Kenneth Cole
Kenneth Cole
99 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Pepper crackles immediately with bright, almost sharp character, whilst the grapefruit provides fleeting citric relief—a duo that feels energetic but somewhat disconnected from the lavender's attempt to mellow proceedings. Within five minutes, you're aware this is not a fragrance that will demand attention.
The woody notes emerge as a synthetic blanket, soft but conspicuously artificial, whilst the orchid fails to bloom with any real presence. Cedar and iris blend into an abstract woodiness that feels more like an idea of forest than an actual forest walk, the patchouli offering minimal anchoring depth.
Cashmere wood and sandalwood create a pale, whispered base that dissipates with notable speed—the vetiver adds the faintest herbal memory before the fragrance retreats almost apologetically into skin scent, barely registering by the fourth hour.
R.S.V.P. presents itself as a fragrance caught between two minds—neither fully committing to fresh vivacity nor woody depth. The opening salvo of pepper and grapefruit suggests ambition, a desire to snap awake with citric brightness and spiced bite, yet this top-note exuberance feels curiously unmoored. Frank Voelkl's composition allows the lavender to soften rather than frame these elements, creating a somewhat hazy aromatic impression that lacks the crystalline clarity one might expect from a 2006 designer scent.
The heart attempts redemption through an orchid-cedar pairing that should theoretically create an intriguing tension—floral sensuality meeting woody restraint. Instead, the iris and cedar drift into a somewhat synthetic woodiness (the accords confirm 64% synthetic content) that reads as polished rather than natural, as though you're smelling a rendering of cedar rather than the wood itself. The patchouli beneath carries earthy weight, yet struggles to ground the composition meaningfully.
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3.4/5 (97)