Bond No. 9

Bond No. 9

Photo: Bond No. 9

Neighborhood: NoHo
Type of Place: Perfume

Description:
Are we there yet? An early Daylight Savings Time this year may be
making our evenings a bit lighter, but I for one did not appreciate the
freezing rain that was slamming into my face two days ago ("That rain
hurts!" exclaimed a woman on my office elevator, and no one could disagree
with her) or the deeper-than-it-looked puddle of snowy slush that
enveloped and soaked my entire right shoe last night. Pick-me-up needed,
pronto.

And pick-me-up found, in the form of perfume. Bond No. 9 is a beautiful
shop (check out the stylish-but-funky chairs, the elegant design
touches, and for that matter the staff, good-looking in a
could-be-a-genetically-blessed-artist kind of way); and it sells equally beautiful scents, each based on a neighborhood in NYC or some representative essence
of the city.

There are currently 28 Bond No. 9 scents, designed by in-house pro
Laurice Rahme. They're technically unisex--and you're more than welcome to
embrace any of them, regardless of your gender--but certain mixes are
currently drawing more women and others more men. For women, Chelsea
Flowers, Chinatown, West Side, and Nuits de NoHo are popular; men are
snapping up Wall St. and Riverside Drive. (Note to self: If I wear Wall
St., will I start to hatch great investment ideas and soon have enough
dough stashed for my dream wind-and-solar-powered beach house? Must
investigate.)

Pocket sprays in the signature scents start at $40; candles start at
$75. The fragrances are crafted with 18 to 22 percent eau de parfum, an
unusually high proportion for current lines. And if you're feeling
experimental, custom blending is available, resulting in a fragrance that
you helped to craft and that's yours alone.

I stuck to gender type (this time) and sampled Chelsea Flowers, which
was and is heavenly; each time I sniff my wrist, my spirits are lifted.
Ah, the powers of the nose. I hear the wind whipping around outside,
but hey--I smell like a garden (plus, I sense, a hint of vanilla), and no
March gale can take away that pleasure.   - Pamela Grossman; March 18, 2007

Bond No. 9
9 Bond St.
New York, NY 10012
212-228-1940
Website
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