Sushi Imperiale
Bois 1920 (2005)

Bois 1920 Sushi Imperiale, apart from having a provocative name, is a slightly provocative fragrance, a curious citrus-heavy top mixed with a sweet and spicy dry down consisting of vanilla, tonka, sandalwood, pepper, and wee hints of vetiver and florals.

The citrus giving way to the spice and slight sweetnes creates a sort of faux-minty tingle that I both like and dislike at the same time, sort of like a scent I'm curious to keep smelling and over while conceding each time that I smell it that there's something slightly off about it.

It's a very good, not great, performer, and most importantly, has a versatility to it, seasonally and situationally, that makes it seemingly jack of all trades yet is a master of none, as the saying goes.

It's a good performer albeit a little overpriced through retail means. It's one that I'm content to have a decant of.

7 out of 10

Sushi Imperiale reminds me why I am a lover of linear scents.

Initial spray to 30 minutes in = the reformulation of Weil's Secret de Venus, a strong oriental with a familiar, almost metallic twang. Unisex, leaning feminine . . . interesting.

Thirty-One minutes to 2 hours (give or take) = just about every masculine patchouli dry-down, with a touch of amber and rubber . . . dull, bordering on unpleasant.

Two hours plus = skin scent masculine patchouli. Dull, bordering on pleasant.

All told, I'd cash in any one of the above stages for my screechy ol' Passion a la Liz Taylor, and yes, I do mean the $12.99 reformulation!

The opening of Sushi Imperiale is one of the strongest “déja vu” I've experienced so far with fragrances, and sadly, it isn't really a flattering one for this Bois 1920 scent. In fact it smells basically halfway Opium pour Homme and a bunch of cheap nutmeg-spicy Oriental designers, like Lagerfeld for Man from 2004. But most of all, it's very, very close to Opium pour Homme, and I'm surprised nearly none noticed this. Unless my sample has been altered, it's a blatant ripoff of that. For the worse, actually, as it's actually a bit more mediocre than the YSL's – flatter, more static, and just cheaper overall. Nothing horrible, but surely nothing special either. Basically Sushi Imperiale (why this name, by the way?) is a gentle, inoffensive, a bit simplistic citrus-spicy fragrance with a nice sort of sweet anisic-fruity “transparent” texture mostly built on cinnamon, anise and nutmeg, running throughout the main spicy woodiness which makes the bone structure of the scent: but it's basically nothing more than a mediocre designer, quality-wise and, well, everything-wise. I smell nothing creative or particularly “quality” here, just a tame, fairly flat and very averagely decent fresh spicy scent which would have gone completely unnoticed if we were in the mid or late-1990s. But we're in the era of below-zero creativity and “revivals” everywhere, so... *sighs*.

5/10

Sushi Imperiale is another fall fragrance that I love. Anise, nutmeg and cinnamon at the beginning give it warmth. I smell some vanilla in there as well. Then in the dry down comes wood and some citrus to balance it out. Lasts a long time on me.

Christmas in a bottle. 7.5/10

quite excellent BOIS 1920 offers fragrances that are excellent and potent but a bit old fashioned. I have tried RR, VdV and SI and from the three I find Sushi Imperial the most wearable one. As the other BOIS 1920 Sushi Imperial too has outstanding silage and longevity. But it also has a somewhat modern feeling to it, that makes it more agreeable. SI is however not an outstanding composition ... to me too it is somehow familiar. I think that it reminds me of Le Péché by Eisenberg which I remembered I liked. I don't understand the name Sushi Imperial but then neither do I understand Vento nel Vento! By the way, Sushi Imperial seems not to be in production, or at least BOIS 1920 doesn't list it anymore in their website. Pros: outstanding silage and longevityCons: not so original composition"