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Should I get Knize 10

Thomas

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Originally Posted by turbozed
That writing is pretty ******.

Actually I like it: it blends history with relevant comparisons and in the process tells us just how well-rounded and smart he really thinks he is. I generally like his writing. But if you really want concise: read a review of something he does NOT like.
 

dopey

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Originally Posted by Thomas
Actually I like it: it blends history with relevant comparisons and in the process tells us just how well-rounded and smart he really thinks he is. I generally like his writing. But if you really want concise: read a review of something he does NOT like.

I agree with this, though think about it differently. It is very hard for a written review to tell me what a fragrance will smell like. The good ones will give you an idea, but unless the reader has synched up his vocabulary and reference smells with the writer, the gap between words and smell is too great. Instead, I like reviews that tell me about the fragrance - where it fits in the world, what it evokes, a little about who made it and how and why. The review will still be subjective, but at least I learn something. From that perspective, I think Turin is among the best.
 

turbozed

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Originally Posted by Thomas
Actually I like it: it blends history with relevant comparisons and in the process tells us just how well-rounded and smart he really thinks he is. I generally like his writing. But if you really want concise: read a review of something he does NOT like.
It just comes across as pretentious and overbearing. It's like the literary equivalent of wearing too much cologne. For instance, as time passes, you'll find fewer people that know anybody on this earth. Why just Napoleon? It seems as if he chooses that specific quote just so he can evoke a stately sounding french name like Alphonse Allais (or whatever the hell it is) and then drop "Grand Armee" on us to sound even more sophisticated. It's stupid and pretentious. Also, I'm sure it can be said of the worst smelling thing on the market that 'there is only one like it' but this doesn't necessarily mean we should run out and get it. I can appreciate good prose when I see one but I think that dude's style evokes flowery emptiness. It 'gently kisses my lips' but leaves a foul odor of bullshit.
 

Thomas

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Originally Posted by turbozed
It just comes across as pretentious and overbearing. It's like the literary equivalent of wearing too much cologne.

Doesn't it at least interest you to get a glimpse at what's behind the juice in the bottles? Admittedly he sometimes falls in love with his knowledge, but I'd rather read someone who cares than, say, Chandler Burr who seems to read the perfumer's brief and then tell us the names of the synthetic compounds that went into the bottle.

How boring would it be to read: smells like XXXX, YYYYY, and CCCC. When it dries down it smells like ..... And besides: the smells vary depending on skin chemistry anyway (not a lot, but still), AND they smell different on paper than on skin: see the reviews for Mona di Orio - a few people I trust have her perfumes and tell me that they are indeed vile on paper (Turin savages each one with a special bile)...but magnificent on skin. Reviewing from that perspective is tricky business, might as well talk a little bit about some other aspect of it.
 

Thomas

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Originally Posted by turbozed
For instance, as time passes, you'll find fewer people that know anybody on this earth. Why just Napoleon? It seems as if he chooses that specific quote just so he can evoke a stately sounding french name like Alphonse Allais (or whatever the hell it is) and then drop "Grand Armee" on us to sound even more sophisticated. It's stupid and pretentious.


Well, you can't really say he didn't get your attention with his review. So what if he drops names that only the Frenchys can pronounce? We can agree to disagree.
 

turbozed

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Originally Posted by Thomas
Doesn't it at least interest you to get a glimpse at what's behind the juice in the bottles? Admittedly he sometimes falls in love with his knowledge, but I'd rather read someone who cares than, say, Chandler Burr who seems to read the perfumer's brief and then tell us the names of the synthetic compounds that went into the bottle.

How boring would it be to read: smells like XXXX, YYYYY, and CCCC. When it dries down it smells like ..... And besides: the smells vary depending on skin chemistry anyway (not a lot, but still), AND they smell different on paper than on skin: see the reviews for Mona di Orio - a few people I trust have her perfumes and tell me that they are indeed vile on paper (Turin savages each one with a special bile)...but magnificent on skin. Reviewing from that perspective is tricky business, might as well talk a little bit about some other aspect of it.


Explanation above. I would probably agree with you that what you mention is a good perspective. I just don't think he really achieves it well. Maybe it's unfair to judge the author on one paragraph. It's just the initial impression I got.
 

Thomas

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So the decant arrived today and it's better than I recall. Lots better. I think you'd like this.
 

Snoopysniffer

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The most obvious answer is not if you can find Knize 2. Ten smells like 4710 or something like it. Why did Knize stop making 2 anyway? Does anyone have an answer?
 

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