Harlem Nights, from Chris Collins was released in 2017. The perfumer behind this creation is Laurent Marrone. It has the top notes of Cloves, Grapefruit, Lemon, Nutmeg, Rum, and Saffron, middle notes of Cedarwood, Jasmine, Orris Root, and Patchouli, and base notes of Musk, Sandalwood, Vanilla, and Vetiver.
Oh dear. This is a bit of a funny one. I've been across 110th street at night and it don't smell like this, believe you me. I think this is a bit muddled in the pursuit of making something unique, which is an admirable motive for getting in a bit of a mess in the first place. The opening gives me warm to hot spices, I'll go along with nutmeg, clove, perhaps a little cinnamon and even saffron, but the sweetness is an unusual cheap cherryade/maraschino cherries, benzaldehyde and coumarin, which is dying out as soon as it hits your skin because it's offset by hollow, papery woods and faintly floral ionone, driness and that bready, milky, tepid cup of half english breakfast, half chai tea, feel from something like Dries van Noten by Frederic Malle but frankly not as complex or interesting. This effect will forever remind me of the scent that pioneered this vibe which for me was Jeux de Peau by Serge Lutens. To be fair it's not quite as relentlessly, foodie and odd as the Malle, When I sprayed this on a test strip I really liked the late drydown of musks and whatever left in the base of this fragrance, it really does smell beautiful but that happens all the time with fragrances I don't really like and is the classic addage, too little, too late, to the point where that lovely smell on the strip might not going to be detectable on my skin. (it isn't) Not a good start for the brand then for me but I have high hopes about a few of the others.