No sleep 'til- Brooklyn

Bond 9's Brooklyn fragrance review

The very first time I sniffed a sample of Brooklyn was with my friends Mary and Tbone. We were able to sniff it off of the wrist of my buddy Sean. It was a stunner but not exactly Brooklynesque. It was loud, oozed sex and made you think of hairy chests with chains. It actually made me think of a famous Vanity Fair photograph of Antonio Banderas. He was wearing a pair of white speedos and looking confident.
Frankly it scared the bejesus out of me.

The next time I sniffed Brooklyn was with my perfume gang. Sean was once again the wrist model. This time it was perfectly executed and matched the namesake. Brooklyn is far from its early Latin lover days. It is more punk yet sophisticated. This Brooklyn is more Anthony Boudain-like. This is a fragrance for the cool guy who owns Fun House by the Stooges on vinyl and makes a delicious lamb chop. The scent is more masculine than previous Bond releases. There is no femininity in this fragrance but there will be female fans. I like the crispness and wood driven drydown.

The Chinatown Cardamom note is the main and opening star of this fragrance.
I have tried to describe the aroma of cardamom in the past. It is warm, sultry, camphor-like, woody, smoky with just a hint of lemon. It is one of my favorite notes and I am convinced it just makes everything better from perfume to coffee.

The middle notes of Brooklyn are Cypress Wood, Geranium Leaves, and Juniper Berries. In the press release they mention the koi pond in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden as an inspiration. I actually thought it smelled like a forest floor in the winter. It was a crisp pine with vetiver thrown in. I prefer Bond's imagery. It is just more romantic.
The dry down is more woods with appearances from Cedarwood and Guaiacwood. The twist is leather. This is not a whip leather but more like a well worn motor cycle jacket.

The bottle for Brooklyn was designed by my good friend Shawn. He is one of my favorite people on the planet who has exceptional taste in all things. He is creative and is often responsible for Bond windows and lemmings. Half my makeup stash is due to his introductions.
The bottle was inspired by street art and is a massive departure from a typical Bond bottle. I am proud of my handsome friend. I can now brag that I know men who have won a Fifi(waves to Ben!) and designed a perfume bottle.

Brooklyn will launch in March 2009 at Saks, Bond boutiques, and http://www.bondno9.com/
Bottles will retail for $145(50 ml) and $220(100 ml).

Credit: Bond 9, wikipedia and my lovely S in NYC.
Disclaimer: A press sample of this product was provided by Bond