If you came of age in the US in the 1970’s you probably went to a midnight movie or two. The one thing the offerings had in common is they were loud, garish, over the top examples of trash cinema; and we loved them. There is no better example of all of these qualities than the 1972 movie Pink Flamingos directed by John Waters. It was why we went to the movies in the middle of the night. Because of my affection for the movie I was a little leery of the new Prada Olfactories Pink Flamingos. Was perfumer Daniela Andrier going to go all trashy on me? Not quite.
The Olfactories collection has replaced the old Exclusives collection. The one thing that remains the same is the concept that they are the best kept secret at Prada. Since their initial launch they have again been relegated to the basement of the Prada flagship in NYC. Mme Andrier wanted this collection to be “potent concoctions of the unexpected”. The potency of these will be what makes wearers love some and not be so enthused by others. Pink Flamingos is one I think is a good example of one people will love or dislike. In the description on the website it says, “A cloud of pink bubbles floating through the heart of Tokyo. The joyful embrace of nature and the synthetic animates the familiar to produce a heightened form of beauty. Pink Flamingos is the scent of fluorescent pink blossoms, stylized and innocent.” That didn’t sound like my trashy movie I enjoy so much. Once I wore Pink Flamingos I realized I was incorrect because this perfume is loud to the point of near garishness making it over the top fun.
Daniela Andrier
Pink Flamingos opens on a super sweet fizz of mandarin, neroli, and some aldehydes. This is not champagne it is orange soda bubbling out of the bottle. Where it spills all over the Ginza during the height of cherry blossom season. As the heart accord of rose, cherry, and iris provide a neon-lit version of the festival. The topper to this is the use of the fruity flavored white musk Serenolide which does nothing but add to the intensity of all of this.
Pink Flamingos has 12-14 hour longevity and average sillage.
What I think is particularly appealing to me is Mme Andrier adds a midnight movie sheen to a Tokyo aesthetic written large. There is a concept that Asian tastes are minimal. I think any Japanese would see this as midnight in Ginza and enjoy it for that. I know I do.
Disclosure: This review is based on a bottle I purchased.
–Mark Behnke
