New York

(Review of a 1996 EdT and a new EdT formulation) I’ve dreaded this review for a long time. It’s one of those reviews, in my favorite arm-by-arm comparison format, that I have felt like I will probably screw up. My trepidation with doing this review has not been due to lack of confidence in what I smell nor in my ability to describe it, it has been out of concern for my ability to be fair and unequivocally clear about a perfume I love that has changed quite a bit. After having a minor epiphany towards this concern, I’ve decided that rather than wrestle with specific words or beat around the bush, I’ll just come right out and say it: I don’t want this review to come off as dismissive of the new formulation because it is different from the original, nor for the original to come off as a piece from the Boomerville Museum, nor for the new to sound too close to the original to not be worth exploration by today’s noses seeking retro modernity. Patricia de Nicolai could not keep to the original formulation of NY, and she knew it was an impossible task to try, which is why she gave us the Intense version for those that thought the less expansive and stiffer presentation of the new EdT formulation was too different from the original (never mind that the Intense version didn’t fully rectify the differences either; see that review of mine if you’re interested). It was a very noble, honest, and commendable effort across the board, but here we will explore the phenotypes of twin EdT formulations that are nearly identical but with some key differences. The new EdT formulation has more pronounced hesperidics that smell sharper, brighter, and simply more synthetic than the vintage’s quieter, darker, oilier and zestier bitterness, the latter also accented with a more photorealistic thyme note. This difference seems to allow the spices to be more readily apparent in the vintage formulation’s opening. What follows is a stunning mix of lavender, patchouli, peppercorn, cloves, and cinnamon. The new EdT formulation is noticeably more peppery and spicy, significantly focusing on peppercorns, the dark earthy woodiness of clove, and an aromatic and slightly citrusy cedar, and less so the lavender and patchouli. To this end the new formulation smells more modern - well insomuch as NY can smell modern. The patchouli in the new formulation comes through a bit more pronounced once the dry down starts, which is also modernly peppery and earthy. The vintage EdT on the other hand achieves impeccable balance with herbal, floral, and soapy lavender, and damp green woody oakmoss, working to keep these big and dark spices, and the loamy brown patchouli, levitating high in the air. The patchouli here is more present pre-dry down but it too comes through a bit more pronounced once the dry down starts, carrying more of a camphoraceous edge to the browns rather than peppery and earthy, which is undoubtedly partly due to the oakmoss. The different patchouli material and the greater use of oakmoss provides the vintage formulation with swooning breadth, cresting a lot more air and space as compared to the new formulation’s more focused presentation. The original formulation has such a gorgeous, seamlees, rich, airy, diffusive, lightweight but muscular and confident heart section. The new formulation is quite excellent too for largely the same reasons, but the note differences are fairly striking. The greater emphasis on spicy notes gives the new EdT formulation a sinewy, taut, and slightly stiffer character. The difference and similarities of the heart sections continue into the dry downs. The vintage EdT goes soft vanillic amber with plenty of suede leather intonations while the newer goes more aromatic woody amber with plenty of cedar and cowboy leathers. Both of these flirt with the lines between fougere, chypre, and oriental, much like many of its classic masculine predecessors did, but the vintage EdT is more convincingly fougere oriental with its rich, soft, and airy vanillic amber notes accented by oakmoss and patchouli, while the newer EdT is more chypre oriental with its focus on spicy woods and leathery amber. Both versions are powerful, with excellent longevity and a big sillage that align to the confidence of the perfume without going towards brash beast mode. Beast mode is a vocalist who cannot sing and so tries to be powerfully loud by screaming, whereas NY can sing and is powerfully loud because it has a rich, talented voice. New York is a retro modern classic, and easily one of the best perfumes Patricia de Nicolai has ever created, perhaps the best. Though its style is very much what Guerlain, Patou, Chanel and others very successfully already delivered prior to 1989, it doesn’t smell like a facsimile of any predecessors either. Despite the differences between the vintage formulation and the new formulation, the new still smells like New York, a gorgeous and masterful perfume composed by a master perfumer. Many of us connoisseurs familiar with Nicolai’s story like to ponder what we might have gotten from Guerlain had they not subscribed to chauvinist and misogynist tropes, and placed Patricia de Nicolai in a deserved position at the legendary maison. I think New York is Patricia de Nicolai’s answer, a perfume to stand shoulder to shoulder with Guerlain’s best.

