DKNY / Donna Karan
DKNY / Donna Karan
82 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Pink pepper and raspberry surge forward with aggressive brightness, the galbanum's green bite immediately apparent, creating an almost peppery-tart impression that feels deliberate in its resistance to sweetness. Within seconds, you're confronted with a fragrance that knows what it is: architectural, precise, unapologetically modern.
Orris root's powdery warmth blends with a restrained jasmine and freesia that contribute refinement without depth—the composition settles into something vaguely aldehydic and cosmetic, like a luxury skincare counter's ambient scent. There's pleasantness here, but little intrigue.
The base never truly announces itself; instead, vanilla and musk create a soft, almost colourless halo that dissipates into your skin rather than projecting outward. What remains is a barely-there sweetness and an amber-tinged skin scent that feels more like the ghost of a fragrance than its substance.
My NY opens with an almost confrontational brightness—raspberry and pink pepper colliding in a manner that feels more peppery confectionery than fruited floral. There's a peculiar sharpness here, the galbanum cutting through with its green, slightly metallic edge, preventing the composition from veering into pure sweetness. It's deliberately restless, refusing to settle into comfort.
As the composition breathes, orris root emerges with its powdery, almost cosmetic quality, anchoring the top's volatile energy. Egyptian jasmine and freesia arrive as a softening influence, though neither truly dominates—the jasmine offers indolic warmth rather than heady intoxication, whilst freesia contributes an airy, slightly soapy transparency. This heart phase feels like walking through a botanically-scented department store where someone's just applied talcum powder; there's elegance here, but it borders on sterile.
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3.4/5 (77)