Basic Black

CoCo Channel is famous for bringing "The Little Black Dress" into style. It has always been a classically elegant addition to any wardrobe. During the 1980's was the first time that I had worn basic black for formals and kept a few skirts and pants in these colors to ground the brighter colors that I would wear near my face. Of course, this was the era with the whomped up shoulder pads that squared off the shoulders making the hips look smaller, or that was how the theory went - at least! The hair was completely WHOMPED UP too! This all called for a much more SERIOUS perfume as well, after all - you couldn't leave the house dressed with over sized line backer shoulder pads - then choose a fragrance like cotton candy. You needed a heavy duty fragrance to go with the 80's "look"! Bill Blass introduced a trio of fragrances, because one was not enough. He had a theory that you needed at least 3 forms of expression. Hot (with the red cap), Nude, and Basic Black. Basic Black was the more elegant of the three...all three had their followings and loyal fragrance fans, they still DO! Basic Black was my favorite out of the three - and was always great on my skin because it had ingredients that really "showed up". It matched the tone that was set in all of the M-TV videos, back in the day. Coming from the super preppy days where everything was pretty classic and safe, the 1980's styles added some edgy-ness that you didn't find when everyone was trying to look as if they were attending prep school. The first fragrance that I wore in this genre was Tuxedo by Ralph Lauren - which had a discernible tobacco note in it. I always loved Tuxedo in women's perfumes and men's colognes (it is a note that adds depth, so tobacco pulls a fragrance more into the alto/tenor type range of depth), it was a gorgeous fragrance that could definitely be worn with the classically elegant black evening dresses and pantsuits. Tuxedo was short lived, for some reason RL took this off the market - leaving a gap in the market. MTV and all of the fashion pages began featuring the color black in more videos in costume changes by famous musicians. Looking back at significant movies of the day, "Grease" was early on the scene with this transformation. Even Olivia Newton John made the shift from Sandy, the preppy beach fresh teenager - to the biker chick wearing black from head to toe. What perfume do you wear with a wardrobe with a few pieces of basic black? Luckily, Bill Blass created Basic Black at just the right time in the market. This was an elegant perfume that grounded a beautiful energy that is required when wearing something with this level of sophistication. This was a dressy fragrance, I had to step into this - because it was actually a lot more sophisticated and elegant than I was at the time. This would be something that I would reserve for formal dances or times when I would really dress up to the 9's or 10's. I loved this when I had the courage to wear it. Both Tuxedo and Basic Black could allow you to feel elegant for the evening. There was a point where I also began wearing this for daytime events with business suits for work as well as to church, but that took awhile. I was just warming up to wearing more elegant and more grown up scents at the time. This is a gorgeous fragrance on! This brought a constant stream of compliments. It really did SOMETHING with my chemistry! A Great one, truly a Classic! I can see where some people would think that this was unisex or urban chic trendy... I agree with the comment that the new generation needs to rediscover this one. It is truly memorable. I loved it when I had the guts to actually wear it! This is grown up, serious - could be worn for business or for more formal occasions. I have good memories with this perfume. It smells elegant, lovely. ------------- Just bought a small sample bottle for another chance to experience it. This is much better than I remember. There are some notes and the intensity which matches the sophistication of Elizabeth Taylor's Passion, Estee Lauder's Youth Dew, and Jil Sanders No. 4. Basic Black is strong, so much so that you may want to reserve this for the fall, winter, and early spring -- (this may be overly strong in the summer). It is still the same 1980's powerhouse that I remember. There is a richness and elegance to this. It starts with a familiar type incense note with oak moss, a slight black pepper type smell which anchors the perfume. This caramelizes beautifully on the skin within the first couple of minutes after spraying it. Wears hours on the skin. This is in the alto range - where it is not a high soprano, and not too deep... Just the right range for wearing day or evening. If you are craving a perfume with more presence than the present day cotton candy sweet perfumes - and something with an 80's vibe, you'll definitely want to try this one! This is a definitely a keeper - a real winner! ---------- If you like the depth and the general vibe of Basic Black - you will probably like Panthere by Cartier. They are similar - almost like sister fragrances... not exactly twins, but close enough to experience a similar type essence. I like both perfumes, they both have their own character and presence. David Yurman's Exotic Essence is in this same type of fragrance profile - fragrance genre... that one is slightly more unisex - and leans more towards being a fall/winter perfume because of the depth during the first couple of hours of wear.

