There are fashion designers I know are having fun. Lazaro Hernanadez and Jack McCollogh the artists behind the Proenza Schouler clothing brand show it in every collection which comes down the runway. At the recent debut of their Fall 2018 collection they rolled out a neo-1960’s grouping of elegant tie-dye and fantastic macramé weaves. These are designs for hippies who live on the Upper East Side. It does capture the breezy aesthetic which is part of the brand hallmark.
Proenza Schouler RTW Fall 2018
Of course, there was a desire to branch out into fragrance and I had forgotten there was a deal in place with L’Oreal for a few years. I was reminded of it when one of my friends told me of a party they attended at the recent New York Fashion Week and asked me if I wanted them to send me the bottle of the new Proenza Schouler perfume they had received. I said yes and while it made its way to me I looked up what I could find.
Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollogh
In numerous interviews the perfume, called Arizona, arose from the trips Mr Hernandez and Mr. McCollogh take after each collection is released. They have found the American Southwest one of the best places to unwind. When they discussed fragrance concepts they kept returning to a desert-inspired one. This is what makes it into the bottle.
I could not find out who the perfumer, or perfumers, they worked with. (UPDATE: The perfumers are Carlos Benaim and Loc Dong) What has been produced is a transparent fragrance typical of the current perfume trend. What is atypical is the two keynotes in the top and base accords. It comes together into an excellent designer fragrance.
On top the keynote is cactus flower which is really a transparent sweet floral accord paired with a set of expansive warm luminous ingredients to form a “solar accord”. This takes the floral and expands it greatly. As the cactus flower accord spreads out the pulpy heart of the succulent also begins to peek out. Orange blossom grounds all of this in traditional citric floral territory. This is the heart of Arizona and it is a classic floral version. The base is where it again moves in a different direction as a mineral accord of dried out sand composed of Iso E Super or one of its kindred aromachemicals. This is further tuned by using a few white musks and cashmeran. It is an abstract version of the well-known petrichor ingredient. It is my favorite part of Arizona and where it lasts for the longest time on my skin.
Arizona has 14-16 hour longevity and average sillage.
Mr. Hernandez and Mr. McCollogh have effectively translated their fashion style into a fragrance which feels completely Proenza Schouler. Even high fashion tie-dye and macramé feels like the right clothing choice for Arizona.
Disclosure: this review is based on a bottle provided by Proenza Schouler at NYFW 2018.
–Mark Behnke
