Bargain Fragrances: Close by GAP (2009)

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.

Summary: One of Gap’s best fragrance launches echoes aroma trends of its time offering a dusky fresh floral over a light musky amber base with accents of almond and vanilla; now at an unbeatable price and widely available at online and brick and mortar discounters.

Perfumer: Marypierre Julien

Try this if you like: Almonds, vanilla; peony, freesia or jasmine; aquatics or clean skin scents.

Reminds me of: Clinique Simply, Yves Rocher Neonatura Breathe, SJP Lovely, Emporio Armani White, Nina Ricci Premier Jour, Gattinoni Couture.

Pros & Cons: Coming from someone who owns or has owned each of the scents listed above, Close is like the perfect amalgamation of all of them – an easy to wear, unobtrusive, fresh floral with one of those “your skin but better” vibes. The bottle is simple though rather mundane and the longevity and sillage are average at best; indeed, the name perfectly describes the sillage here. The price is pretty fantastic, however, and I find myself re-spraying with abandon just to get another fix of Close.

Notes: “It encompasses aromas of aquatic accords, salty citruses and fresh almond scents. A heart brings us white flowers, freesia, jasmine and heliotrope while a base features sandalwood, leather musk, vanilla and amber.” Fragrantica

Designer’s Description: N/A

Number of times tested: 10 times over the last 2 months.

Number of sprays applied for this review: 2 sprays to the back of my hand from a 100ml bottle I purchased online (ca. 2015).

Fragrance strength: Eau de Toilette

Development: (Linear / Average / Complex): Close is interesting in that the first few minutes are quite sharp and sweet, absolutely not what the rest of the wearing is about. I imagine this might be the result of the “salty citruses” listed in the composition; have patience with this one upon application. After the opening, the soft jasmine and the greenness of the freesia blossom on my skin, like fresh crushed leaves, while the vanilla, almond and heliotrope expand to cushion this floral accord. The drydown is a white musk and soft amber.

Longevity: (Short/ Average / Long-lasting) Close lasts about 3-4 hours on my skin and lingers longer on clothing.

Sillage: (A Little / Average / A Lot) As the name implies, Close is a soft scent for snuggling.

Note about the packaging: Much like the SJP Lovely bottle, looks like a raindrop but in translucent white with simple silver cap. The bottle is housed in a rectangular, transparent plastic box.

Where can I buy it? A 100ml EDT spray is as low as $20 USD, and a 50ml EDT spray is as low as $12 USD on online auction and discount sites.

The Bottom Line: GAP hasn’t exactly been known for its bath and beauty lines, but when they finally launched fragrances back in the 1990’s the aromas were met with an enthusiastic reception; the company was smart to avoid the typical named, gendered offerings and instead brought us scents like Dream, Om, Grass and Day, ostensibly genderless scents of simplicity and affordability. I think I owned all of them at one time or another, having always loved the white floral sweetness of Dream and the greenness of Grass. Since the original launches I haven’t found a single scent worth mentioning. They’ve largely all been forgettable, uninspired copies of other mainstream aromas, or barely-there body sprays and mists akin to B&BW offerings. Even today I can’t say that there is anything worth noting, and don’t even get me started on the longevity issues with most of them. But Close is something different. I remember sniffing Close upon launch in an airport Gap store and finding it, simply, lovely. Understated, clean, slightly floral yet with gourmand undertones, I felt tempted to buy it. Knowing Gap, I figured I’d wait for a sale. Not having returned to a Gap store since that time, it’s been a long wait! I tend to sample my Gap scents during sniffathons at TJ Maxx and Marshalls, American discount stores. Recently, I noticed a bottle of Close and decided to revisit it. So many other scents came to mind that the aroma was immediately familiar…so familiar that I decided a purchase would be redundant. However, while browsing Ebay I found a tester at deep discount and $12 later I’m addicted. Yes, it has the soft floral musk of SJP Lovely and vanilla accents of Nina Ricci Premier Jour along with the nutty, almond notes of Gattinoni and Clinique Simply. I love the verdant vibe wafting through the opening and the musky gourmand drydown. And since I don’t have access to any of these scents while staying with family this autumn in south Florida, Close fills a gap (pardon the pun) in my current scent wardrobe. Have you tried Close? How do you feel about GAP fragrances in general? Can you recommend any of their other offerings as bargain buys? Tell us in a comment below!