The Party in Manhattan

There is definetly something vintage going on in this fragrance, but it should be as it's created intentionally with the 30's - 40's decades in the perfumers mind. And I love it. The Party has strong similarities with Acqua Di Parma Profumo edp. But Profumo has labdanum and the chyper bite is sharper. The Party in Manhattan is sweeter and more flowery in general with a herbal zing from the sage. I don't get the "animalic beast" some people refers to. It's just oakmoss as in most chypers. There's no civet, no catstoreum, not even leather in this fragrance. So oakmoss and a small doze of patch and musc is responsible for the so called animalic smell which is kind of moderate compared to any 80's fragrance. I would say, according to my nose, it is as animalic as Rochas Femme, or perhaps Mitsouko. In many ways it reminds me of both of them. I know that it was some problems with the samples from TCP, and my sample was indeed deeper, sweeter and perhaps more oriental than the fragrance I got in my 100 ml bottle. But nevertheless it's a very beautiful floral chyper with immense projection and sillage. A big plus is that it is made from natural ingredients only.

This perfume smells like HEAVEN to me. It lifts my heart completely. My husband adores it too.

This is a dead ringer for mitsouko and I love it.

Before getting my sample I read all the reviews I could find, and my expectations were high. So when my sample arrived I thought one of two things: 1)I got a lemon; 2)Chat had lost her mind. Of course I got a bad sample. So note to future testers: this should smell like a high quality, crisp, sparkling chypre. If it smells like a wet sock send it back. Opening: It's driving me crazy that the opening is so familiar and I can't place it. Definitely 30s, from a high quality house, but i"m stumped. Love it though, as it opens with a big BOOM and you're hooked. The rest of the scent plays out like lovely symphony of florals and basenotes. Nothing twangy, harsh or discordant. Glorious. One well-read blogger claimed she could easily mistake this for a Guerlain or a Caron. Between these two houses I have 9 fragrances, so I was really curious to see what I would think. My takeaway: while I have zero complaints for Mitsouko or Or et Noir, I have one for Manhattan. When I take a big whiff or stick my nose in the scent, I'm ecstatic. But when I go about my day and get distracted with work, I think someone is sitting next to me with a Peg Bundy hair-do kept in place by a whole lot of hairspray. I dont have a problem with the price tag, however. For what you get it's reasonable. I just wish it didn't come with Peg.

Incredibly animalic and reminiscent of grand past eras. This is what real courtesans must have smelled like (not the glamourized ones of Hollywood movies): sweaty pantyhose, hot wigs, greasy flasks held to drunken lips, unwashed costumes, and all of the other things that come along with that way of life. I don't find it very wearable in terms of my lifestyle, but I do enjoy it in a historical/object of curiosity kind of way.