after spending more time with this, i find new york a very nice fragrance for the well kept man..it portrays a man whom is strong of character but doesn't feel like he needs to announce his presence with an over powering fragrance when he walks into a room.what i get is a confident and classy man that knows who he is and where he belongs in the world.. I think he would be a people person..a good heart and loving man. his actions speak for him, and other men would like to be more like him. maybe for the most interesting man...lol.. excellent , timeless and just class. just plain smells good, this one always makes me feel good about myself when i wear it..not offensive.. this fragrance makes you a considerate person of your surroundings you will be a great smelling guy. people around you will take with them after getting a whiff of you. I love the little blast of lemon at first and i thought ok another citrus , but then it softens and i smell the lavender and all the other notes that patricia de Nicolai.has blended into this magical elixir of scent that has stood the test of time. it was a beautiful fragrance then and it is now. i will always have this fragrance in my possession.. i cannot think of a time when i would ever not love this. this is one i wear for myself. i have read a couple of comments about old spice, and i did not notice that at first , but they might be on to something. , good , i love old spice, i think that only reinforces how good a fragrance old spice really is.., originally purchased the smaller bottle 30 mil.. i went thru that in no time! I repurchased the larger bottle. it is well worth the price in my opinion. one of my top favorite fragrances...and this has a great rating for my list of scents. what i have tried is getting to be a long list.. i think every man who loves fragrances should give this a try. one of the luca turin reviews that i agree 100 % with.. in fact it was his ratings and comments he wrote about it that inspired me to try this, first from the perfumed court on a 1.5 mil spray sample the same day i received it i purchased it form lucky scent since it showed on fragrantica as where to find it. so as they say in the sales world....WRITE IT UP!

NB. This is a review of the vintage formulation. A Masterpiece! Wearing Patricia de Nicolai’s, “New York”, is like kicking-back with your best friend,; enjoying a few ‘cold ones’ and listening to one of the definitive West Coast jazz recordings on "Verve": “Blues in Time” (1957) by the Gerry Mulligan, Paul Desmond Quartet. This recording documents a meeting of two jazz legends whose artistic creativity and respective personalities might be spoken of in the same way as the seminal contributions of "Borg/McEnroe" when discussing an era of great tennis players. Mulligan’s playful, romping, mellifluous baritone bouncing and honking away at its bebop best, trading phrases with the great Paul Desmond whose light-toned alto provides a constant source of mesmerising, sinuous, intricate, logical musical ideas. He plays as if watching someone effortlessly fill-in a ‘hard’ Sudoku board and move to the next puzzle without seeming to pause and take a breath. There's nothing histrionic or showy here, rather one is drawn-in ever closer to the sheer quality of the music even if you've heard this album umpteen times over the decades, and whether playing a ballad or an up-tempo piece, each composition still feels fresh; swings like crazy and, above all, makes one smile! So it is with Patricia de Nicolai's beautiful, “New York”, the notes perfectly swinging in time as the inner chords take turns to project in a sublime, up-beat, performance! 'Start spreadin' the news...' A breath-taking superb: 9.5-10 Dedicated to my brother and to, 'G', who kindly introduced me to this worldly delight!

This is an old-fashioned but quite lovely and sophisticated style of cologne with an initial fresh citrus burst mixed with the herbaceous green of thyme, and artemisia. It reminds me of a powdery lavender cashmere soap mixed with musk and vanilla. It is a nostalgic scent for me, reminding me of the lavender and cashmere soap my mother used to use. After about 30 minutes, the spices - cinnamon and cloves - are noticeably wafting up and blending seamlessly with the balsamic-sweet floral and somewhat spicy styrax, the vanilla and musk and wrapped around by a light note of incense. The drydown is a mix of powdery lavender and cashmere. It was one of the 'luckyscent' 0.7ml samples that a family member had bought a while ago and found "too strong" so gave to me to try. Whilst it's technically a men's fragrance, as a woman I did like it on my skin. When I wore it out for the first time today I received a lot of lovely compliments for this fragrance which was quite nice. I wouldn't have worn this in my early 20s. However, it's a decade or two on since then and I think it's suited to women if they have a strong and independent nature. It's got a great projection and lasts about 5-6 hours. It suits most occasions, from the office for certain to something to wear during cooler weather curled up by the fire in a cashmere sweater.

(Written concurrently with Creed Bois du Portugal) This is a big, aggressive citrus-wood scent with a lot to say. Opens up sharper and more smoky than BdP, with more orange and lemon peel that persists for a while. It's slightly harsher and more masculine, and I can definitely smell it from farther away than BdP. This to me fits the bill slightly better for the "boardroom", financial tycoon, "powerhouse" scent because of the brassy citrus and the better penetration. Plus, the leafiness of the citrus and the smoke keep the sweetness in check, though just barely. I'd be more afraid of New York getting tiresome simply because of its strength and persistence, nice though it is to begin with. This may be a bit of a leap, but if you want a more strictly spice-oriented scent (getting farther from BdP), think about the cheapo Pierre Cardin because it's more disciplined in keeping its sweetness under control.

Picking up on the question raised by Erok32, I too have noticed that the Nicolai Parfumeur Createur website and the box that New York comes in lists ingredients totally different than what is listed on the Fragrantica page. Frangrantica lists a base of amber, vanilla and leather. Nicolai lists a base of Vanilla, Styrax, Incense, Musk, Civet and Castoreum. I mentioned in an earlier post that there is some element in New York that reminds me of Patou Pour Homme. The base in Patou is leather, civet, vanilla and tonka bean, and the civet/vanilla combination might explain a similarity. (Then again, so too the leather/vanilla.) But the huge difference in the two descriptions of New York between Nicolai and Frangrantica is something I find puzzling. Anyone have an explanation?

