and last as long as the perfume. Probably not a safe blind buy, especially given the price, but gorgeous nonetheless and worth a sniff if you are a perfumista! I think it actually smells niche quality so I am not surprised Creed have a similar fragrance in their line, it is a concept that has been executed to perfection by Salamagne for Alaïa. Can totally see when Turin was coming from when he said it smelt like the inside of a Concorde, perfume and leather.

This is in my top 5 best fragrances ever! Luca Turin mentioned that this fragrance smells like interior of a Concorde. Leather and mixed perfume from past passengers. I never smelled a Concorde so I cannot attest to that. How this smells to me is like no other fragrance I’ve ever smelled. It’s definitely floral but not in a way most floral perfumes smell. It reminds me of the nights in Tunisia, with the warmth radiating from the stone pavements. Warm airiness and purple night blooming flowers. You can smell the leather but it’s just the right amount. Imaginary flowers made of leather. Through the core of the fragrance runs a note of metallic air that continues until the dry down. Leather and metal with florals create a killer combination. It’s not sexy but sultry and mysterious. The designer describes the fragrance as water poured over hot bricks. I can definitely see why. The fragrance is strong and haunting. It’s a night only affair. It’s bold and confident. It’s like a carnivorous flower that wants to attract it’s pray. It works well for formal settings and summer evenings out. I got a few compliments on it although I don’t wear fragrances for compliments. The bottle is as stunning as Alaia's couture creations.

This frag smells like the Blue lilies of the Nile in full bloom at the high altitude of the Blue Mountains. Narcotic aroma; intense and intoxicating with some vibe of detached airiness about it that reminds me of Serge Lutens' L'orpheline. Sophisticated, modern scent, rather unisex. There are some aromatic and balsamic tones here as well as Oriental spiciness and also even a slight Chypre-ishness. Interesting combination of freesia along with the leather, musk and pepper notes makes the whole composition a lot lighter and brighter than an aromatic Fougere. Projection and longevity are more than decent, smashing! Yesterday, I wore this perfume at work, my colleagues immediately noticed the change of my smell, though, the only compliment that I received was:" Oh, it's really strong!"Hmm..(with four spritzes only) that really means that this scent is not everyone's cup of tea. Certainly, I won't wear it for my appointment with the dentist, and I always will be cautious of overdosing on it. Therefore, this sensuous, aesthetical scent predisposes you to be always polite to people but never familiar. Style in the bottle! Tunisian interpretation of Parisian frivolity! Very much to my liking! Oh, la la ALAIA !!!

I bought this on a whim together with the Nude fragrance from the same line. It was affordable and I thought why not as I love black pepper and I haven’t had a leathery fragrance like this before. On first impressions I thought oh this is a nice floral and then slowly it opens itself up to me revealing the leather scent that might be hit or miss with some people. My body chemistry loved it thankfully and as it’s on sale here in New Zealand at the moment, I’m thinking about buying another one before it runs out as I believe it’s no longer being made. I’m usually a girl who enjoys gourmand, sometimes fruity, sometimes floral or oriental fragrances. This one I believe would be gorgeous sitting by a fire in the winter snuggling up on a Chesterfield chaise lounge with a good classic (book). It is Autumn (Fall) here now and I have only sprayed it twice on my body. It is all it needs as its pretty powerful juice is enough to last me all day and perhaps in all night. Why this is discontinued is sad as I see it as a classic and the bottle itself is very attractive. I will have update this review as I get to know it more. It’s definitely unique one I never thought my body chemistry would suit. Gorgeous!

This one was a surprise. Not in the sense of a gift from someone, but because I was introduced to this fragrance by the "usually avoided" department store employee armed with a bottle of fragrance and positioned to spray anyone within range. The reason I usually avoid these situations is due to allergies. I have to be careful as some scents (unfortunately I never know which ones) can trigger a headache and sometimes, a migraine. With lightning speed, this fragrance was sprayed on a card and placed into my hand. I quickly placed the card into a tissue inside my bag. I went about my day and every now and then I'd get a whiff of what to me, was the most wonderful scent, and no headache. Many hours had past and I realized that I really liked this fragrance. I finally removed the card from the tissue to see if the name was noted, thankfully, it was. I decided at that moment I would purchase a full bottle of Alaia immediately. I love this fragrance. It starts off a tad sharp and peppery but quickly matures into a gentle floral, alluring, feminine vibe on my skin. This fragrance always garners complements when I wear it. I am so glad it found me.

Perfume has the power to take me on a journey; sometimes to a faraway place, sometimes down memory lane. This perfume transported me to Istanbul, years ago, when I was newly pregnant and my sense of smell was heightened to the nth degree. We went to a Turkish bath house that had been built in the Roman style centuries ago, all worn stone and yellow sunlight. The stone slab was radiating heat and I laid a wet towel on it before reclining. A female masseuse came and dripped oil onto my arms and collarbone and began to massage it in, and this, the smell of the wet stone, and the masseuse, who had the hint of roses on her skin, and the warmth and the sunlight and the humming and singing of the attendants with the echoes off the domed ceiling and the joy of the just pregnant me...the past and the future meeting...this is where I was taken when I first tried Alaia. A soft and elegant and feminine feeling. So airy and sublime and well blended. My favorite right now by far.

