Heya Posse. Contradiction was never on my radar. I had not put even a millisecond of thought towards it. That is until a friend of mine told me it was the only fragrance she ever wore and found everything else awful. She was heartbroken that it had been discontinued and she couldn’t find it anywhere. Now this is a woman known for her great good style and so immediately I perked up my nostrils to search her out some. Fortunately it wasn’t really discontinued, rather it had changed venue; making the leap from store to discounter. I can’t tell you how excited she got that her great love was not only still available but about 1/5 the price she used to pay. So I ordered a bottle myself.
Contradiction Woman by Calvin Klein 1998
Contradiction by Ann Gottlieb
Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Lily, Lily-of-the-valley, Orchid, Mock-orange, Peony, Rose
Heart: Pear, Blackberry, Eucalyptus, Lilac, Jasmine
Base: Musk, Sandalwood, Tonka bean
The bottle looked very stylish and I like the way Contradiction was advertised. The ad movie (below) was an interesting idea (poorly executed in my eyes) that had me really wondering what this fragrance could be smelling like. The print ads were interesting too, seemed to be showing the model laughing goofily in every shot.
Wet roses in the dewy morning sun, a cool watery opening that has a slightly metallic touch. Sadly this fabulous opening is gone in a couple of minutes. What flows through then is a lily/lily of the valley/peony wash with rose and berries. It’s sharp, bright, pretty and warms through as the heart takes hold. Surprisingly during the heart I get the scent of a fresh cut Nashi pear, the brown ones from Korea. It’s surrounded by flowers but quite distinctly present. The pear makes me smile in happy reminiscence because Jin will bring home Nashi pears, skins then and cut then into slices. Even though it’s really good for us they are absolutely decadent. You don’t have the common pear problem of them going from hard as wood to custard mush overnight, a 4 hour window of perfection. Nash pears are perfect for about 10 days. The heart also features some lovely herbs & spices and the eucalyptus accord is pretty fun too.
Dry down is not so excited but quietly pleasant. Amorphous woods with clean musks that are still lightly tinged with the wet floral bouquet. 100% wearable, comfortable scent that is much nicer than its current price tag.
Contradiction Ad: Calvin Klein
I could easily imagine Contradiction being your spritz & go fragrance. Good longevity, moderate sillage and projection. Currently the price is excellent too so you won’t break the bank. Really easily accessible modern aquatic rose.
FragranceX has $13/10ml
Surrender To Chance has samples from $3/ml
Did you wear Contradiction in its day? Do you still?
Portia xx
Comments are closed