Kimono Rose

I pulled the trigger on a swap and received this beauty. The bois 1920 line was virtually unknown to me and so this was my first foray into that beautiful Niche world. Kimono Rose opens up sharp Chic sophisticated dry musky Patchouli Rose. That's the best way I can describe it. fragrance wise it reminds me of Gres Cabaret and Narciso pink bottle. It's really beautiful. It does the job in terms of Patchouli Rose but for me it's still remains gres Cabaret. You just cannot beat the quality for the price on that perfume it's unbelievable! One of the best cheapies I've come across. Kimono Rose is definitely in cabarets league!

I am a rose lover and have tested many, many rose perfumes - Lutens, Montale, JHAG, Stella, Bvlgari, Parfums de Rosine and dozens of the other frequently recommended ones. This seemingly little known one is my absolute favorite and not at all a soliflore to my nose. It has subtle green notes and a restrained fruitiness that underlies the luxurious, comforting, pure rose that is the star. I find it easy to wear because it is not "too" anything - it just smells divine. One of the few higher-end perfumes that I've tried that I deemed 'full bottle worthy' and saved up for, it is now a cherished member of my top shelf.

I’ve tended to avoid rose perfumes, largely because growing up, most of the rose perfumes (and other products, for that matter) I came across were horrifyingly sickly sweet. Lately though, for different reasons, I’ve been making myself try more rose products, and I’ve been delightfully surprised. As a skin care product, I’ve got to say it can’t be beaten. And some of the modern rose perfumes I’ve come across have changed my mind about rose scents. They are light years away from those horrid, screechy, synthetic, sickly rose perfumes I remember from my childhood. This one here is a little gem. There is nothing synthetic or screechy about this – it’s lovely; a quiet, gentle, refined, soft rose. The bergamot and bamboo stop this from being too sweet, while the amber and cedar give this a beautiful warmth. Every time I take a sniff of this, I feel like I’m sitting in the centre of a big, plump, pink rose – not being overpowered by the scent, just gently surrounded by it. I wonder if that’s what bees feel like, when they’re going about their business in a rose garden? If this is what they get, then they’re lucky little guys. This is simply beautiful.

To my nose, the patchouli is every bit as important as the rose in Bois 1920 LE VOLUTTUOSE KIMONO ROSE. So it's true: voluptuous is indeed the key word to this composition! I was fortunate to receive a sample of this gorgeous creation from a generous fellow fragrance traveler (banned from this site lol), who raved with good reason about this perfume. What I find surprising is that no one else is comparing this creation to Frédéric Malle PORTRAIT OF A LADY or Juliette Has A Gun LADY VENGEANCE or VENGEANCE EXTREME or Heeley HIPPIE ROSE, which is probably the closest of all. There really is a lot of patchouli in here--am I perhaps hyposmic to that note? Well, in any case, it smells splendid. Perhaps a bit too voluptuous for me to don in public, but at home it's a dream come true! All I need is a pink silk kimono, and I'm set.

Kimono Rose is a lovely and very well constructed rose soliflore. Nothing new here, it does not open up any unknown territories at all, but is pleasant and well-behaved. Think Les Parfums de Rosine or the Annik Goutal rose-soliflore (a deep, warm and rich rose).