I'm forging ahead with my Jil Sander Perfumes That Nobody's Ever Heard About* series of reviews, and the whole enterprise is seeming a little strange. Why write about perfume no one's ever heard about, or, to be more accurate, perfumes most people will probably never smell?
I enjoy reading food magazines, recipes, and reviews of restaurants I'll never visit, because I love when someone's words evoke a sense experience that I can complete in my imagination. It's fun to fantasize about what something might smell or taste like, and if I'm intrigued enough, I'll go ahead and try it out. (This has been true of almost every perfume that a perfume writer has ever written about with passion, for example, or every recipe I've read on Epicurious that tickled my fancy.)
Maybe after reading this, you'll give Jil Sander Woman 2 or 3 a shot.
Although they're in the same family — floral-chypre animalics (according to H&R) — JSW2 and JSW3 are quite different. Although JSW2 was more butch and leathery throughout, I never thought of it as a men's cologne but rather as a perfect unisex scent. JSW3's top notes are more recognizably masculine, but then it confusingly develops into a more conventional feminine chypre, lurching back occasionally to its "barbershop" scent from the top. (Jil Sander's fashion has always been androgynous, though, so even though you could call this perfume bisexual more so than androgynous, it fits in with her line.)
*
Top notes: Green note, bergamot, coriander, aldehyde, rosewood, bay
Heart notes: Rose, ylang-ylang, carnation, jasmine, lily of the valley, geranium, orris, tuberose
Base notes: Patchouli, castoreum, sandalwood, olibanum, benzoin, amber, moss, vanilla
Where 2 was all bitter green, butch leathery, and extra-arid dry, 3 starts off with a juicy galbanum-laced start, the pronounced masculine feel (perhaps) from the coriander, rosewood and bay leaf combo. In the several times I've tried this, I've caught a whiff of a narcotic white flower I thought was gardenia but must be some combination of jasmine, ylang-ylang and tuberose.
JS3's heart is gorgeous: it retains traces of the green, fresh top notes, and then moves to a powdery orris that transitions to spring-fresh florals such as rose and lily of the valley. By the time it begins to dry down, you feel you've been on a roller-coaster ride of personalities. As the fresh green opening hovers over florals and powder, its animalic base rounds it all off with with a mossy, incensey, leathery, creamy sandalwood finish.
As much as I like Jil Sander Woman 3, it confuses me a little. Its pieces don't fit together somehow, or even clash in a way that makes sense (Must, Miss Balmain, etc.). There's something a little unfinished about Jil Sander Woman 3 that leaves me wanting, although each time I sniff my wrists I get something gorgeous. (Maybe it's unfinished/showing-its-seams in a deliberate, postmodern way?) If I remember that it was released in 1986, though, its androgyny seems ahead of its time. It resembles a scent you could find at Barneys now— niche and a little experimental.
Jil Sander Woman 3 is not, however, without its unreserved champions. The one person on Basenotes who liked loved it, Hillaire, had this over-the-top praise:
"I cannot think of another full-on leather scent that can I never, ever tire of. Even some of my other, wonderful, favorite leathers can be a little hard on my stomach... if over-applied. But this one... just gets *better*. It's a creamy, sort-of leather that isn't quite like suede. It's mild and medicinal at the same time -- medicinal, meaning it has a salubrious and restorative kind of *freshness*, which calms and focuses the mind. If it were a *place*, it would be an elegant, light-flooded, modern flat with modern classic furnishings by Le Corbusier, or Gropius... And copious bookshelves full of psychoanalytic and postmodern theory. If it were a *car*, it would be an eighties-vintage, "M" series BMW. White with cranberry interior. If you EVER get a chance to smell this sensual, smart, unisex masterpiece, don't pass it up!"
* No one besides Gaia from The Non-Blonde, anyway, and from Hillaire, the VERY enthusiastic Basenoter above who's into Jil Sander Woman 3.
