Yohji Homme 1999

1 reseña

Mostrando las más recientes primero.

• hedonistaustero

  January 12, 2025

  

  What a find! I’ve just spotted a unicorn: 100ml unopened original Yohji Homme. It was released in 1999 by the Japanese house Yohji Yamamoto, when its perfumes still bore the Jean Patou label, and it was designed by Jean-Michel Duriez, probably with help from the legendary Jean Kerléo. Yohji Homme became iconic and cult-like in the early 2000s, something Luca Turin sealed with five stars in his first guide alongside Tania Sanchez (2008). Frankly, it’s a blessed marvel; I can’t stop smelling it since it arrived a few weeks ago. I’ve worn it several times already and it has a complex structure in three parts: 1) an aniseed fougère that treads lightly on 2) gourmand territory before settling into 3) a dark, smoky base. At first, it vaguely reminded me of Davidoff Zino and Azzaro Pour Homme: the former for the lavender and rosewood; the latter for the lavender and anise. But those memories fade quickly, because Yohji unfolds its secrets and takes you down a unique path to an unexpected destination. After the initial burst of bergamot, lavender, anise and coriander, it gains depth and warmth with cinnamon, a stronger rosewood note and a licorice accord that carries it from fougère to gourmand. I detect geranium (or perhaps clover?), but any floral is subtle and gets eclipsed by the base, the stars of the show: an intoxicating rum that gives you a whiff of giddiness, a rich coffee that offers comfort and wards off a hangover, and a fine, worn brown leather, slightly sweetened by quality tonka beans and a creamy sandalwood. A marvel. Yohji Homme was a pioneer and is the perfect gourmand for those who aren’t fans of gourmands. It’s merely gestural in that regard and evokes nothing edible. Rum and coffee: two of the best scents in the world, especially for someone from Guatemala, like me. It was my Holy Grail for parties: light, fresh, spiced, warm, spirited, semi-sweet, elegant, cosy and interesting without effort. No wonder it’s a legend.