Nose: Maurice Roucel When I first acquired this fragrance several years ago, my first impression was 'dirty, subversive prohibition in a bottle reminiscent of the 30s and 40s fragrances that were worn by those 'other women', laden with animalic sercretions and cigarette ashes.' For me, it was an assertive, jolie laide (French word for "beautiful ugly") chypre that seemed out of my league. I didn't dislike it but I had yet to grow into its boldness. It colonized the atmosphere and loudly announced my presence in a way that my demure personality could not acclimate to. But I held onto it. The bottle is beautiful, smooth, elegant Bauhaus design and, although it is technically a 90s perfume, it is the bottled last lingering remnant of the bold, brazen art deco revival of the 80s. Today, my impression has evolved. Basic Black is a sophisticated blend of cool spices, narcotic florals, musk and soapy accords. Imagine those molded soaps your mom kept in the bathroom in the 90s that were strictly for decorative purposes only fortified by a similar sharp floral structure as 1986 gem Sung by Alfred Sung, elevated by citrus accords and grounded in cool, peppery earthiness. I get a little honey from this but not the headache-inducing blast of honey that many others get from this. This is not warm, cozy and inviting - this is sophisticated, Olympian exclusivity, unapproachable glamour and silent, surreptitious rebellion. Oh how it takes me back! It captures the spirit of an era beautifully - an era of decadent drama, geometric elegance, tobacco-scented leather, velvet, Venetian blinds, cool chrome, garish florals, sensual sax poured over analog synthesizer, and chiascuro moodiness. The sillage is definitely nothing to play with - I'm surprised it wasn't on any banned lists back in the day that I know of. And it has a long lifespan on the skin. In short, Basic Black is millenial magnificence and I love it. I wonder did the perfume evolve or did I?

This is a review for the current formulation of Basic Black: While there is practically no sillage on my skin, this beautifully blended and subtle chypre could otherwise become seriously addictive. I gave my gorgeous little bottle to my sister, on whom it shines a bit brighter. The sillage is still light, however, and she is inclined to consider it a "skin scent" chypre. No matter. This is the comforting and dependable jewel to whip out on days when quiet confidence is required. Just like that little black dress - aptly named! I see little resemblance to Cassini, which I've recently ( happily! ) sampled. Cassini has a good deal more "oomph" and could even be said to be strikingly vulgar by comparison. So much so that I may eventually have to obtain a bottle of my own. :) You would be hard pressed to find a more chic chypre than Basic Black. Airy, well blended, and perfectly balanced. What more can I say?!

Complex and multi layered. Very Sexy... If this perfume was a lady, she would have long fingernails, a dozen little black dresses in her closet and drive a big black car. She is intelligent, quick, intense and doesn't apologize for anything above. LOL. She also rides horses, calls her mom everyday and loves a poet or a poor artist. I like her... This perfume has a huge opening and all thru the day at unexpected times you can hear/smell the animal in it "roar". Tamed only by the spice and warmth. I think it smells like heat and even hints of leather as it relaxes. But I always smell the honey and vanilla coming thru. As it calms down and gradually thru out the day it develops a warm smoky muskiness on my skin. Like I said, so many layers and notes. Very long lasting and awesome silage, depending on how you apply it. I get a lot of compliments about this perfume.