These (JSW 3 and 2) sound so good that I wonder why they were discontinued? I'm not likely to get to try them but I'll certainly keep an eye out for them, just in case:-)
cheerio, Anna in Edinburgh
Posted by: Anna in Edinburgh | March 07, 2011 at 04:32 PM
Hi Anna,
Maybe these Jil Sanders were discontinued because they came out during the Boucheron, Poison, and Rumba era, when perfumes started to get fruity and bombastic.
They retain a 70s affection for green notes and a 40s affection for leather-chypre-animalic qualities, both of which are pretty masculine in character. Feminine perfumes were in drag in the 80s, so I could see how these might not fit in. They're a little too dry, androgynous, and low key. I bet they'd succeed now if they were re-released.
In any case, I may have Jil Sander Woman 4 coming my way, so stay tuned! I think I'll stop there...
Posted by: Perfumaniac | March 07, 2011 at 04:56 PM
So was there a Jil Sander 1? Presumably it was just called Jil Sander ...
Great reviews - these both sound wonderful. My experience of harsh leathers is limited to Azuree, which is just a bit harsh for me. If Jil Sander 3 is gentler, it would be more attractive to me. I love the androgyny - and your postmodern comment about having the seams showing!
Those ad photos are interesting, especially the one for JS2. An oddly off-centre image of a woman who looks quite indifferent to the idea that she is selling perfume. She looks like she was waiting for a bus. That is so appealing, when you compare it to the aesthetic used to advertise those big 80s power scents you mention.
Also, in a quick online search I noticed that JS3 seems much easier to come by than JS2. Was JS2 a commercial flop?
Posted by: Anne | March 08, 2011 at 12:08 AM
Hi, Anne. I did enjoy these perfumes a lot. And yes, if you think Azuree is too harsh, you will definitely prefer 3 to 2. As for the ads, they're images from Jil Sander fashion ads, but not perfume. I couldn't find anything for the perfumes, which is not surprising. Coming up in a few days — Jil Sander 4! And then I'm done with her for a while. :-)
Posted by: Perfumaniac | March 08, 2011 at 12:52 AM
Am I wrong-- is Jill Sander 4 an 80's perfume? If there's ever been a perfume that conveyed pastels, power pearls, and shoulder pads, JS4 is it to me-- and, somehow, I love it!! It may well be the fruitiest scent I can honestly say I love.
As usual, I was completely ignorant about JS 2 & 3-- it'd be so fun to try them...
Posted by: Rita | March 08, 2011 at 03:40 PM
Hey Rita,
How are you?! I will have to send you a private message so we can truly chat. Yes, JS4 is 80s — all of em I think. I'm wary of fruity scents, but I'm going to give it a try! Funny how 2, 3, and 4 get progressively sweeter. I know you liked Bandit, and 2 was really Bandit-esque. You'll hear from me shortly! Thanks for stopping by.
Posted by: Perfumaniac | March 08, 2011 at 05:21 PM
I wore JSW3 and adored it. I still have my empty bottle and love to sniff and take in the memory. I have never found another scent quite like it.
Posted by: Nicolibba | March 13, 2011 at 11:05 AM
The image of someone sniffing an empty bottle is so sad, Nicolibba! But I understand. It's beautiful!
Posted by: Perfumaniac | March 13, 2011 at 03:18 PM
I can answer your first question: because there are some of us out there who owned and love these scents and who would give the world to feel again young and careless and go out with the same feeling we had when we wore them the first time. For me perfume is a feeling and I try to hold on to the feelings I enjoy. Being young and able to conquer the world is something unique. Jil Sander III goes for me with this feeling - fresh, powerful, special. It was a very woody fragrance to me, but it seemed greener back then. Recently I bought an old tester and now it seems to me rather bitter and herbal. Still very nice and special, but it feels like the scent grew old...
Posted by: Neva | May 18, 2014 at 07:04 AM
Coriandre & Jil Sander W3 were my daily-mytical fragrances. Coriandre still is. Never found similar scents; both (summer/winter) are my signature scent. since i can't find W3, only Coriandre left, summer & winter...
Thanks! this artical was an intelectual ( & a bit painfull...) pleasure.
Anat
Posted by: Anat Vardimon | May 09, 2016 at 11:05 AM