Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Late to the Party: Donna Karan Chaos


I’m ecstatic. I found DK Chaos, a jewel of a perfume, at the moment it’s been reissued. I never smelled the original and didn’t know very much about it until reading that it was to be reissued this year. I’m happy I never smelled the original because I need not concern myself with whether the reformulation lives up to the pre-discontinued juice.

I have no idea how I missed Chaos the first time around. I’m a huge fan of Black Cashmere and even purchased 3 back-up bottles in the frightening event of discontinuation. Chaos slipped silently under my radar screen all these years.

Chaos’ list of notes reads like my fantasy bespoken fragrance: (taken from basenotes) sandalwood, cardamom, cinnamon, padukwood, agarwood, saffron, clove, amber, musk, sage, lavender, chamomile and coriander.

Chaos is the ultimate woodsy spicy oriental scent. It is so perfect that it almost smells familiar ~ like something that has always existed. Chaos must have been quite edgy back in the 90’s. I was so proud of Estee Lauder for launching Sensuous this year, but this was before I knew of another more daring and beautiful woodsy fragrance which had already been introduced to the mainstream market over a decade earlier. A molten river of wood? Chaos fits this description, not Sensuous.

I’m nearly delirious from sniffing and spritzing Chaos. I cannot get enough. I just sprayed the inside of my suitcases and bags with it. The name, however, doesn’t suit the scent ~ it is much closer to peaceful and serene than chaotic.

Kudos to Donna Karan for the new bottles, too. I thought the older Black Cashmere vessel looked like an odd thing - a black vibrator to put it bluntly. The new bottles are simple, classic and easier to hold and spray.

Longevity: very good, 5+ hours
Sillage: soft but definite projection
Rating: 5 stars

PS: I should tell you that I purchased my bottle of Chaos from Bergdorf Goodman online. It cost $85, for a 3.4 oz bottle, which seems inexpensive, given how drop dead gorgeous this fragrance is, and how much it's been fetching during the discontinued years.

4 comments:

ScentScelf said...

Very happy to hear of your pleasure with Chaos, as, like you, I never had an opportunity smell the original...and, like you, am a big fan of Black Cashmere (to the point of trying to score back-up).

However, I rather like the old BC bottle...it feels good in the hand, with a decent heft, and reminds me of a worry stone. The new bottles look to me like something I can get at the Gap. But...no big complaints, if the juice inside is delish, and reasonably priced. :)

Abigail said...

ScentScelf,
Now that you mention it, the new DK bottles do look sort of Gap-ish.
The juice it gooood though, very, very, good!
xxoo A

Tania said...

I have Black Cashmere, but I too missed the former incarnation of Chaos. Since I always haunted perfume departments, even back then, I have no idea how I missed it! Perhaps it was never widely released in the UK?

Anyhow, I'll probably have to go to Harrods to sniff it now, as I think they have it exclusively. But it does sound like my kind of perfume.

Pimpinett said...

I have a bottle of the original Chaos, but I haven't had an opportunity to smell the re-issue yet and compare. To my nose the original is similar to Chanel Égoiste.

I'm enjoying your blog very much.