Bond No. 9 - Andy Warhol Union Square Review

The Sweet (and Cool) Smell of Pop Art in Andy Warhol Union Square by Bond No. 9

“My favorite smell is the first smell of spring in New York,” Andy Warhol once said. Perhaps in a similar spirit, Warhol began painting and silk-screening a series of highly stylized, phantasmagorically colored flowers during the 1960s. He returned to this age-old painter’s subject in 1970, when he developed a portfolio of vibrantly colored flower screenprints at the first of his two studios on Union Square. Both the florals and the location were the inspiration for Andy Warhol Union Square, the latest in Bond No. 9’s series of collectible Warhol eaux de parfum, arriving on counter in March, 2008.

The scent, a seductive green floral that’s simultaneously cool and warm, is housed in the slim Bond No. 9 superstar flacon, this time displaying Warhol’s flowers as its surface design. Outsize, otherworldly flowers such as these are of course a major fashion statement for spring 2008 — with multitudes of designers taking their cue from the Warhol Flowers series. Likewise, Bond No. 9’s Andy Warhol Union Square is in tune with the times (as perfumes should be). But let us go one further and propose that this latest scent of ours, enveloped in Warhol’s iconic flower motif, raises the art of perfumery to — dare we say it? — a new level of sophistication.

The bottle is in typical Warhol artistry, but instead on a sculpted glass perfume bottle. It comes decorated in various shades ranging from red and yellow colored flowers to blue shaded blades of grass. As part of an effort to be more environmentally friendly this year, Bond No.9 boutiques will accept empty perfume bottles [to recycle for you], and as a reward, they will give you a refillable pocket spray.

The scent itself is a soft, feminine floral that definitely reminds of spring blooms and decadence. It dries down to a nice subtle scent that delights the nose, but it isn’t overwhelming. I found the scent stayed on throughout the day, fading minimally, but never turning.  I definitely detected the Lily of the Valley and Blue Freesia notes, and when it dried down, I noticed a touch of musk and wood.

Top notes include:  Lily of the Valley, Green Stem Notes, Sweet Blue Freesia, Golden Amber, Silver-cloud Musk Accord, White Birch Wood.

Union Square launches March 15th, 2008 at their four New York boutiques, www.bondno9.com, and Saks Fifth Avenue nationwide.  It will be available in 50ml size ($135) or 100ml size ($195).  A special collector set will be available of ten different bottles ($1500 for ten 100ml bottles) as well.