Growing up I had a best friend whose mother sold Avon and drank. She saved the liquor bottles, dripped candle wax down their sides, and stuck candles in their necks...these bottles were all over their house like trophies. She wore some strong vintage Avon from the seventies (well, it WAS the 70s), not sure what but it was soapy and mossy, and its smell melded with the booze and smoke around her in an amalgamation of seventies womansmells: smoke, moss, incense, candle wax, and something weakly floral. That's how Basic Black smells, pure nostalgia. Perfume-scented perfume with a boozy smokey complex sadness like a drunk divorcee with a bin full of empty bottles on a rainy Sunday morning, the smell of decomposing hope. I really love this.

Out of many perfumes, high, low, etc. This stands out as an overlooked beauty. The reviews puzzle me because they are all over the place. I smell incense from start to finish, mixed in with warm ambers, civet, woods, peaches, plums, rose, ylang-ylang and spice. To me it's a warm, woodsy, incense, sultry sexy smell, not "office friendly. " It is incredibly inexpensive for what you get. This one fills in on days where I want to save my expensive luxe perfumes like Guerlain's ensens mythique. If you are sick of fruit bombs and "clean smells" try this one. I have the red which is okay, and sold the nude. This one is a keeper.

Another great Bill Blass scent! The second BB in my collection, Basic Black could pass for a mens scent, but I like it too! ;) Lots of oakmoss can overwhelm a fragrance, but in the case of BB it works just fine. The other notes keep the perfume from being too dry and masculine, only the honey note should be more pronounced. BB has average lasting power, it's dry down is powdery and discreet, almost a skin scent. The oakmoss persists as the other notes fade. An atypical womens fragrance, BB has a lot to offer. Elegant in a modern, unisex way, BB deserves to be rediscovered by a younger generation.

This is truly beautiful. It was a gift from my husband, and I'd not known of it at all before; I jumped straight in and sprayed it on immediately, and......Beautiful!!! My goodness, what a lovely surprise. It has everything I love in a perfume - citrus, flowers, spices, a touch of fruit; patchouli, oakmoss and vetiver. Love vetiver! Lovely flowers, and the gorgeous honey, the benzoin - even the civet, which is a dodgy one for me. It's all so well done, and I LOVE it!

Basic Black is a very underrated gem. It is not loud, glamorous or trendy, but it is very sensual and feminine without being sickly sweet. However, do NOT judge this perfume by the opening because it's the least impressive part of BB. Give it good 15 minutes, the sourness will fade into woody and slightly spicy honey. Very warm and comforting smell for colder days.

Very complex, very spicy, very sexy and not for the faint of heart. This stuff is timeless, classic and down right fabulous. I would try to describe it better if I could but there are so many notes going on that they just blend together in a harmonious way! I am so glad I blind bought this after loving Nude so much. Now I am curious as to how Hot smells.

Woooohhh! I just cannot find the right words to express how fascinated I am by this vintage little gem. Starts very humbly but shows its true values in a very short time. Nostalgic. Gentle. Not "sassy" at all - I suppose it could even be unisex. Spicy but not too sharp.

Gorgeous honey styrax and church incense skank. Like an exotic spicy potion along the lines of Spellbound but minus the cloves and apricot.

Very nice perfume: warm, bit spicy, but lasts from 30 min to an hour on me. Darn!!!!! Bought it at TJmaxx for $3.99 a 50 ml bottle.

Retrosexual-funky-civet-leather-rose-chypre cola.

I have tried this scent and I love it. It has a magical opening, citric and flowers and Honey! But not too sweet, it is almost like a whisper that doesn't leave, I love it very much. The peach also gives its note but then all is like flowers and honey, very special, feminine, I know I am going to use this perfume during the night, and why not when i go to bed, it's calm and yet happy. Probably the civet has its second of "what is this i feel too much scent here" after about four or five minutes, then it melts with other scents, the base notes, very lastly, especially amber and patchouli. Well, I would say that the honey is completely melted here with the base notes, like a diffusion of first becoming second and then ONE. Because all the notes are there at the same time, and the sweet scent doesn't leave me. I would say use it with care, it really is strong although being a chypre it is not the typical strong oriental. It also smells clean, I cannot say it is like Cassini, because I have not tried this one yet. But probably even if the notes are similar the concentration varies from note to note and then the magic creates a different scent! I don't know. That's another part of the magic of perfumes. It also has this "je ne sais quoi" that takes me back in time. I will use this perfume with caution, it is wonderful and I know it's going to last for a long time.

