Hot Couture

I always like to get a travel spray of perfumes (if available) before I commit to buying a whole bottle and i'm glad I did with this one. It's not the worst smell but it's definitely giving off an older lady perfume vibe. Almost smells like something my grandma wears.

Hot Couture....more like Hot mess!! for me anyways. I cant detect any berries at all. Just a night at a smoke filled dive bar type smell...you can practically hear the whisky glasses clinking...your shoes stick to the floor...a pool table and a garage back ally band on stage. Everyone is chain smoking so much nothing will ever get the smoke smell out of your favorite jeans so you just go with it....Givenchy makes a strong concoction though so if this works for your skin chemistry shes one powerhouse. Wish they made bold fragrances more like this....even tho I'd never wear this I still respect its bravery. Its not just another mild sugar flower bomb shes bold and brave. Very Pulp fiction wish I could pull it off.

I finally got a sample of this I've been reading lots of reviews and seeing YouTube influencers. Yes I know this is a older production. And they have reformulated it. I don't know if I have to let this sample macerate like most other perfumes. But I sprayed it on yes I smelled the raspberry but in like 5 minutes everything disappeared. Really disappointed I was kind of looking forward to having something vintage and iconic. Guess I'm going to have to pass on this especially for the price

I purchased this when I heard that this is Amy Winehouse’s favourite perfume, where she would go through so many bottles of it regularly. As it has citrus notes, which I dislike, I just wanted to sniff it out of curiosity then give it away - but I was genuinely surprised that the citrus were not egregious and just smelled clean and fresh. This is something that smokers would want, as the after-smell of tobacco smoke would actually blend cohesively well with the perfume and make it feel like it’s party of the perfume.

Was finally able to get the EDP online, between the EDP and EDT I prefer the EDT out of the two. They have relaunched, so the bottle is now different more bulky and clean esthetic but so similar to so many other bottle which is a shame. To my nose, at first spray, I really smell the Raspberry but it is softened with the Citrus notes so its not super sweet. As it starts to settle on the skin, I smell prominent Pepper and Magnolia, the Vetiver helps tone down the notes gently. Once settled, I do smell Sandalwood with soft Amber to warm this fragrance and the Musk. The scent trail I mostly smell is subtle soft Raspberries with a warm Peppery, Woody Floral. I like it but prefer the more sweeter version with the EDT and find it to be more complex than this. This is more the 'big sister' with the EDP, the 'little sister' with the EDT to my nose.

I have the old formulation bottle at least 5 years old and it's devine perfume. Sweet raspberry with spices which smells girly, smokey a bit trashy and sophisticated at the same time. It's so different from everything you can smell nowadays. It lasts, projects and develops interestingly. It starts with sweet peppery raspberry with a bit of soft smoke. With time it becomes less sweet and fruity, more on the fresh and woody side. On the deep drydown (10+ hours) I get slightly (men's) shower gel freshness. The texture of this perfume seems thin, pearcing, nothing rounded or creamy fitting modern aesthetics yet it's so complex. This was eye rolling love from the first try on my skin which is growing with every wear.

Raspberry, pepper, and sandalwood make for a stellar trio here. To me, this is the epitome of 'girly grunge'—think sticky raspberry lipgloss and cigarette smoke in a blurry 2000s indie club. It’s messy, sweet, and undeniably cool.

The old version is one of my all time Givenchy favourites. A spicy raspberry that gave warmth to my winters. Miss the old version to this day.

Found at goodwill with no cap, no box, and an engraving in the bottle. Looks vintage and smells like it too. I get raspberry and vetiver the most, followed by the pepper. And that's most of it. There is a slight floral and maybe a slight bergamot. The base notes blend together into a soft pillow, supporting the rest. I get zero orange. I will say that the combination of notes does give it a weird minty pencil shaving vibe. It smells older than the 2000s but I can't place the decade. I'm surprised there seems to be a cult following for this. It's not bad, but not wowing me either. I was excited when I saw the notes, but I think the pepper is doing too much. The dry-down is much nicer once the pepper leaves and has a comforting feeling.

