Test Lab

Play on Player

From the beginning, we weren't prepared to like this one. As if misguidedly marketed toward tweens, Givenchy's new cologne Play is modeled around music. The bottle is shaped like an MP3 player. Justin Timberlake is the fragrance's face. And a friend relayed that the cologne smelled like a grown up version of Abercrombie & Fitch's signature scent. But then we sprayed the stuff. Light and soapy at first, and as it dries, the citrusy scent gives way to one that's warm and woodsy. After a few days of wearing it last week, it was clear that this might be a great transition scent, between the warm nights of August and cool evenings of September. True, there's not much we can do about the bottle, but hey, hide it in the back and enjoy the juice. After all, it's what's inside that matters, right?

$53, at Nordstrom

• Summer 2009 was the first men's collection designed by Givenchy's Richard Tisci.