Classical values: Kouros
Kouros : how misrepresented you are….I almost feel pity. Or perhaps not.
Because it has been over applied and misused by many, it earned a reputation of no less than piss (enter the comment of a character in the indie film “The locals” who says so, when the other guy slips a bottle of Kouros out of the glove compartment and says girls at work like it). I still like it in small doses.
Someone I know who actually did work for Yves Saint Laurent back in his heyday had a little anecdote on its creation to share: when Yves visited Greece in the 1970’s he made a stop at Sounion, that cape at the edge of Attica with the famous Poseidon temple. This temple was situated at an advantageous point for surveillance of the Aegean in case of a potential enemy fleet and formed part of the Holy triangle.
The day was bright, the sea ahead was azure blue, the columns of the temple stood imposingly solid. The only etchings on the marble then were those of Lord Byron who obviously felt the need to leave his name on a piece of antiquity: see, vandalism was not unknown even back then, even if Byron assisted the country’s national revolution. But I digress.
Yves contemplated the view and was inspired to recreate the feeling in a perfume.
The progressive sketches he made were of stylized columns that little by little became the austere white image of the bottle we know today.
Kouros the name was in keeping with the archaic theme. Kouros (plural kouroi) is an iconographic type of the archaic Greek sculpture of 6th century BC that featured the famous archaic smile. archaic smile. A statue of a young man, in the nude, with one leg slightly protruding before the other, it gives the impression of motion that is about to happen any minute now.
Kouros, the fragrance, launched in 1981 and became iconic of that period.
With its intense, pungent blast of the coriander opening it segues on to warm clove, sensual oakmoss and a touch of ambergris ( that infamous whale “vomit” that is so hard to come by) managing to smell both sweet and bitter at the same time, quite powdery which is unusual for men’s scents, insolent, audacious, almost Gordon Gekko.
The drydown is like freshly washed hair.
It is usually recommended to all ages, but frankly I can not picture it on the very very young, nor the old. It's best in between: a little experience is necessary, but not that much!
To be rediscovered by a new generation pretty soon.
I just wish they came up with a feminine version of this one : if it’s so common to do so with women’s perfumes, then why not with men’s?
Image of kouros from Getty, pics of ads by Psine.net
one comment
I agree..Kouros is a legend..and i am sick of the urinal jokes about it..
it carries the vitality & spirit of Yves.
KOUROS ..forever
taz () - 22 06 06
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