A few years ago, Vogue commissioned Annie Leibovitz to conduct a photo shoot with Sarah Jessica Parker and Chris Noth, who reprised the characters that made them famous in Sex and the City. In celebration of the then-new movie, Carrie and Mr. Big were once again seen in their element: traipsing around New York city wearing expensive clothes and giving each other smoldering gazes.
Little did everyone involved in the shoot know that their work would inspire a fragrance some years later, a fragrance just as sexy and smouldering as the photo essay. The particular picture below eventually became the inspiration that led Narciso Rodriguez to develop a fragrance that was more personal to him than ever: Narciso.
This EDP was made with sexiness and attraction in mind. Rodriguez wanted to create something that was vulnerable but strong, raw but refined – and these are the types of fragrances I find really intriguing, because they manage to unite a juxtaposition of opposing base notes and moods that you would think would never do well together. Some perfumers do it well (Lush Euphoria) and some are less successful at it (Balmain Extatic), but this one gets it juuuuust right.
This fragrance is super lush and rich and sexy (vetiver, musk, and cedarwood), but in a way that’s soft and subtle and almost airy, offset by white florals (gardenia and Bulgarian rose).
I took a quick liking to the bottle because it reminded me of the way my favorite high street perfume is bottled (Zara Woman Fruity). The cube is minimalist, but the half-oval sculpted out of the glass has been painted with a milky white lacquer, adding a certain elegance to it.
The staying power of this fragrance is also incredible; after the top and middle notes fade away, you are left with that rich musky base note lingering on you all day. If you think the muskiness is a little too much for the tropics, don’t lay it on too heavy.
Narciso by Narcisco Rodriguez is available will be available in department stores by October 2014. It is available as an EDP bottles of 30 ml (IDR 740,000), 50 ml (IDR 1,160,000), and 90 ml (IDR 1,365,000). It is also available as a body lotion (IDR 620,000) and deodorant spray (IDR 505,000).