I have and love this - so much I struggle to review it. But I did smell Creed Love in Black recently to compare. LIB is a much stronger leather, whereas Alaia tends more soft suede. LIB is VIOLETS. Violets that reminded me of insolence. Alaia has detectable violets for sure, but overall balanced with the peony IMO. If the violets and the leather are your favourite parts of Alaia, you might enjoy Love in Black. I also find Alaia to be super fresh, I’m surprised by all the winter votes. I’m wearing it now in midsummer and it’s perfect. The review about it resembling a bouquet of peonies and violets tied up with a suede bow sold me, and is spot on. The ‘mountain air’ freshness makes it beautiful for summer, and the leather isn’t too heavy at all. I asked Alaia customer service whether this was discontinued, and they said it was just out of stock. Hopefully it trickles down to stockists again soon.

I think I may be partially anosmic to some of the notes - likely the pepper. I really like this perfume, but to me, something is missing. It has no projection on me and seems like a skin scent from the first spray. Maybe my nose has been so assaulted by the ubiquitous uber sweet gourmands all around me. What I do smell is a lovely dusty violet. It reminds me of Mitsouko in the sense that the lack of sweetness is something I need to cultivate a love for because it is so different from the florals and orientals I tend to favor. Mitsouko is now a huge love for me, and I think that in time, Alaia Paris can be the same. At this point, I like it very much! Note - just generously sprayed on my sleeves and it seems to be coming to life in a bolder way. Stay tuned. Closer to a love with each passing minute!

Alaia smells like a bottle of Tom Ford's Black Orchid that was flung into the ocean, where it bobbed and drifted for awhile, and eventually washed up on a desert island. The plush dark oriental richness is still evident, that sweet earthiness bordering on metallic blackened florals, but there is now also salty seaweed tangled around the bottle, sand in the sprayer, and a splash of seawater swirling throughout the scent. There's almost something Mugler-esque about Alaia's personality in that it seamlessly marries the delicious and the disgusting, so that they become two sides of the same coin, each necessary in order for the other to shine. If you like scents like that, this might become an unexpected favorite. I'd disregard the note list here; it smells nothing like the pyramid would suggest.

Its a powerful, intense, elegant fragrance. Its a bit like a delicate version of "Alien". But again, its just the powerful nature of it. The musk and "mountain air" is there, but its strange, like a sweater that's been balled in a corner for a month. But the fact that the almost suffocating musk smell doesn't choke you, that's the mountain air. Its that tiny bit of something that lets the fragrance breathe. The woodsy notes pop up really delicately underneath from the mix of florals with the leather and pink pepper. But, its not like an Oud or Sandalwood, its a kinda woodsy-ness that creeps in because of the well mixed notes. I love it! Its complex and mature, from ages 30-100. A classic/vintage scent with a modern update that doesn't sacrifice style. Bellissima!

Quick note - like so many other quality perfumes, this one has only grown richer with time! I had traded my large bottle along with the two flankers and it was a good trade as I really wasn't reaching for them, and I could barely smell this one. As luck would have it, I came across the travel size bottle that came with the larger bottle as a set while looking through my cool weather fumes. I sprayed some on and it is just fantastic. Moving it to a love as I am finally getting all the things people say about it - the sophistication, the longevity, etc. PS - I am now on a quest to get the extrait!! PSS - I now own the extrait and it's wonderful, and significantly less expensive on eBay than the EDP - the price has skyrocketed since I first purchased it!

<3 Refined, elegant and deep, it wears like a dark, silky veil. Amazing. It’s contemporary, yet somehow familiar and evocative of vintage perfumery. Out from my mini dabber bottle it smells like nail polish first, but the moment it’s mixing with skin, a vibrant floral cloud with leathery undertones emerge. There is a certain wet aspect noticable in Alaia I can’t really place. I know for many people it doesn’t read as a dark fragrance, but for me it does and find it to be in the same alluring vein as other current offerings with a vintage memory like Musc Noir Narciso Rodriguez. It has vivid film noir vibes (like a digitalized diafilm) and dark femme fatale charm I crave for ages. UPDATE — ordered a 10 ml mini and a 30 ml FB the same day.

I blind bought this perfume because the Perfume blogger Bois De Jasmin said to give it a try if you like Bottega Veneta or Cuir D’ange. I find it really hard to describe this scent. The leather shows up a little bit like nail polish remover (in a really addictive, can’t stop sniffing it way). And even though the notes don’t have fruit, I get some fruit — maybe the jammy rose? But for me, it also sometimes feels like a grape candy. My overall impression is that this is what I wanted Bottega Veneta Velours to smell like! This feels like a more fall version of Bottega Veneta with the musc and the jammy rose but without being too heavy / strong. I can’t stop sniffing this...