A Burst Of Green (Perfume Review: Thierry Mugler Cologne)

Colognes are really not my thing. I like my perfume heavy, and that's perhaps why I am drawn to Orientals. But I wasn't always like this. Once upon a time, yes, I did like "fresh" scents. I just think I a lot of these marine/aquatic fresh scents smell very dated, like L'eau d Issey or Cool Water, for example. But I am not dissing them, because I did wear those as well once upon a time. Thierry Mugler's "Cologne" is reminiscent of those fresh scents, but it's a lot more complex that I think it's a modern classic. It's even good enough to be chosen by Chandler Burr for his "Untitled" series for Open Sky. Cologne starts out like any other cologne scent - a burst of citrus. On a warm summer day it's stunning. It's sharp and jolting - that hint of orange blossom certainly gives it weight (I have read a lot of comparisons to the classic 4711)  It kind of develops into some more citrus - I smell a hint of verbena, and some vetiver. In the press releases, Alberto Morillas (who worked directly with Mugler) hints of a secret ingredient called "S" and there are some funny speculations on perfume boards on what it is (ranging from shampoo to bamboo) but the consensus is that it's just plain old vetiver. When I wore this today, I could swear I could detect some violets there somewhere. There was a time that this was in danger of being discontinued and perfume connoisseurs were hoarding it. I admit, I was one of them. I don't know if that is still the case, but I do firmly believe that if you like perfume, then this should be in your wardrobe. I may not wear this often, but I will never be without it. A lot of people compare it to Creed Vetiver. I dare say it's even better - and cheaper!