I’m not good at making “best of” lists. As soon as I put one thing on a list, I remember something else I should have included, and narrowing down is not an easy task (I’ve been working on a post called “100 Fragrances Every Perfumista Should Try” for over six months now). But Comme des Garçons would surely make a list of my favorite perfume houses, and when they release something new, I want to smell it.

Play, their latest release, looked promising. The concept for the Play line of clothing, introduced in 2003, is supposed to be “design by not designing”, a good fit with the subversive ethos of the brand, and the logo on the Play fragrance bottle, designed by Filip Pagowski, is appropriately simple but fun.

The Play fragrance itself was developed by perfumer Aurelien Guichard, another good sign. The notes — bitter orange, black pepper, lime, saffron, thyme, sage, sea notes, oak moss, patchouli and musk — didn’t sound particularly unusual (or playful), but that doesn’t mean much…

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