Missoni

A raspberry that doesn't smell cheap. Iris in abundance. A floral spicy geranium. Oakmoss in abundance. Honey, civet, and an animalic musk that growls. Leathery. Dirty. This is Missoni in a nutshell. Fairly cheap to find, this first fragrance by the Italian house is vastly underrated and almost forgotten. No one seems to mention it, while it is in fact a glorious perfume like they don't make them anymore. The raspberry in the opening, helped by the geranium and honey gives off a slight tea smell; dark and black tea that is enhanced by the dryness of Iris. Iris here also shows a somewhat soapy aspect, but not your typical creamy and soft soapy aspect that luxuriates in many a vintage. The oakmoss helps make the soapy aspect green and slightly dirty. The combination somewhat recalls the medicinal aspect of Aromatics Elixir. This opening lasts for quite a while, and many will find it slightly bitter and rough. I love it. It gives it an air of distinctiveness that sets it apart from other chypres of the era. And Missoni is just that, a wonderful chypre that belongs with the best from the 70's even though launched in the 80's. Maybe that's why it never caught up; while bombastic floral orientals were hitting the shelves, Missoni showed some restraint, gave off Italian luxury, and showed there's nothing that denotes expensive perfume more than a chypre. The heart shows a more pronounced floral aspect, the geranium becomes rosier and the honey sweetens it leaving an impression of a crimson red rose. But the best part, and the part that perfume lovers dream of, is the base. Ample doses of real oakmoss, pungent and beautiful at once, what smells like real civet, and a warm animal musk that recalls ever so slightly vintage MKK from Lutens. And it lasts and lasts. It doesn't disappear; instead it lingers on skin showing at times bits and pieces of the opening. Green, aromatic, animalic, sweet. Sillage and longevity are outstanding, the edt I own from the first release packs more punch than the strongest edp's of today. Very unisex, even more masculine by today's standards, Missoni is a forgotten gem that will appeal to lovers of strong chypres, leather and oakmoss lovers with a penchant for animalic growl. Seek the edt splash in the square bottle with the half moon plastic cap. The box is like the one shown above with the typical Missoni stripes. Fairly affordable compared to other similar fragrances like Magie Noire and Mystere. (Similar in spirit)

(Review of the EdT and Parfum, both bottles c. 1988) Smelling this makes me smile, and I want to dance and party. There is something about its decadence that is not stuffy, heavy, or self-important, but rather a lavishness that manages to be inviting to all - the aristocracy, the bourgeoisie, and the proletariat are able to let their hair down together for once and share in the luxurious bounty. With the EdT Roucel achieves this with an ethereal mix of fruit, florals, and a honeyed chypre base. Red and blue fruits usher in a feeling of simple, common yet pleasurable sweetness that is the smell of the fruit and bursting skins, and not the taste of thick juicy sugars. Tip your head over the basket of fresh berries, give it a whiff, and smile. They link very easily and obviously to a luscious heart of berry red rose, a watery-blue-fruit flecked orris, and a banana-sugar ylang-ylang. The fruit is being turned into a fruit parfait, rose extract added for depth and flavor and just a sprinkle of mint-like geranium to keep it fresh and green. But then comes the decadence, the aristocracy and their loud and heavy riches, in the form of a translucent honey, a hefty dose of civet, and plenty of oakmoss. From one angle it is a classic chypre with the woody moss, and at another angle leaning amber with the honey and animalics. It feels very exorbitant and gluttonous, like we want to have our fruit parfait and eat it too. Roucel never lets this orgiastic party descend to a filthy mess though, despite what you might be thinking so far. There is a genuinely happy, aloof, and energetic feeling with all of the notes living high and freely in the air, dancing together like no one is looking. The parfum is a different matter, on the other hand. This is an orgiastic, messy party. A little too much booze has been flowing. The fruity florals are a bit less fruity than the EdT and full-on decadent, fleshy, lusciously rosy and custardy from a more pronounced ylang-ylang, and they hold there in a tantric position for a very, very long time. The civet is toned way down for a more leathery amber lean, which, though less filthy than the EdT, makes it feel more exorbitant. The whole of the parfum is much richer across all notes, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. The elegance of the parfum concentration is a private party with no phones allowed. Missoni is great fun, with a little bit of guilt you are perfectly fine to live with. That’s the best kind, isn’t it....

Where to begin? I'm drowning in this stuff right now, celebrating because I just got a 2 oz bottle and no longer have use my 1.7 oz bottle sparingly! The ORIGINAL, not the plasticky syrup that's on the market today. Blah, I had some sample vials of the new Missoni and couldn't get rid of it fast enough. No resemblance at all to the original. Original Missoni opens with dry, bittersweet raspberry, a hint of soapiness from the aldehydes, which leads into florals-which I can't seem to distinguish which is which because either my nose isn't trained enough or this stuff is very well blended. I do seem to smell patchouli almost from beginning to end. Lots of patchouli (a bit on the dirty side or maybe it's the civet giving me the impression of dirty?) and oakmoss on the drydown, which lasts forever. The honey keeps it from smelling too herbal or hippie-ish. Reminds me of La Nuit by Paco Rabanne, and slightly of Paloma Picasso- but Paloma is much sweeter, and I haven't worn either as much as I have Missoni so, it's off the top of my head of what it reminds me of. Yes, it's heavy and strong, which is a plus for me. Whenever I wear it I feel confident, strong, sexy and thin. Ok, thinner. One of the first times I wore this (in October) I had been dieting (I always am but this time it worked) got into my "skinny jeans" and discovered they fit. I wore those jeans, my favorite shirt, a leather coat (that previously didn't fit), sprayed on the Missoni and went to town. Can't say anything else about that day.....

A big highlight of the original Missoni fragrance is in its plenitude of alpha ionone (violet) and beta ionone (raspberry) in its initial stages. There's a dry, bittersweet quality, elevated by aldehydes and underlined with honey, that gives it this lambent opulence. The ionones soon begin to feel quite like black tea, with the help of geranium and a phenolic styrax that I also detect. And then its colossal carnality is felt from within the smoke and brew. This is where Missoni reminds me of just how much modern perfumery is often so shallow in comparison: the abundance here is staggering. Raspberry and violet crossfading with Animalis base is delectable, I would lick it all up if I could. Wet-green foliage and crimson lips smashing into moist moss, rosy sweat and robust beeswax-y earthiness, Musky, dusky, immensely woody smacking my skin, it's a "new wave" chypre, "new romantic" even. Cue "Gentlemen Take Polaroids."

Ahhh, the original Missoni, I like it much better than the newer one in the multi-colored bottle, although that's nice too. This perfume has the longevity that so many of the newer perfumes I've bought lack. I don't know if it's the oakmoss, civet and other stuff that I don't see anymore in most of the designer perfumes, but the quality is definite and what brings me back to wearing these older perfumes over and over when comparing them with newer ones. I bought this after reading some excellent reviews and have been pleasantly surprised with how long it lasts, and how good it smells from beginning to end. A wonderful break from some of the "fresh" newer perfumes that I also enjoy but need a break from now and then.