This perfume always reminds me of my mom. Her signature scent. A mature smell that somehow comes across as sexy. A night out in the city in the 2000s.

un perfume complicado de gustar, me lo compré a ciegas y aunque creo que no fue mi peor error absoluto sí es difícil de apreciar. por suerte en mi piel no queda asqueroso, pero la pimienta es insoportable y hace que el perfume se vuelva muy molesto. no lo volvería a comprar pero tiene mucha personalidad y por eso está en mi colección también. definitivamente es nocturno, sexy y de invierno/otoño muy fresco, en verano es imposible.

perhaps the most boring women’s perfume I’ve ever tried. I have next to nothing to say. candy that is sort of spicy, and it’s been sitting at the bottom of your purse for a few months. that’s it, that’s the fragrance.

Not to be dramatic, but this is life changing. Strong raspberry opener which I do love and the rest is super well blended. I don't love rose and there is a SLIGHT whisper of rose in here though it isn't listed, but it is so blended in it doesn't bother me. It is an adult early 2000s scent - not like Viva la Juicy or Paris Hilton, but the vibe is there, just more grown up. It sort of smells like a perfume you found in Vogue on a scented ad and begged your mom for but it was too pricey. It smells slightly adjacent to Dolce and Gabbana Pour Femme but not as sweet and more wearable. Definitely a date night scent but good luck getting me to not wear it 24/7 for the next two months.

It feels like Givenchy put all their past, present, and future creativity into Hot Couture, and then the inspiration was gone. This fragrance remains their true masterpiece.

Smells like Campari, and now I can’t unsmell it 😂 I love the notes, love campari and love bars, but don’t really love this perfume.

I am going to compare both the old one from 2000 and the new one from 2022, since I have both. The middle and the base notes in the new one don't compare to the middle and base notes in the old by any means. Yes, they give a bit of a similar effect, but that's by virtue of the top-notes only. New one as described by Givenchy itself: https://www.givenchybeauty.com/int/en/p/hot-couture-F10100179.html - Head notes: Raspberry Accord - Heart notes: Grandiflorum Jasmine Absolute from India - Base notes: Vetiver Essence from Haiti The Indian jasmin has a contrasting effect with the raspberry. Nonetheless, it won't appeal to you if you know how did the black pepper did so back in early 2000's. It lasts a lot less longer than the old one with a ratio of ~ 4:1 in favour of the old one off course. As someone mentioned here, it's something in the lines of a classy girl trying to go trashy. Sometimes she is more or less ClassyTrashy based on which note is more dominant in the moment.

Femininity in a bottle. Sweet aromatic fresh rasberries seamlessly blended with magnolia evoking a slight aquatic touch. It's slightly smoky and woody and powdery. It is a beautiful symphony of notes playing together in harmony. So effortlessly stunning. Classy. Love.

This is sadly so underrated. I watched a review on YouTube that said this is an anti depressant in a bottle and its so true. Instant mood lifter. Its the perfect mix of floral, fruity with the perfect amount of sweetness and warmth. I detect the boozy raspberry and magnolia. Its is divine on skin, but I find it doesn't develop as much on fabrics. I was lucky enough to find a 2018 version because im a sucker for the rectangular bottle. I do love the edt but I prefer this one, it just feels more lush

I remember the exact moment when I fell in love with Hot Couture. I was standing at The Bay's perfume counter, I was 20 years old, I was broke, and couldn't afford it. The lovely sales associate snuck me a handful of samples and I was instantly hooked on the sweet, spicy, warmth of that perfume. I came back to her counter as soon as I could afford it and I wore Hot Couture for almost a decade thereafter. It never failed to get me compliments on how good I smelled. It breaks my heart that the bottle and the formula has changed. Don't get me wrong, it's still a pretty perfume worthy of having in your collection, but if you've worn the OG version of this perfume you know it's just not the same and best left in the past. Arlene_witha_Y posted a review on the OG Hot Couture that is absolutely spot on!

When a “haute” couture house tries to go “Hot” Couture reminds me of a rebellious daughter to an aristocratic family. She smudges her eyeliner and smokes cigarettes, wears a fruity perfume and tries to mingle with whom she thinks are the “bad” girls. But neither can she totally hide her classy traits nor are those girls really bad, just flirty. HC triggered my move from being a Givenchy girl in my teens and early twenties to being a Dior girl for the next decade (before I became a complete maniac trying to experience every perfume out there). HC simply doesn’t have much character as Organza or Amarige do. But it is still pleasant and classy despite trying to act trashy. It seems to have an identity crisis on my skin 😂.

spicy vetiver and citrus, unique and alluring.

