Bond No. 9 Andy Warhol's Silver Factory

As you may have read from my Fall Ball entries, I had the pleasure of trying this fragrance along with other New York City Sniffapalooza attendees at Bond No. 9. It was exquisitely presented by No. 9's president Laurice Rahme. That day my nose was a little overloaded and what I experienced of Andy Warhol's Silver Factory was all smoky bonfire - perfect for a man, I thought.

As I test it at home with a clean olfactory palette, I am stunned at its sensuous, slightly metallic beauty. I must quote directly from Bond No. 9 because they have done such a superb job at marketing this fragrance.

"We conceived of Silver Factory as a smooth, smoky, spicy blend of interlacing incense (a key scent of the 60's), wood resin, and syrupy, seductive amber. But just to complicate things, we gave it a heart of jasmine, iris, and violet - a scent that Warhol was especially fond of. These slightly dissonant florals combine to evoke a metallic effect - that of warmed-up, molten silver. And then, for the merest hint of coolness, we threw in a handful of cedarwood."

Top Notes: Citrussy Bergamot in soft and gentle mode (as if it had a hangover), impudently zesty Grapefruit, mood-altering Lavender

Middle Notes: Non-shrinking Violet (Andy Warhol's favorite scent), intoxicating Incense summoning up the 60's with a single sniff, criminally sultry Jasmine, elusive, metallic Iris, smelling the way silver might smell

Bottom Notes: Velvety-soft Amber - a tranquilizer in fragrance form, syrupy Wood Resin, hinting of a raunchy breed of vanilla and cool but sensual Cedarwood

The sex appeal inherent in these descriptions is obvious to anyone. The fragrance really lives up to it. Rather than a completely woodsy scent like my first impression, Silver Factory combines warmth and coolness creating a wonderful contrast. The incense, amber, and wood resin abundantly give this fragrance a sensual warmth while the coolness of iris and violet give it the name. If silver had a scent what would it smell like? Cool, for certain. Metallic, yes. Warm and ambery? Probably not. Yet this fragrance was created to be smooth, smoky and a touch spicy. The name can throw you so I highly recommend testing on your skin. If you are anything like me, you will be blown away by its unique and alluring qualities, different from others in the same category such as Satellite Padparadscha (which is all cedarwood) or Bella Bellissima Perfect Night (which has a very similar combination of notes with ginger and vetiver added). I get just a touch of chilly flowers and an abundance of warm, resiny goodness.

The image it evokes consists of a short ride in a Volkswagon van into the woods at sunset. As night falls, Sean Connery and Robert Redford (still in their 30's), and my personal heartthrob, the iconic Benicio Del Toro build a campfire. Over the heat and warmth of the crackling fire, we proceed to have profound and deeply meaningful conversation followed by much laughter and flirtation. Sexually stimulating, retro, warm, inviting and a bit playful describe this evening. And this evening encapsulates the scent of Silver Factory.

The bottle design is impeccably pop culture Warhol, reminiscent of the Campbell's Soup Can silkscreen paintings he produced in 1965.

Much to my delight, and in true Campbell's condensed soup fashion, Bond No. 9 will offer Warhol fragrances as 28 percent perfume concentrates. The bottle pictured arrives in a banded keepsake box with Warhol's signature on the top. I cannot think of one detail that has been overlooked with this remarkably done fragrance. Kudos to Bond No. 9!

Andy Warhol Silver Factory will be available at the four Bond No. 9 New York boutiques, at www.bondno9.com, Saks Fifth Avenue nationwide and at CosBar, Scottsdale, AZ starting December 2007. A 3.4 oz bottle retails for $230.

Image courtesy of Bond No. 9. Warhol painting courtesy of moma.com.