3/1/14

Yohji Homme (Yohji Yamamoto)




I suspect the ad above is for the re-release of Yohji Homme, but my review is for the original formula, which unfortunately is all I could get my hands on. It's unfortunate because time has worn away much of the scent, and I think I can only smell about a quarter of what used to be there. Those with the new version may not identify with the descriptions I give, so my apologies if this review confuses you. You're probably better off with the new version, as you are with most reissues and reformulations.

This fragrance gets a lot of hype, which of course started with Luca Turin. To read his review, one would think Yamamoto's fougère is a real "game-changer" in the fragrance industry, and incomprehensibly beautiful to behold. I'll agree with him that this fragrance is worth most of its hype, as it is unique and very well made, with thoughtful precision put into its peculiar and affecting arrangement of anise, lavender, geranium, carnation, coffee, and coumarin. As with fragrances like Cotton Club and Azzaro Pour Homme, I'm sure the box of Yohji lists ingredients like linalool and coumarin in succession. Oddly, it reminds me of the aforementioned scents. The coumarin shows up early and adopts a malted tone, while lavender and anise are hard to pair without conjuring Loris Azzaro's masterpiece.

For fans of coffee notes, Yohji delivers. The note is very lucid and a little burnt, but also very subtle and discreet. It never attempts to dominate the proceedings, like the one in A*Men does. That makes it a little more enjoyable than any other coffee note I've ever encountered in perfumery. Sadly, none of this lasts on my skin. Within thirty minutes the fragrance is overtaken by a lithe arrangement of musks, most of which I'm anosmic to. Either that, or their dosage is so meager that it would take a pint of this fragrance's base for anyone to smell it. For people crippled by chemical sensitivities who cannot smell lavender and coumarin notes, I recommend staying away from this fragrance (and Cotton Club and Azzaro PH, for that matter), but the rest of you should give it a shot.