Météore
Louis Vuitton (2020)

You know what they say: If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and it talks like a duck, then it's a duck. Météore by Louis Vuitton (2020) is objectively good if you find fragrances along the lines of Calvin Klein cK One (1994), Paco by Paco Rabanne (1995) and Azzaro Chrome (1996) to be enjoyable, although how necessary or desirable it is to have a $300+ version of them may influence your decision to buy this one too. I'm not trying to give house perfumer Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud any undue guff, as I rather like his work overall; but I do admit my nose is either not "refined" enough to smell where the luxury difference here lies, or I just don't have enough interest in laundry musk fragrances to spend several hundred dollars on one that does little to improve an already-perfected formula that is a bit too accessible to have an upmarket take to begin with. I mean really, everyone from Body Fantasies and B.O.D. Men plastic sprays on up to the many cK One smell-alikes have been pumping out this particular blend of jasmine hedione and tonka over galaxolide for the better part of 30 years.


That said, I see some personal touches here that may make someone in love with the Louis Vuitton brand decide this "niche version of Chrome" is so very much worth it. The opening is pretty sneaky, as it doesn't really come across like cK or Chrome at first, with an interesting swirl of rounded citruses and florals like mandarin, bergamot, and neroli. I get something similar to the development of several Maison Francis Kurkdjian freshies into the heart, perhaps meaning Cavallier-Belletrud is a fan of the younger rockstar perfumer's work. After that though, and things start going into 90's unisex trend territory with the hedione, musks, vetiver, tonka, and soapiness. The only real point of difference is a tiny speck of pepper and wood that stick out their thumb like they're hitching a ride on this fragrance. Will that be enough to turn an online $30 purchase into a $300+ one at a boutique or LV's website? I don't man, I really don't. Performance is at least good, and I guess it ought to be at this price point anyway, and this smells perfectly unisex as you might imagine for something riding in such a well-worn populist perfume groove.

Emperor's new clothes or truly a luxurious take on a commercial classic is really up to the beholder here, although for me that judgement lies with the former rather than the latter. With larger collections full of bottles I'll never see my way through in all likelihood, I have to really be critical of things that are too redundant to recommend to folks like myself, who also have large collections they rotate through all year. Once again though, if you are a Louis Vuitton superfan, a Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud superfan, or one of the haute-bourgeoise clientele of the brand's leather accessories who wouldn't blink at a $300 purchase anyway, then I might just be making a whole lot of noise about nothing. If that last part is you, and you want to wear something -like- Chrome or cK One, but without being caught dead sharing fragrances with the contemptible hoi polloi (that should know their place and respect their betters), then go right ahead with Météore. I'll still probably be pointing and laughing at you though, and no, your lawyers can't stop me. Sometimes you just take the L. Neutral

Speedracer is right on - this is the fanciest Azzaro Chrome you can imagine.
So why thumbs up if it is a 'copy' or as Buzzlepuff mentioned, not a new idea / masculine basic.
Well the answer is simple: this takes you on a journey that I find very entertaining. The whole time you are wondering where will this land, and when it does land at Azzaro Chrome, you are still intrigued even though you've been there before.
It is like being chauffeured from your home to work on the same route you take everyday except this time around the trip is special because you are in a fancy limo.

The opening thesis of Meteore is all kinds of orange with the delightfulness of oranges, mandarins, neroli and bergamot. All this juiciness is given some depth with pepper, cardamom and nutmeg. A slight undergrowth of vetiver adds ground to stand on for this sharp and tasty summer citrus scent. Meteore is definitely not a new idea in mens fragrance, but it is well done as possibly only Jacques Cavalier can do with these kinds of masculine basics. The aroma is natural and clean smelling, not much in the way of synthetic add ons, and Meteore fills a need in the LV line up for an orange summer cologne fragrance.

Alternatives to this summer citrus within the Louis Vuitton range include On The Beach and Afternoon Swim. On the Beach livens up the orange notes with addition of Yuzu and Cypress for added crispness wich is refreshing. Afternoon Swim is a compilation of all the best that Mr. Cavalier had learned from composing the huge variety of Aqua and Aqua Marine fragrances for Bulgari. Both these along with Sun Song are more interesting summer perfumes than Meteore.

I can not give this one a thumbs up because it is just too average - What is worth a try first? . . . Azemour, Bigarade Concentree, Historie d'Orangers, LV Sicilian Mandarin, Orange Sanguine, Bergamotto di Calabria, Creed MI, Arancia di Capri, Arancia di Sicilia, Mandarine Glaciale, Mark Birley for Men, Oxford BTV.

Pretty natural floral + tart grapefruit opening. The pepper comes in next, providing a brief sharpness. Underneath it all is a base that reminds me of Azzaro Chrome, clean and metallic. The floral top notes keep this feminine to me, but only in the opening. The drydown is unisex and again, has that Chrome feel to it.