Saks-en-Rose - The Newest Bond No. 9 Fragrance

Saks Fifth Avenue and Bond No. 9 have introduced a bouquet in a bottle. Saks-en-Rose, a contemporary blend of rarely used top notes like succulent dry dates and verbena-like lantana leaves, is wrapped around a heart of rose.

Loyd Cassler and I experimented with it yesterday. We were both immediately struck by the gorgeous floral notes. As it dried down, Loyd continued to love it. I became concerned about a spice I couldn't identify. Now I know from the Saks press release that the spice was nutmeg, so I'm going to have to try it again before I make a purchase decision. I'm not a spice girl! There are certain spices I don't want in my food, and I don't want them in my fragrance either. Nutmeg is one of them. However, what makes "floral me" reticent will attract many others. You need to smell this new fragrance; I think it's going to be a blockbuster.

Too mesmerizing, too impudently beautiful to ever to be overlooked, the venerable rose sets the standard for lush and romantic perfumes in my book. According to dispassionate botanists, it works its magic by being the most perfect and balanced of flowers: voluptuously honeyed, but not too sweet; as rich and deep as balsam, but joyously sparkling too; warm and simultaneously cool; sensually beautiful - yet spiked with thorns. No wonder the rose has long been the subject of myth and lore in cultures all over the world. This was the official flower of the goddesses of love, Aphrodite and Venus. Its petals were employed as stuffing for the sultan's mattress in ancient Persia. Over the centuries, it's played a key role in Hindu weddings. And in 17th century France, roses were so valuable that they served in lieu of cash as legal tender.

There are thousands of varieties, but it is the pink rose - a symbol of grace and happiness - that is the key ingredient in the third fragrance venture between Saks Fifth Avenue and Bond No. 9. Saks-en-Rose, as the Eau de Parfum will be known, marks a departure from your grandmother's rose. This is a self-possessed, future-oriented, and multifunctional rose - beguiling on an evening out, informal over the weekend.

Following a contemporary blend of rarely used top notes - succulent dry dates, verbena-like lantana leaves, and spicy mace (from the nutmeg family), the scent segues into its resolutely floral heart of pink roses, orris (cousin to iris), and seductive tuberose. This beguiling bouquet lingers courtesy of musk, for a hint of feral, and the woody notes of sandalwood and amber. The bottle design derives from the same subtle sensibility. Saks's millennial deconstructed-script logo is written in strokes of pure black on the traditional Bond No. 9 flacon, rendered here in milky white. Both the cap and the Bond No. 9 metro-token, displayed as a centerpiece, are in petal pink.

This fragrance landed at Saks stores this week, just in time for buying Mother's Day gifts - and in time for Friends & Family (10% discount on beauty - pre-sale starts today, and take-it-with-you starts April 22). Because the pink rose has traditionally been bestowed as an expression of admiration, elegance, and appreciation, this might be the perfect unique gift for Mom! Saks-en-Rose is available only at Saks Fifth Avenue and will be available at Saks.com once their Webmasters get it posted.

There are two sizes: $215 for 100 ml and $145 for 50 ml.

Photo and italicized press release courtesy of Saks