Woo Hoo Posse. I’m currently cleaning out the perfume room and doing an enormous cull. The dream is that over the next few weeks I’ll divest myself of 500 bottles. Yeah, I know. That should clear out just under 1/4 of the collection, give me some floor and cupboard space and slim my weight of overconsumption guilt. That’s the plan. I’ve put aside or already parted with about 150 bottles. So I’m testing a bunch that are totally forgotten in my mental sniff catalogue and get to Brooklyn by Gallivant. Yeah, I have zero memory of even trying it. I spritz and the smile that comes is like a big dumb goofball. This is no swoon worthy, eye rolling epiphany, nope, but it is something lovely, fun, a happy twist on things we know. Dear reader, read on.
Brooklyn by Gallivant 2017
Gallivant gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, squeezed lemon and orange juice, incense, cardamom, fresh air and ozonic notes
Heart: Magnolia, iris/orris root and transparent flowers
Base: Musks, white woods, benzoin, amber
Firstly, I have an admission. A while ago, one of our Aussie importers and retailers had a sale on their testers and I bought a set of Gallivant. Gave all of them a sniff, wore my two favourites for a while. They all got boxed and cupboarded. Cue complete forgetfulness. So it’s very exciting to be getting things out again and keep/sell sniff them. Brooklyn has quickly risen to the keep pile.
Funnily, it reminds me of another perfume. Not the same but definite correlations and done in a late 20th/21st century way. While wearing Brooklyn my mind often turns to vintage Arpege. They are not the same. This is less funky and animalic and offers an ozonic bright freshness to what is hefty in Arpege. It does have similar aldehydes and that fizzy fruity lift. The florals are similar but way more modern in Brooklyn, less the old fashioned (but beautiful) bouquet and more a dream of flowers. Lastly, on dry down the woodsiness and amber have a very similar feel, a similar personality as it were.
Brooklyn smells like a feminine fragrance done with the gents in mind. My only complaint here is that I become nose blind to it long before everyone else does. So people say I smell nice but I can’t smell it anymore, at all.
I have written about Gallivant’s Amsterdam before here on Perfume Posse.
LuckyScent has samples.
So, does Brooklyn sound like it might tickle your fancy? Have you a favourite Gallivant scent?
Portia xx
Whoa that is A LOT OF FRAGRANCE. I find it so hard to cull. I did a significant downsizing when I moved out here, and some of the things disappeared and some I gave away and wish I had. I’m impressed at your initiative!
I hope you’re not just feeling slimmed down in the collection but also plumper in the pocket. A nest egg is such reassuring thing to have especially nowadays.
Had a quick sniff at the Gallivant line years ago and liked but didn’t find memorable.
Hey AnnieA,
Well, I’ve sold 11 bottles so far from my first Sale Doc of 25 bottles so I’m pretty happy about that. Currently compiling the next 25 and they will go up late next week.
Yeah, Gallivant are interesting. They feel beautifully created BUT you need to give them a few wears to get the nuance. In a perfumery situation I can imagine them being overwhelmed by everything else. Or maybe they underwhelm unless viewed/sniffed by themselves?
Portia xx
Wow- 500 bottles? And that’s only 1/4? Amazing. It’ s like you gave a license to shop. I can tell myself “well I don’t have THAT many bottles, sooooo..”
I am not sure about Brooklyn, but you make me want to run out and buy Arpege.
HA HA HA HA HA! License given freely but be careful you don’t end up where I am. It’s a bummer having so many unicorns that remain unopened and unworn.
Buying Arpege is a good idea. It’s still so lovely, even though it’s not the exact same as the vintage stuff.
Portia xx
Good for you. That is one amazing cull! It must be fun discovering forgotten perfumes all over again, even if you decide to part with them. I have slowed down sampling. It’s end of winter slump time.
Hey Maya,
Long forgotten beauties. So many! It’s a bit sad really that none of them got the envisioned wear and love. It will be nice to send them off to new loving homes.
Portia xx
Maybe self control is overrated when it comes to perfume? ?
Brooklyn sounds right up my scent alley. I haven’t tried anything from this house, but I will soon be rewarding myself for finishing both a certification course for volunteer work and what turned into nearly a year of physical therapy, so…
WOW MaggieCat,
This is definitely two things to be celebrating. Congratulations. Does that mean you have finished your PT, or is it ongoing?
Portia xx
The fact that it reminds you of Arpege is a big point in its favor in my book. Like Musette, Arpege has been an HG for me during a long span of my life. I may have sniffed some Gallivants, but I haven’t worn any yet.
Hey DinaC,
Now don’t go expecting a replica, it’s definitely a new creation BUT Brooklyn does have a similar energy and some crossover.
Maybe this could be your first Gallivant wear?
Portia xx
just wow. this made me think of my ex-husband, who collected books. when we were moving to Amsterdam from Brooklyn, he was already in Europe so I was packing his books on my own. I didn’t have the sense to say he needed to get his company to pack everything.
literally thousands of books. the cats loved climbing on the box tower I made. after that and post splitting up I started divesting books to charity shops and instituted a one in/one out policy. I now have around 250 books.
I am no longer a collector. packing those books beat it out of me. I think I have 20 full bottles of perfume plus decants and samples.
Liz Taylor … yup, see that.
Oh, I would try a fragrance called Brooklyn, having lived there 🙂
Cinnamon,
When we emptied the family home to rent it out the rumpus room was basically a room full to the tippy top of books. Mum and I had been voracious readers and both my sister and dad liked a read as well. None of us had similar tastes and we had never let a book go unless it got lent and never returned. After four or five trips to the local StVdeP they asked us to take any more books to another shop.
I feel your pain.
Now that my eyes are so bad I can only read a Kindle. Now there are only a few, much loved, fondly remembered tomes here.
I bet you’d like Brooklyn.
Portia xx
Love the Liz analogy! You are indeed equally fabulous!
HA! Thanks Alityke.
Portia xx
You left me gasping! at the sheer volume of your collection!!
Then you left me gasping AGAIN! with the scent reference to Arpege ( which you probably know is one of my HGs!!)
YAY! Making you gasp is one of my life goals Musette.
The collection is both stupendous and stupid. I’ll be glad to slim it down.
Arpege is a wonder, even in its modern, sleeker form. A little swipe of the vintage extrait with lavish spritzing of the modem EdT/P? can make the day shine brighter.
Portia xx
And that’s PERSACKLY! the way I wear it, except I add the dusting powder. Because.. Dusting Powder.
OOOHHHHH Fancy!
Uhhmmm. One quarter (1/4) and how many bottles? Good lawd! That’s a lot. I don’t think I could do it. Maybe 1/10 is a better starting point (for me). I’m off to get a sample of Gallivant from STC because it sounds like a fun one (but big musks miss my nose, so I’m going to read up on that). I have a strong sniffer in general, but am anosmic to big molecule musks. I also find naturals last better and are more easily discerned to my nose. Good luck there with your destashing… (?).
Yeah, it’s revolting Shiva-woman. Zero self control.
I’m a bit Elizabeth Taylor, can’t just test and enjoy, if I love it then I’m marrying it.
That must mean a lot of missed sniffing in the laundry musk department.
Portia xx