Helmut Lang Eau de Cologne
Helmut Lang (2000)

Helmut Lang Eau de Cologne (2000) is a Maurice Roucel creation first and foremost, so expect a big, rich, or punchy demeanor, despite the nomenclature. Helmut Lang himself was considered an autodidact in the fashion world, with no formal training, no education in the field, and never having worked under other designers until he could launch his own label. Instead, Lang went right to it in 1977 with a small studio, and by 1986 had his eponymous label that also created ready-to-wear clothing he designed, then had made. Extremely minimalist and clean, his designs were just in time for the height of minimalism in the late 80's through mid-90's; so by the year 2000, it seemed fitting to launch a fragrance range that also showcased this minimalism, with cash attained from a 51% stake in the house from Prada. The initial offerings were this cologne, and a Helmut Lang Eau de Parfum (2000) which were essentially the same composition with values tweaked to make the latter muskier and more floral. While very little Maurice Roucel does could be called minimal, as a famous chain-smoking perfumer with a penchant for overdosed perfumes (probably because he can;t smell them), he shows considerable restraint here.

The cologne offering here, which I am sampling in its original iteration, was often marketed for men while the eau de parfum was marketed to women, even if they share so much in common they really seem like concentrations of the same line a la Chanel. I wasn't too kind to the later Cuiron by Helmut Lang (2002), as I just could not see what all the fuss was about with such a boring, thin, and vapid clean woody-amber thing parading as leather. Here, we see the full brunt of the Roucel style on offer, with thick musks, rich florals, creamy sandalwood, and a bit of powder to make this feel "cologny". The opening doesn't impart much rosemary and lavender, as it is almost immediately suffocated by jasmine, muguet, orange blossom, heliotrope, and what feels like carnation in the heart. A fatty tonkin-like musk component is here, likely finessed with a bit of civet (or synthetic proxy), before the woody powdery bits settle in upon initial dry down. This is not thick like Musc Ravageur for Frédéric Malle (2000), but cut from the same cloth as it, and likely part of the same overall project as Roucel spit out a number of fragrances along this wavelength within a few years time. Overall, the performance is better than you'd think a cologne could be, thanks to that copious musk underpinning, although not on the level of Roucel's other work, or most average eau de toilette fragrances of the era.

In the context of the time period, this did feel and wear like a cologne, especially with all the fluffy jasmine hedione musk things coming out in the wake of Calvin Klein's continued success with the cK One by Calvin Klein (1994) range. This is meant to be a very smart, almost smarmy high-brow take on the whole androgynous minimalist chic "thing" that was starting to finally peter out by the 2000's, replaced by the bombastic side-eye of "mooks and midriffs" that saw annoying man children in baggy pants and women wearing tube tops and low-rider jeans, both sporting more piercings than your grandma's pincushion, right before things got "metrosexual" for guys, and "scene girl" for the ladies; oh what a time. It makes sense then that by 2005, Helmut Lang himself was tired of the clown show fashion had become, and hung it up. His fragrance range imploded with his retreat, but this one endured with periodic re-issues and a cult following. People have noticed remarkable differences between re-issues, but I sadly can't speak on that; so take this review with a grain of salt if you buy a newer bottle as I can't vouch for the smell of them. What I know is this here eau de cologne is surprisingly contrasted with floral, soapy, woody, and animal fat tendencies, making it deceptively complex despite the minimal aesthetic, and thus one of the better eau de cologne takes I've encountered. Thumbs up

I was 22 years old when the bottle for Helmut Lang EDC caught my eye. Its minimalism was what drew me to it, as minimalism, unless you were Chanel, was not all that common in commercial perfumery perfumery at that time (exhibit A: Givenchy's Pi bottle). So yes, my eyes followed me and I had little regard for how it smelled until I started wearing it and it became my signature scent, and the only one I knew who was wearing it. I felt pretty classy, and aspired to afford Helmut Lang menswear one day. This seemed like a good start.

Ahh, to be 22 again and go out on a Wednesday night, dance and carouse, then wake up the next morning and put on a necktie no less, arrive to work slightly hung over and still somehow muster my way through menial entry level admin work. All while smelling like the plushest, huggable musky scent I've known (Les Indemodables Musc de Sables comes in at a close second). It opens like little fluffy clouds (clue the Orb song with the Rickie Lee Jones sample) courtesy of gleaming aldehydes, then comes the original lavender haze, Taylor, with the purple-flower pie of heliotrope fleshing out a lily of the valley glisten and rosy blush. But its the musk that is the showstopper, shaded with labdanum, and its evident Maurice Roucel foreshadows Musc Ravageur and Labdanum 18 here, but I favor this due to its dreamy, voluminous heart.

I bought a second bottle which I neglected for a long time, and I still have that bottle today, half full and still smelling staggeringly beautiful, but I can't speak for its EDT rerelease in 2014 or EDP, so proceed with caution, as apparently the original EDC seems scarce and pricey nowadays. Clearly, I have a fond, long-standing association with Helmut Lang EDC so bear in mind that bias, but this is a clean, freshly groomed comfort for me, with many memories tied to it.

(This is a review for the Original version). Simply beautiful! White, pink and yellow florals upon a freshly polished cedarwood base surrounded by fresh white laundry. A very clean and refreshing scent with vibes of white soap and sherbet - in a very good way!

Helmut Lang EdC is a real joy to wear, all year round and for all occasions. I'd classify it as a woody, mossy oriental with a hint of dry woods.

The version of Helmut Lang EdC that I have was purchased over a decade ago (i.e., not the reformulated version). The scent is full of a warm vibe of frankincense, myrrh, cinnamon, amber and musk. There is a leathery vein in this one, adding to the masculine sensation.

Helmut Lang EdC is a reliable, confidence inspiring fragrance that lasts a good while throughout the day. It is not loud, nor is it unpredictable. It feels solid the whole time, even at the critical stage of fading when it could easily become cloying and take crazy olfactory u-turns. A wonderful go-to scent in my collection of colognes!

This little number is very attractive. There's a reason they brought it back after the earlier run, which sold out and was unavailable for a long spell (as I understand it).

This juice is very likeable. The opening and first ninety minutes are so, so enjoyable.

Toward the end it is still holding together, and you can remember what the opening smelled like.

Sadly,r the spoiler for me is a fairly long stretch in the heart where when I sniff, and I get mostly ... scented baby powder. Nearly as if it were a solifloré of that note.

I like powderiness, and even that mystery accord they still use in J&J baby powder, but this is a case it's a little too much by itself, with not much to support it, and so it's all I can smell for a while.

I suspect this is a unique condition, a curiosity in the way my skin plays out the notes of the composition, but whatever the root cause, for me this issue puts HLedC in the "cannot be FBW" class.

All that being said,for me it'd have to give it a neutral, but would strongly suggest any interested readers to test for yourself, as it's a very friendly composition whose quality is readily apparent, and so I am scoring it as *thumbs up* in my public rating.

Cheers,
/Avey

I think this must be the reformulated version.

It reminds me very much of Gold Musk by Santa Maria Novella, as the overriding impression is of an expensive soap you may find in a five star hotel.

The main problem is the longevity though -- I reckon 3 hours at the most and at the current price-point that's just not good enough.