Brooklyn Bond No 9 for women and men

It is a great fragrance - wood with great juniper berries. Excellent for spring and summer but will also work good during fall and winter, I guess.

There is one thing common to most Bond scents - their construction tends to be relatively simple and with that simplicity comes a clarity of structure. This is not always a good thing - the simplicity often fails to hide synthetic aroma-chemicals that have the texture or smell - or both! - of various body products such as inexpensive shampoos or body lotions.

With Brooklyn though, the simplicity and clarity of the structure is brilliant, and that is thanks to Laurent Le Guernec's carefully chosen ingredients, and the deft - and light - hand that he used to blend them in masterful balance.

The opening is airy, one might say ethereal, with juniper leading the charge with a diaphonous grapefruit note in the background along with a hint of cardamom that flits in and out of perceptibility. This is not a sharp opening though, and although it is very light overall there is a depth that is perceptible that keeps Brooklyn from feeling like so many other lesser 'fresh scents' that are overly chemical or piercing, as if someone had turned the treble control of a stereo way too high.

No, Brooklyn has depth and balance from the moment it hits your skin. It really does call to mind a gin and tonic, although much more than that, too. As it progresses the woods come into their own as does the soft leather note - which here smells more like a soft suede, actually - all the while surrounded by the wonderful juniper note that is never sharp or abrasive as it can sometimes be. The berry element of the juniper note is present and long lasting too, although Le Guernec keeps the berry note very very light and restrained and it sits in a higher register than much of the rest of the perfume, thus it is noticeable and yet never obtrusive.

Speaking of registers - or to step into a more musical analogy, octaves - Le Guernec's brilliant formula here exposes just how wonderful intelligent simplicity can be, and how it can do much to enhance the structure of a perfume. To continue with the musical analogy, the 'sound stage' of this perfume is very wide, and the separation between the notes is easily discernable.

Whereas some perfumes have such dense and obfuscated structures that they feel like the equivalent of a band with 2 (or 3!) bass players, Brooklyn is wonderfully tight trio of airy citrus/berries/juniper, woody guaic and cedar, both dry and yet neither scratchy or heavy, and anchoring notes of soft and deep suede and a prominent but soft and expansive white musk that manages to play an enchanting and continous bass ostinato that explores an almost dream-like atmosphere.

Le Guernec's style is of a calculated simplicity and while it doesn't always work for me (ie: Astor Place, which smells nice but doesn't hide that shampoo like texture/scent, which is inexcusable for a product in this price range), when it does, it is sheer brilliance (Harrods Ltd Edition, Washington Square, etc). Brooklyn joins that list of brilliance.

Okay. First off, let me apologize from the get-go for the schoolgirl-like effusiveness. It is what it is...

OMG - I am, like, TOTALLY in love with this stuff!!!!!!

IMO, it's a classic example of a relatively straightforward list of accords put together in a really distinctive way. I'm not sure I know what to say to the reviewers who think it's not distinctive - I think it's the most distinctive thing in the entire Bond No. 9 line and distinctive in absolute terms as well! It's not overpowering and it doesn't have massive sillage. It's a scent for you and those you are close to.

I do not find the longevity to be particularly good though. However, since it's so damn yummy, I don't find that I mind having to re-apply ;-) .

I have a sample of this unisex fragrance that I tried for myself and while I adore it, it was just a little too masculine for me. It's not too heavy, the citrus keeps it light. There is a lot of juniper and cedar, which I love.

Then, I sprayed it on my husband. Holy cow! It's like he's been outdoors chopping wood with leather gloves in wintertime. I am crazy for this on him. It doesn't last forever, I'm afraid, but while it does it is heaven.

I bought him a bottle and I'll be stealing some for myself from time to time.

The start is not much of the grapefruit but I get a tiny hint of its fresh bitterness. Then here comes a strong presence of spice cardamom, which reminds me of Declaration by Cartier. Once I get pass that, it mellows out into a subtle leather with dry and sharp gin while cardamom still hangs around at the corner. Woody accord is not pronounced. Actually I can't really tell if I smell anything woody at all. At this point, its a nice light aromatic scent. No wow factor, I'm afraid. Perhaps its not a must have, but it's definitely a must try.

On me, this is definitely a very fresh and woody fragrance - where I'd look to most woody/spicy combinations to be much deeper and almost seasonal (too heavy for summer, perfect for fall/winter), this comes across as light.

The citrus top notes are not so overbearing as to seem sharp or tart, but they feel very balanced. For someone not a fan of citrus-heavy scents, this is one I can tolerate yet it still has a freshness and light character that isn't entirely linear and carries some interest with it. I'm not sure I get any sense of leather with this, or it's just too faint to be noticed.

Overall, this is a very nice, very fresh and contemporary scent. Not my personal favorite from Bond, but nonetheless a great fragrance and for me a nice change for those days when I'd like a wood/spice but not something cloying or suffocating.

