Avant Garde by Lanvin (2011)

by: Dr. Marlen Elliot Harrison

This is another in a series of bargain fragrance reviews, scents that may be found online or at discount stores for US $25 or less. Leave a comment below for your chance to receive a sample, shipped anywhere in the world, free!

Summary: The sixth modern “men’s” fragrance from the house of Lanvin, Avant Garde is perhaps the most, well, avant garde, and easily my favorite offering from the house. A honeyed tobacco and woods aroma with herbal accents, Avant Garde is easily unisex and housed in a stunning bottle.

Perfumer: Shyamala Maisondieu.

Try this if you like: Vanillic and spicy fragrances; honey, amber, tobacco, woods, and slightly nutty accents.

Pros & Cons: My favorite tobacco-themed scent. Finally, a hint of honey without the powdery ick that sometimes accompanies it; and I love the sleek bottle. Comes across as a lighter version of Lutens Chergui or Spicebomb minus the cinnamon … but this also means that Avant Garde may be slightly too subtle or straightforward for some … perhaps not avant garde enough. Good longevity yet subtle sillage.

Notes: “AVANT-GARDE: the fragrance for today’s dandy. It combines spicy and fresh top notes of bergamot and black pepper, while its sharp heart notes blend lavender and honey. The unique base notes oscillate between the intensity of Georgywood—an exclusive note with woody amber facets—and the warmth of benzoin”—LanvinPerfumes.com. Other sites also include the following notes: juniper, vetiver, benzoin, nutmeg, bergamot, and cardamom.

Reminds me of: Lalique Le Parfum, Diptyque Volutes, Serge Lutens Chergui,L’Artisan Bois Farine, Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb, Givenchy Pi, Armani Code, Musc Ravageur.

Designer’s Description: “Lanvin's Avant Garde Eau de Toilette for men is modern and elegant, yet edgy. Subtly stylish, refined yet casual, Avant Garde's creation was inspired by Lanvin's ready-to-wear collection for men. This sophisticated fragrance is for a modern, independent man with character, who wants to assert himself, and wants his fragrance to express his strong identity. Avant Garde uses pure and noble raw materials for a contemporary, cutting-edge result. This woody oriental spicy fragrance offers fresh top notes of black pepper and pink peppercorn, leading into heart notes of unexpected lavender and undertones of beeswax. The woody base notes of georgywood and intense vetiver give the scent its lasting power. The bottle's uncluttered, simple design, with smooth curves and a matt black finish, is an interpretation of the evening suit.”—HouseofFraser.co.uk

Number of times tested: 20+ times over the last two years.

Number of sprays applied for this review: Two sprays to the back of my hand from a bottle I purchased.

Fragrance strength: Eau de Toilette

Development: (Linear / Average / Complex) Avant Garde offers very little development; the fragrance starts and ends the same. I love lavender and kept waiting for it to make an appearance … but to no avail.

Longevity: (Short / Average / Long-lasting) I get around 7-8 hours from only two sprays, albeit subtly.

Sillage: (A Little / Average / A Lot) Though I’ve worn this one quite a bit, no one has ever inquired or commented. This leads me to believe that the sillage is reserved here.

Note about the packaging: Opaque black/green glass oval bottle with small metal cap and translucent striped section running down front and back. The bottle is housed in a matching rectangular paper box. The current Lanvin designers have explained, “The Avant-Garde bottle reflects the perfectionism of Lanvin menswear. Its fundamentally simple lines joyfully embody the house’s chic and contemporary style. With its ergonomic shape and refined curves, it is an elegant reinterpretation of an evening suit.”—Lanvin.com

Where can I buy it? I found a 100 ml tester for $17 USD on Ebay.

The Bottom Line: I’ll be honest—I’ve never met a Lanvin fragrance that I’ve actually loved. Yes, the recent female launches have been … pretty. And yes, the Lanvin classics are … classic. But the modern men’s launches have all been rather banal. I tried to love both Oxygene and Arpège, for example, and found both to be far inferior to their sniff-alike contemporaries. This comes as a bit of a shocker from the couture house who brought us fragrances named Scandal,Rumor (Rumeur), and My Sin! And judging from the prices of modern Lanvin scents and how quickly they appear on discounter shelves, it’s safe to say that I’m not the only one who has been less than enamored with many of the house’s modern offerings.

Enter Avant Garde. I had few expectations upon first sniff and was pleasantly surprised to discover a subdued honey/tobacco blend. I tested it in duty free, on the way to somewhere distant, and more than enjoyed wearing it for the remainder of my journey. Even more happily, I was excited that it actually lasted for the remainder of my journey.

A few months later I happily purchased a discounted bottle for about $30 online and upon its arrival, Avant Garde instantly entered regular rotation. Finally, I found a Lanvin scent that I could love!

But something funny kept happening. Every time I wore it, I would be reminded of something else. First it was Chergui from Serge Lutens (and Christopher Sheldrake) with all of its sweet tobacco spiciness. Then the drydown of Avant Garde entranced me with the unique use of a slightly peanut butterish Georgywood, recalling Jean-Claude Ellena’s delicious Bois Farine from L’Artisan. And once I brought Spicebomb into the collection, I kept thinking of it as the lovechild of Egoiste and Avant Garde.

Although not specifically a vanilla scent, the benzoin and tobacco offer enough of a gourmand edge that I’m also reminded of scents like Lalique Le Parfum andGivenchy Pi. Some reviewers have noted similarities to CK Shock and YSL La Nuit L’Homme, but I find these to be either fruitier or more peppery. The honeyed tones is Avant Garde surely set it apart.

Sweet, aromatic, slightly nutty, slightly woody, almost gourmand, and a hint of Roucel’s Musc Ravageur: this is my Avant Garde. With great longevity, good projection, and an amazing price, this is an easy purchase for sweet tobacco and honey lovers, both women and men alike!