The Perfume Diaries: Issey Miyake Pleats Please

Before we can fully appreciate the beautiful scent that is spritzed from Issey Miyake’s Pleats Please we need to go back to the eclectic 80s.

 Yes, you read correctly – it’s the decade when the Japanese fashion designer had his first creative intentions and dreamt up his critically acclaimed collection after all!  

Anime and Manga were born and booming. Famicon was created and then later renamed to what we know of as today: Nintendo. “Visual kei”, a fashion movement made popular by Japanese musicians, took to the streets of Tokyo with vibrant makeup, cutting-edge hair styles and flamboyant costumes.

And all the while Issey Miyake homed in on his skills, which later led to experimenting with a new technique called “garment pleating” which was then showcased in his 1993 Pleats Please Collection. 

This collection featured garments that were cut and sewn first then sandwiched between layers of paper and fed into a heat press, where they were pleated. The fabric's 'memory' held the pleats and when the garments were freed from their paper cocoon, they are ready-to wear. It’s the same technique that’s still used today for most mass-produced pleated pieces.

So when you’re sniffing Issey’s latest perfume offering, taking in the amazing geometric bottle and pleated flower cap, keep in mind you’re really experiencing a sensory tome if you will – of the time when this Japanese powerhouse made it big, and changed fashion forever.

The scent itself is youthful and lively – much like Issey’s younger years when his creations were at their most ingenious. The top notes consist of one of Japans favourite fruits – the fizzy nashi pear. It’s the first scent that is inhaled when initially spritzed on the surface of your skin.

 An hour into your wear, your body temperature will heat up the middle notes of sweet pea and peonies – which change the overall smell from fruity to floral. 

The base notes which rise up towards the end of the wear are fragrant patchouli, heady vanilla and even white musk and cedar. This rich, velvety scent wraps around the wearer and blends beautifully with your own personal aroma. 

When I wear this perfume the base notes that are most poignant are the patchouli and white musk. Spritz it on a friend and they might smell warm vanilla notes instead.

Pleats Please has taken pride of place on my bathroom vanity with my other lust-worthy products, although, with a fragrance this nostalgic, uplifting and transformative, Issey, you needn’t be so polite!

Issey Miyake Pleats Please Price: $105 for 50mL 

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