So New York vs Lafayette St.
Side by side. Scored honestly.
← Compare different fragrances
Side by side
Comparing the originals — price, breadth, listed-note depth.
Bright bergamot and lemon open with clean, almost soapy sharpness before jasmine and rose soften the edge into a polished floral heart — not heady, not sweet, just composed. Projection is moderate; this sits close to skin rather than announcing itself across a room. The dry-down is where it earns its keep: vetiver adds a quiet earthiness that keeps amber and musk from going generic, landing somewhere warm but never heavy. Sillage is a subtle trail. — A reliable warm-weather office or daytime social fragrance for anyone who wants to smell put-together without effort.
Opens with a bright, slightly tart citrus burst — bergamot and grapefruit — that feels clean without being generic, backed immediately by the green, slightly soapy edge of violet leaf. The heart settles into cool iris with just enough powderiness to read as sophisticated rather than old-fashioned, while cedar starts shaping the structure underneath. The dry-down is where vetiver and musk take over: earthy, understated, faintly smoky. Projection is moderate and sillage stays close to skin — this wears like something you'd notice on someone, not across a room — A polished daily wear for cooler months, best suited to someone who wants green-floral with woody roots and zero showiness.
How they overlap
So New York and Lafayette St. share 3 notes (bergamot, vetiver, musk). The same note name doesn't always mean the same scent — different houses use different vanillas, different woods, different musks — but a multi-note shared spine usually does indicate genuinely-comparable wear character. The remaining notes (4 unique to So New York, 4 unique to Lafayette St.) are where the divergence happens.
The buying decision
So New York is the cheaper original at $195 compared to $275 for Lafayette St. — about 29% less.