It's amazing how a perfumer of talent can take the usual suspects - bergamot, amber, cinnamon, pepper, lavender, cloves - and create something that stands head and shoulders above the usual crowd containing exactly the same ingredients! Simply put, this is one of the best, if not THE best, spicy men's fragrances I have ever smelled. Wonderful. Yes, it is somewhat reminiscent of Creed Bois du Portugal and, yes, some of the notes are like the ones in Chanel Pour Monsieur Concentree (which I wear and love). And yes, this can be considered an upmarket Old Spice. But so what? I love it! UPDATE: I bought a bottle. This stuff is wonderful. I can see why Luca Turin wore it for ten years.

It’s a shame that Patricia had to tone this down in 2008. It has lost a little bit of the magnificent performance and while it’s still obviously New York, it doesn’t tower above other classic masculines the same way. The truly bizarre thing is that New York Intense appears to have just as much of the good stuff. Consider that if you find the performance lacking here. All that said, you can’t do better than this for a suit and tie. And yes, you might mistake it for Derby these days. It costs 1/3rd the price. Pre-2008: Scent: 10/10 Performance 10/10 Overall: 10/10 Post-2008(currently available): Scent: 9/10 Performance: 8/10 Overall: 9/10

This stuff is wild! It's like a cross between Guerlain's Shalimar and Creed's Bois du Portugal, both of which I love. The opening is a kind of 'Shalimar for Men'. A powdery burst of lemon, orange and spice. It's apt that a relative of Pierre Guerlain (Patricia is his grand-daughter apparently) would be so heavily influenced by his work. The complex and multi-faceted development into warm woods, amber and oakmoss is the spark of genius in this classic fragrance. I would have been satisfied if it stopped at 'Shalimar for Men!'. Like all my favourite men's frags, makes me feel like a wiser, older, richer man!

If Floris Elite stands for London, Nicolai's New York might actually represent the Big Apple. Both are classic men's fragrences; fresh, always contemporary and created with subtle details. New York is a little bit more a melting pot of different scents than Floris Elite, giving it a slight exotic edge. The citrus and spice are very well balanced, the green notes give it a nice earthly base. Could be a perfect everyday fragrence, although it might be slightly more appropriate in cooler weather. Masterpiece all the way around.

PDN's New York is a classic spicy masculine! New York is definitely a citrus, spicy fragrance. It's basically an old school classic masculine. Definitely mature and in the vibe of Eau Sauvage, Bois de Portugal, Pour Monsieur by Chanel, etc. It lasts about 5-6 hours and projects well during that time. Good but not great performance. Not many compliments with this one. My wife does not like it and says it is powdery. 8.5 of 10.

I was afraid to try this fragrance, because it is for man (I thought). How wrong I was! Now, I have tried it at least and found it beautiful! Reminiscent of Shalimar a bit, but in a unisex kind of way. (However, Patricia is a Guerlain's descendant:) ) I think this female-male signs not so important in a fragrance, rather we should wear what we like, so I will definitely wear this fantastic fragrance! 10/10

Masterpiece, from the begining to the end. Quite strong and impressive in the opening, with lemon, it softens slowly but not in a weak way. it becomes gentle with cloves, lavender and cinnanon in a perfect balance. A calm vanilla comes after that, perhaps the one we can find in Habit rouge, without the leather. A gentleman's fragrance, well educated. I love it. 10/10

Fantastic. Yes, there are similarities to Old Spice, but this exudes class and refinement. I wear this for special occasions. It brings to mind Shalimar at times as well, and unsurprisingly so, considering the creator's ties to the Guerlain house. Scent 9.5 Protection 6 Longevity 9

My signature scent. This is a perfect blending of components from PDN that can be worn anytime of the year and for any occasion and has everything in place from top notes through dry down. Kudos and a heartfelt thank you to Patricia de Nicolai for New York. A masterpiece!

Wonderful, and totally unisex. It lasts forever and projects well. I don't understand why anyone would like to have this in a more potent version. Even though it is quite heavy, I really like to wear it during summer. It has a magical glow that comes out in warm weather.

Oh wow. This is blended to perfection. Amazing use of notes. PERFECT scent to show yourself as a serious and mature man of taste and class. It's all about you, the man in the room with a masterplan. Not for sex (!) 35+

You know, now that I've been wearing this cologne for several weeks, I must say that while there is a notable comparability to Old Spice, it's still entirely unique. I think I have found my "holy grail" to be honest.

Finally got a bottle today as well as the intense version. Wow! This is extremely classy, strong, beautiful. Recommended more for mature gents. I don t think i would have worn that in my 20's and 30's.

This is just art, pure and precious art. Patricia de Nicolai should give some perfumery lessons to all those wannabe, so called perfumers out there. Wear it and just let things happen.