Sweet raspberries, smoky spice, and confidence, with a playful, retro glamour that never fades.

Eternal, after years i can smell it on one of my watches leather babd.

I’m sad that my beloved OG hot couture with the metal model inside the bottle and that deep dark amber colored juice is forever gone. Only partially used bottles sold on eBay for over $200! Man that perfume was something else! A power house. I notice this with a lot of reformulations. I guess the laws about certain ingredients force them to use weaker ones. This is like the lifeless AI version of what the real original once was. It’s nice. It’s similar, but it lacks the soul. It lacks the weight of existential angst that makes it the complex beauty that it is. But I’ll take it. It’s a nice perfume! But if you could smell the original, your jaw would drop! And it wasn’t “old lady” it was hot sexy woman! With that said, I take this as a new perfume and not that one I used to have. It has a subtle raspberry sweetness with a clean crisp citrusy opening yet at the same time you get a Smokey vibe which I believe is the black pepper mixed with the vetiver. Some days I don’t like it and then some days I’m like “omg yum! Wow this is soooo good”… that’s how this perfume is One day you think of decluttering it then the next day you think you’re nuts for even thinking that bc it’s so amazing! lol With that said I’m going to keep it and enjoy it when the mood strikes!

I hesitated getting the new bottle version as I have the OG from 2000 and the reformulation but I am happy to report it is the same perfume. This is my signature scent. It smells like a rich party girl with some attitude issues (I am none of that at this point of my life but love to smell like it). A boozy, a bit raspberry and a bit amber scent with a lot of sweetness but like a liquor meets fresh air sweetness. It works so well on me & I absolutely adore it. It is not nauseating and is perfectly retro.

I definitely understand the references to messy girls in nightclubs. But I wonder if anyone can relate to this: this perfume makes me feel like I'm being sprinkled in fairy dust by a mischievous fairy, after stumbling upon their smoky, midsummer ritual in the woods. It's girly, arty and fun. It makes me feel, in short, like a pretty pink princess, but with an earthy edge. (It's what I wanted from lolita lempicka le parfum, unfortunately that one for me was a rough ride of screechy red fruits followed by waxy new-car smell 😅) Hot Couture is possibly one of the most "satisfying" perfumes to smell that I've ever come across. There isn't a note out of place. The raspberry is sparkling and sticks around for a long time on me. The woods are smooth and rich and the pepper, the star of the show for me, takes everything to it's beautiful natural conclusion. So many fruit-forward perfumes are either too sweet, or try to counter the sweetness with heavy-handed application of patchouli and woods. Who would have thought that black pepper and raspberry were such beautiful bedfellows? Enter the artistic, feminine, cheeky Hot Couture!

In the top notes we smell a little raspberry, but then what predominates is a cigarette smell. It reminds me of nightclubs, when people still smoked inside places, and someone used a fruity perfume, but it smelled like smoke along with it. Hot couture isn't bad, but it seems to me like those niche perfumes that seek to convey a different, sometimes strange, smell of a specific experience.

Not sure where this dirty ashtray idea came from, but it's pretty prevalent. As a former smoker, VERY familiar with real dirty ashtrays, I don't smell that at all. It's probably the pepper & vetiver, combined with visions of Amy Winehouse, since she wore this (probably to cover UP the smoke smell). I will say that this is what still makes this perfume interesting after all these years. It's the freshness of bergamot, mixed with the aromatic heart, anchoring the sweeter fruity floral notes in this perfume. It's an interesting combination ..and it works! It's a real black pepper bomb, though. If you aren't a fan of that, you won't like this. The raspberry note stays for a while, which is nice. Black pepper in perfume wasn't used much back at the turn of the century, which made this so innovative...It doesn't seem quite as strong as it used to be, back in the day when this was the rage. But it's still very good. Wear the EDP, as the EDT is gone in 30 minutes. It's an addictive scent. The drydown is wonderful. The EDP lasts forever on clothes. Glad to have it back in my collection.

messy yet classy and elegant at the same time. a smashed raspberry in an ashtray.

This is genuinely terrible on my skin. It smells like an old dirty ashtray and very synthetic raspberry. I coul not wash this off fast enough. I gave it away.