I bought a bottle of Basic Black eau de parfum from Ebay, presumably a couple of years old at least. When first sprayed, the most pronounced note is the honey, which dominates a swirl of floral and balmy and gently animalic notes. I find that the honey scent remains the most noticeable element throughout wearing. Overall, I like it; it reminds me a bit of Absolue Pour le Soir, but without the light incense component (and at a much lower price, thought it's not an equal quality, to be sure). Contrary to other reviewers'experiences, it wears rather lightly on me. I bought it hoping for a "sillage bomb", but definitely don't see that happening on me. Duration is fine, though not extraordinary, and in fact I am pleasantly surprised a couple of hours into wearing by a gentle waft of jasmine and honey every so often. But strong or heavy it isn't...I re-spray generously several times per day so that it has more oomph. Those who notice it seem to respond favorably, and as I said, I quite like it. I'll probably tear though that 3.4 ounce bottle over this summer. Better than many current offerings in the general category...

You're headed out for a Friday night with your man and his best friend. Nothing fancy, just bar-hopping in Venice, where roller-skaters and yoga devotees fight for beach-front real estate. The best friend is an unrepentant flirt, another European drawn to LA for work, weather, and women. Too bad he knows how cute he is. And yet he never, ever, EVER brings a girl around. Part of you thinks it's because he likes you; part of you knows better. You pull on black jeans, a vintage black t-shirt, and your old black Beatle boots. You let your hair down for the first time all week, looking forward to a whiskey or three. You always drink it with your man: a drifter who finally settled down...for work, the weather, and you. Let's see: a beach-town dive bar and the two men who make you swoon. A flirty European...and the man who'll make you give up flirty Europeans. A night for Basic Black. --- Retro but perfectly now; very blended and deep; sensual, a touch funky. Very fleeting vintage floral top; woody/soapy but not masculine middle (smooth patchouli?); twisty amber at the end.

This is the olfactive equivalent of the crazy aunts arrival at the english garden party. She's worn polkadots as per the invitation request, but also dons a cat hair laden black wide brimmed wool hat in 28° heat, a tattered old mink stole and cracked, flaking stiletto heels which are providing a free aeration treatment to the lawns. She wobbles through the garden, clasping the backs of chairs as her heels punch through the soil. Once sitting, those around her turn in lofty disapproval only to discover that she's come to sit in the most ethereal and dreamlike column of light, as if beamed down from heaven in a bewitching haze of a youthful sexuality barely spilling into the ripeness of womanhood. The tension of quiet breaks over the party and gives way to roiling crests of jubilant conversation, fresh splashes of slurping tea and crumbling peach scone debris.

Hmmm. Will have to take her for a few more test drives. At first spray, I thought I might have touched something with traces bit of raw onion, so I washed it off and re-applied. I am now wondering if the slightly spicy odour of onion is not coming from my fragrance. I might be very wrong. This is definitely a complex, warm and multi-layered fragrance. Will report back. EDIT: I dedect no onion. May have been my cooking interfering with my perfume :) This is a bit of a bitter one. Reminiscent of Gres Cabochard but softer and easier to stomach for lack of a better description. I wish I could isolate the ingredient that reminds me so much of Cabochard. Oakmoss? Vetiver? Any clues?

A very lovely, gentle fragrance, if a little underwhelming. The opening is problematic for me, but an hour in, everything smooths out. It might be the cardamom and coriander together that doesn’t work for me. I don’t think they are complementary notes here. As Basic Black progresses the spices warm and light woodiness, sweetness, musk, and amber come forward. The cardamom resurfaces in the sweetness with an almost icing-like quality. Basic Black is very soft, lady like, a little different, very well blended, and quite pretty. Sadly, at best it is a 3-6 hour skin scent on me. I wish it had more strength and longevity, to take it from good to great for me.