J.Crew No. 31

I actually really enjoyed this fragrance. Much like another reviewer below, I have to say that I wasn't expecting a masterpiece either. For that reason, I think I was rather pleasantly surprised. The vermouth note was very realistic, different and wonderful! The opening was definitely a mixture of the two very realistic alcohol beverages. Vermouth definitely dominated. Moving into the middle, I definitely got rose but it was mixed with some other floral. I couldn't tell what it (the other floral) was. I also got a fruitiness but I wouldn't have jumped to plum like the notes said, but I don't own many perfumes that have that note. So, perhaps I just have no clue what plum smells like in perfumery? Moving on! I also still got a sense of booziness that transitioned seamlessly into the base, which definitely smelled of patchouli and oakmoss. However, there has to be a least one or two other notes because after roughly 8 hours I got a very warm subtle earthy/woody vanilla-esque scent. Overall, I love this every time I wear it! This is fall moving to winter perfume-- I do think it's more of a cold weather scent; it smells and feels warm to me like a trusted cozy sweater. I'm sad this is discontinued as I just finished off a rollerball of it. I am officially on the hunt for another rollerball or bottle of this before it's impossible to find.

Maybe I am uninformed or unsophisticated, but I really like this fragrance without expecting it to be an artsy masterpiece. I wouldn't have paid its original full price, but once it went on sale, it was a happy blind buy for me and I am really enjoying it. The vermouth note is different and terrific. I like it every time I wear it this winter -- I do think it's more of a cold weather scent, but we'll see how I react when the weather gets warmer. Ironically, it reminds me a lot of one of my favorite hot weather drinks: Campari. But I associate Campari with ice cubes (on the rocks!) and No. 31 smells and feels warm to me. As it's unlikely I will pay full price for an Arquiste niche perfume any time soon, I was happy to have this opportunity to try out a lower-cost, mass-market product from that house and I do like it a lot! I'm sad that it looks as if No. 31 won't be available any more; I think it could have been sustainable in the market if they had priced it more reasonably from the start. I like No. 57 too.

This is my La Vie Est Belle. Really amazing sale price right now - US$7 For the rollerball. Just so you know ;)

While the ad-copy for the two new Arquiste for J.Crew scents is utterly compelling in its specificity and art historical citation, the scents don’t quite live up to what the copy or the note lists promise. No. 31 and No. 57 are a pair of uninspired EdTs that fall prey to the worst homogenizing effects of commercial perfumery. Despite the refreshing promise of vermouth, plum, and something called a “water of life” accord, No. 31 smells just a handful of nudges away from the kind of fruity-floral bubblegum perfume you might find in a celebrity flanker. A tad powdery with attenuated sugar, it’s sweet, but not tween-sweet so as not to ruffle the beige and white feathers of the J.Crew crowd), there’s a tinge of bitter rose upfront, but the main notes burn off in about ten minutes to reveal a crass synthetic base that you’ve smelled a million times before. It’s basically a blousy, anonymous fruit / floral over a stock musk / oak moss base, and the whole thing is over within an hour. In short, No. 31 is a functional but largely pointless fruity floral devoid of personality. This is somewhat cynical and slightly condescending perfumery; frankly, it's the kind of release that presumes the buyer to be uninformed (especially if you get to see the training material that accompanies the scents). Both No. 31 and No. 57 are stationed by the cash register and priced “appealingly” as an impulse buy or an afterthought. One can only hope that these scents turned out this way due to massive budgetary and creative restrictions as opposed to a lapse in Huber’s otherwise judicious (albeit pedestrian) judgment. While the ad-copy genuinely led me to believe that there might be some hope for these two, they succumb to the same problems of most modern commercial releases: mass appeal necessitates vague clichés drained of personality. In fairness, they’re probably on par with the kind of thing you could buy from other similar high-street clothing chains (such as GAP, for example), but given the perfumer’s history alongside such a promising concept, these can only be described as missed opportunities.

I think this fragrance makes a lot of sense, fitting neatly within J Crew's mainstream, somewhat conservative aesthetic while also providing a mass appealing version of Arquiste's artistry. It's something that would probably easily transition from the office to post-work cocktails, or work for more discerning university students. The prominent vermouth is very realistic, and is supported by plum, creating a very sweet cocktail. The woodier aspects of patchouli and oakmoss add a touch of sophistication. It's lively and pretty, serious but not stuffy. I personally like the idea of niche "gateway" fragrances, and with that as a metric, I think 31 is perfectly decent.