Collection Extraordinaire Cologne Noire Van Cleef & Arpels for women and men

It's more manly than feminine. At least starts pretty manly and then turns to unisex. Pepper plays bold on whole the process and some fresh citric aquatic in the opening turn to green immensely leafy springy middle tone; something a little delicious and a bit blossomy.
Not a bad fragrance but doesn't sense the name. It's nit black, it could be grey green.
By the way, where's ginger? I think there must be ginger among notes. Also I got a hint of thyme.
Doesn't last enough and doesn't project as well, so doesn't deserve the price.

UPDATE!

Now I've found a sister to this scent. Penhaligon's Elixir. If Cologne Noire is too sharp and manly on you but you like the concept, try Elixir instead, you won't be disappointed. It's rounder and sweeter, but with the same woodsy spicy feeling to it.

What a coincidence! Now that I scrolled through the reviews I must say that systeme_d nailed the words that I was trying to form, Elixir (and other similar scents) has a warmth that Cologne Noire lacks. It's cooler and more elegant, while Elixir is more romantic.

entro in profumeria dicendo a me stessa di acquistare un profumo femminile, poi stregata da questa essenza calda e avvolgente, cedo e l'acquisto. non trovo mai così straordinari i profumi da donna.ma unica nota, su di me il pepe si sente forte e distinto per lungo tempo anche se in sintonia con le altre note.dura a lungo e si intenerisce fino a scaldare il cuore.
interessanti tutti i profumi di questa collezione.

Maybe I'm more "unisex tolerant" than most people but I absolutely don't feel that this is too masculine. Not masculine at all I would say. According to my nose Cologne Noire is one of those "unlabeled" unisex scents, the ones that are unisex for real, if you know what I mean. Most unisex scents lean towards one sex and not balancing on the fine line inbetween which makes the good ones magic.

At first I get a bitter, non gourmand orange mixed with black pepper. Strong and convenient, I fell in love at this stage already. The orange is very potent on my skin, and if it wasn't I could understand why some people find it masculine. But that's just my guess.

In a short while the deep woody notes comes out, it basically smells like a newly chopped down spruce tree, when it's still moist from the water inside. So "zesty" and earthy in a way. These woodsy notes keep getting softer and softer throughout the day, making it more and more comfortable and romantic.

This would be lovely on a night out, it's not a classic "girls night out scent" (Parisienne, I'm talking about you! *sigh*) so I guess this would catch peoples attention without being "WOAH god damn it, what are you WEARING?" without knowing if people really like it or not. No, it's comfortable, sexy and soft, not too deep and not too fresh, just a perfect interesting scent!

Peppery and a bit sharp at first but the drydown is almost identical to Le Feu D'Issey/Le Feu D'Issey Light. So these two might be an alternative for anyone who is hesitant about the price tag of Cologne Noire.

Smoky, peppery, but not feminine. I've been coming across so many smoky, peppery scents lately, I hvae to decide which one i'll actually buy, and the only way I can do that is by a simple formula that could take, literally, hundreds of man hours to establish a winning result. My original assumption was "well, they charge so much, it must be pretty good?"
Then I did the maths.
(Price per ml) / (Projection + longevity). Not a sound arithmetical formula I'll admit.
David Jones co want $199 for a 75ml (2.5 floz) bottle :-
Well, the sillage isnt good enought for that much, when I found Burberry London has a much better overall smell for longer. Even D&G the ONE ranks better before the price comparison.
All in all, it's a really nice scent, but seriously, if you're going to charge 1.5 times more than our fair genius Jo Malone (in the same store), at least make 1.5 times better quality scents with at least nearly as much originality.

Neroli, bergamot, bitter orange, mandarin-orange, pepper, ginger cardamom, woody notes.

Unisex woody aromatic fragrance. It starts refreshing with citrus-orange tones that are strengthened by ginger, cardamom and pepper. Slowly the bergamot and a splash of neroli will join the bouquet. Very well balanced and elegant.

There is a dark and sexy “suggestion“ in this scent… friendly and inviting…sort of whisper: “come closer”. I am sure it can help you making new friends. ;)

Good silage and long lasting power. I have to say, it feels more of a masculine fragrance.
The dry down is woodier and softer. I am sure women with “lots of passion for life” or “temper” could enjoy it as well. ;)

7.8/10

who designed the perfume Bottle "FIRST" for van cleef & Arpels in 1977?

I agree this starts off masculine, almost too masculine for me, but not quite. It's woody, peppery and salty. But the longer I wear it, the more it changes and the softer and more feminine it becomes. May be my chemistry. Whatever the case, I love this cologne. My favorite Mark Buxton yet.

This fragrance is not complex. It's retro,for male and very French.