4/5. Definitely worth trying.

smells good,
warm and inviting,
doesn't last very long on me,
---------------
I have changed my mind. It does last a long time, but doesn't project very well.

Nice warm smell, with a hint of almonds to me, not too spicy, but still interesting. Loses a lot of its power through the day, but blends well with the smell of the skin, enhancing it’s natural fragrance. Very nice.

Not a unisex fragrance. Boring and predictable. Just like other Bonds it's flat and has no character. But it has a pretty bottle, box, and a hefty price tag to make up for it so it must be good. NOT!

this is first time for me trying Bond No 9, my pre-impression was it just non sense expensive perfume , BUT once i smell it i totally Shocked how it is really beautiful.

not easy for me to describe it, i found it oriental citrusy fresh , like it got awesome note all the way.
its totally unique , made me feel like my pre experience in perfumes was nothing and now i am in perfumes world.

90% of my collection was online blind buy or depend on Fragrantica members review , and i am usually satisfied with, i wish i had risk blind buy it, because discover something awesome like this will give me a nice feeling , any way from now on Bond No 9 in my circle of trust.

Yep, the bottle is cool. The fragrance is good (initially). The sillage is nice (again, initially - see a patern?). but...never develops. It's got no lasting talent. On me...gone before you can say lickety split.

For all the the coin in the realm, I would not venture forth. There are other Bonds I'd rather delve into (the wallet/ purse) here. Back to the city we go (NYC).

Bond no 9 BROOKLYN is a surprisingly nice fragrance. I'm not sure exactly why I'm surprised, perhaps because Manhattanites have such a superiority complex vis-à-vis their neighbors?

BROOKLYN opens bright and lemony, a very natural lemon, which mingles harmoniously with some pretty appealing aromatic notes, above all juniper and cardamom, and a detectable dose of geranium, too.

From the very beginning, there is a leather note as well and, in the drydown, BROOKLYN really becomes a tender, only very slightly spicy leather perfume. To my nose, this would be better classified as an aromatic leather than as an oriental spicy. I've noticed that sometimes there is a décalage, as they say, between the marketing initiatives chez Bond no 9 and the actual qualities of the final product.

In any case, BROOKLYN is a very nice creation indeed, combining a variety of enticing notes in a new way. Perhaps too subtle for some, but I like this tender leather. Good for gals and guys alike!

This is my favourite bottle of Bond No.9, very different from the others!
And damn! Why this brand is always too EXPENSIVE? :(

This one is poetic, very sensual, a spring scent, regardless the description here i smell salt,leather and wood...but all of that in a non traditional way of what one may think.
★★★★★

Brooklyn was a big surprise for me. I don't expected something unusual or unique. But now, after testing it, I love Brooklyn! It starts with an unusual mix of citrus and leather. Then it besomes more soft and the leather starts to disappear. Now I can detect some woods and spices. In the drydown I smell something aquatic and woody.

Great lasting power and strong sillage!

This is a BEAUTIFUL bottle, HOWEVER, I'm not feelin' the scent too much! This smells like burnt grass or something. I wish I could get a different Bond No. 9 scent in this bottle

Let's not forget to give Laurent Le Guernec also credit for being the perfumer who assisted Laurice Rahme with the creation of this newest fragrance from Bond No.9 NYC.

Looking for a Spring or Summer fragrance with a refreshing, close to the skin notes of juniper, hints of leather and wood. This may be your fragrance.

Brooklyn EdP is one of my top 5 in my overall collection.

This is my first review after wearing a sample of this EdP for an entire day.

If you are looking for a fragrance to introduce you before you enter a room, this is not the one for you.

This fragrance whispers to you: "You have arrived. No need to tell people who you are, they will remember" Brooklyn is an EdP which keeps repeating that mantra.

Just when I thought I could no longer hear the whispering, Brooklyn would say; "I am still here."

The composition of this fragrance was design to be experience all at the same time. I normally look forward to how a fragrance takes you on journey with each stage of development (top, middle & base notes).

As mentioned in my 2/24/09 review I had only worn this scent for an hour. I thought I was headed on a journey of development for each stage of the notes, as you would expect from any EdP. This was a non-stop travel. No layovers on each fragrance note. Brooklyn allows one to feel refresh and able to take on anything upon your arrival.

Added to collection on 3/03/09.

I just had an opportunity to sample this scent. I have only had it on my skin for an hour now and I am loving how it develops in a subtle way.

First you will get the grapefruit notes with a little spice (maybe the cardamom). As it been warming down, it reminds me of a Gin & tonic drink.

The wood notes are just beginning to be introduced. I can not wait to wear this tomorrow and have it on all day.

I hate this. It's so trendy, and usually I like Bond 9 (well mostly). This one on the other hand is like juicy but much more expensive and I wonder, why the branding of this type of scent? Why name it Brooklyn? It's sort of a last stop cash cow for the brand that coins it's self NYC. The fragrance isn't very specific I think. It's not that I don't like the scent it's self, it's not horrible, but it's not very good either and then the packaging and branding.. I just think get the juicy.