Comme des Garçons Parfums: Simply Scentsational

Clove, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, honey, clove, nutmeg…it reads like ingredients for a creative contemporary dish only instead, it’s just some of the spectrum of spices used in Comme des Garçons parfums. The label, which roughly translated means “like the boys,” is the fragrance arm of the Tokyo-based fashion house known for unconventional conceptual style. It should come as no surprise then, that the distinct fragrances, which first launched in 1994 and expanded over the past 20 years, similarly take an avant-garde approach.

With a curated collection of U.S. retailers, I was pleased to learn this globally-lauded line just hit the shelves at Newport’s own Soap + Water on Bowen’s Wharf. These include the four Comme des Garçons premium lines: Wonderwood, Man (the only non-unisex scent), Amazing Green, Hinoki and Commes des Garcons 2 (retail for $131).

There are four selections from the Series 3 Incense line which is devoted to five scared places associated with global religions : Avignon (Catholic), Ouarzazate (Islam), Zagorsk (Orthodox Christianity), Jaisalmer (Hindu), and Kyoto (Buddhism and Shintoism). Retails for $95.

I sampled a number of the Commes des Garcons fragrances at Soap + Water and what really struck me is that they seem to be the “anti-perfume” perfume. That is, with notes incense, chamomile, vanilla, patchouli, rosewood and ambrette, there’s a palpable natural scent identified with each; they are not overpowering.

Packaging is everything, and these delights come in sleek, architecturally interesting bottles which almost pass for petite pieces of art. Sample the scents at Soap + Water Newport at 16 Bowen’s Wharf soon. Don’t live near by? Soap + Water is now a part of the Shoptiques community, which means you can be sitting in Greenpoint or Greenland and still enjoy the authentic shopping experience at this great shop. Here’s you’re boarding pass: http://www.shoptiques.com/boutiques/Soap-Water-Newport