08/13/2012
Apicius
222 Reviews
Apicius
Helpful Review
2
A Hurrah for German Engineering!
Sometimes curiosity prevails: after I had found a cheap offer on the net, I ordered four out of five of the Synthetics series. Samples weren’t available anywhere.
Skai is truely beautific. It is really ugly, nevertheless you feel tempted to sniff it – just like it was a certain sort of glue.
Imitation leather today avoids any outstanding artificial or synthetic smell – not so Skai as it was produced in the 70ies. I have a vague memory – I remember I always found it funny that commodities made of “Kunstleder” or “Knautschleder” (crumpled or creased imitation leather) had this strange chemical odour, and that people would accept such a pungent smell for the benefit of a leather-like item. You can still get Skai from Konrad Hornschuch AG – however, I very much assume they did what perfumers do – reformulate it! Quite interesting what stuff is still being produced with Skai.
The impression of smelly reddish brown imitation leather sofas, bootees or bags provided by the perfume is achieved by a kind of suede accord that has been altered for a more synthetic appeal. The perfumer has done well – Skai really deserves to be in a Synthetics line.
Skai is authentic and original, and only for its originality it has to be praised. With this perfume, Comme des Garçons payed a reference to a historical product of (German) chemical engineering. I like the thought of a perfume reminding the world of a profane, everyday material that is about to go. In a way, CdG’s Skai is an olfactory place of remembrance. This concept makes a considerable difference to some of their other perfumes known as synthetic: Odeur 51 are 73 are just horrible blends of different synthetic sensations, their burnt-dust-on-lightbulbs-accords do not point at anything in particular.
Skai is quite unwearable – unless you have a special fetish in imitation leather. Ironically, as for many monuments, people will not be able to make much use of it.
What else have the perfume Skai and the Konrad Hornschuch product in common? Both are washable!
Skai is truely beautific. It is really ugly, nevertheless you feel tempted to sniff it – just like it was a certain sort of glue.
Imitation leather today avoids any outstanding artificial or synthetic smell – not so Skai as it was produced in the 70ies. I have a vague memory – I remember I always found it funny that commodities made of “Kunstleder” or “Knautschleder” (crumpled or creased imitation leather) had this strange chemical odour, and that people would accept such a pungent smell for the benefit of a leather-like item. You can still get Skai from Konrad Hornschuch AG – however, I very much assume they did what perfumers do – reformulate it! Quite interesting what stuff is still being produced with Skai.
The impression of smelly reddish brown imitation leather sofas, bootees or bags provided by the perfume is achieved by a kind of suede accord that has been altered for a more synthetic appeal. The perfumer has done well – Skai really deserves to be in a Synthetics line.
Skai is authentic and original, and only for its originality it has to be praised. With this perfume, Comme des Garçons payed a reference to a historical product of (German) chemical engineering. I like the thought of a perfume reminding the world of a profane, everyday material that is about to go. In a way, CdG’s Skai is an olfactory place of remembrance. This concept makes a considerable difference to some of their other perfumes known as synthetic: Odeur 51 are 73 are just horrible blends of different synthetic sensations, their burnt-dust-on-lightbulbs-accords do not point at anything in particular.
Skai is quite unwearable – unless you have a special fetish in imitation leather. Ironically, as for many monuments, people will not be able to make much use of it.
What else have the perfume Skai and the Konrad Hornschuch product in common? Both are washable!
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