When I heard global fashion house Reiss were bringing out their own fragrance, I sort of had my expectations sewn up. I hardly pay attention to fashion stores selling their own branded perfumes because they are poor (and sometimes terrible) imitations of what the big designers do best. Well, have you had a sniff at Zara’s efforts? Meh…exactly.
Personally I am very fond of the clothes and designs from Reiss and knowing the image and style they exude, I figured they probably wouldn’t cut corners if they’ve taken the risky step to create a fragrance for both men and women. And launch exclusively in Selfridges.
Reiss recently marked 40 years in the fashion industry but it’s only until this year they’ve waited for the right time to move into beauty and launch their debut fragrances. Ingredients were handpicked by founder and MD David Reiss together with award winning perfume designer Azzi Glasser to create unique scents that go hand in hand with any Reiss ensemble. I’m pleased to know Reiss’s approach is not to go down the fast route of commerciality but meticulously source, tailor and fine tune their fragrance, much like they do with their clothes.
The fragrances for men and women are named Black Oudh and Grey Flower respectively and they are housed in these spectacular silver and gold bottles. With the name of the brand and scent emblazoned in a bold fashion, somehow Reiss has pulled it off without appearing tacky. It’s a solid looking bottle yet it’s got quite an understated feel about it – no fancy glass design, just effortless and luxurious.
The design of a fragrance bottle is as crucial as the fragrance and for me, it’s a big decider. If it’s going to sit on my dressing table, it needs to look good…and I mean, really good. Paco Rabanne’s Lady Million is a delicious scent but its bottle is hideous and cheap looking. Sorry, but it is!
So what can you expect from these fragrances? Grey Flower for women is a seductive and mysterious scent, and its blend has been driving me mad because I can’t quite put my finger on what it reminds me of yet I like it. A lot. With notes of Pimento Berry, Sequoia Wood, Jasmine Noire, Cocoa Leaf, Olibanum, Amber Crystals, Patchouli and Baies, it’s a perfume that will wrap you up. A truly warm and inviting scent for the autumn, Grey Flower is not like your usual run-of-the-mill fragrances and the careful creation of it has captured the elegance, style and design of Reiss. I’m genuinely surprised as it’s not at all what I expected and I’m relieved about that. It’s also a scent that lingers through the day.
Black Oudh for men is alluring and enticing, filled with fresh aromatic top notes of Laurel Leaf and green Cypress, followed by Sequoia Wood, Clary Sage and Vetiver and a base of Black Oudh, Black Musk and Amber. Although it is for men, I predict it will be a popular scent for women to wear too because it has that underlying appeal.
So much effort and time has gone into creating these fragrances but true to their belief of delivering affordable luxury, a 100ml bottle is only £49, with a 50ml for £35 and 30ml for £25.
Grey Flower and Black Oudh will be available in Reiss stores nationwide and on www.selfridges.com from 26th September. However the two fragrances are currently exclusive to Selfridges in store where you can get a free personalised engraving on a 100ml bottle until 3rd October. What did I choose? Well see below…and if you don’t get it, we can’t be friends.
*PR sample
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