Diane VOn furstenberg gagging pedistrans

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http://www.nypost.com/seven/07022009/gossip/pagesix/designer_scent_em_running_17\

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July 2, 2009 --

SOMETHING really smells outside the Diane von Furstenberg store in the

Meatpacking District.

Pedestrians walking past the designer's posh West 14th Street boutique claim an

overpowering fragrance is being pumped into the air from the shop's vents.

" I literally got dizzy from this, " one woman, on her way to check out the High

Line Park, complained to Page Six, describing the scent as " putrid, awful . . .

something you'd find on a 60-year-old matron.

" She [von Furstenberg] has some nerve wafting this out of her store. There is a

point at which these peoples' egos and chutzpah . . . absolutely begin to take

over any sense of reality or consideration for other people . . . It's just a

matter of time before someone's going to get sick and keel over from it or has

an allergic reaction to it. "

A receptionist at the nearby St. Luke's Hospital Eye Clinic said two of his

co-workers complained that the powerful scent caused coughing fits.

A store worker confirmed the odor is von Furstenberg's signature scent, D Eau de

Parfum, which " goes through air vents " in front of the store. The designer's Web

site calls it " an exotic mix of Mandarin flower, violet leaves and lychee.

Jasmine absolute, ylang ylang and Lily of the Valley, with an edge of pepper and

nutmeg. Ultimately, D wanders off to the wild, mysterious forests of cedar,

patchouli and sandalwood. "

Von Furstenberg rep Emese Szenasy said of the controversy, " This is the first

we've heard of it. We'll absolutely look into it. "

The perfume panic shows how the once-dingy Meatpacking District has changed. A

decade ago, visitors gagged from the puddles of blood and the nauseating smell

of rotting meat. It came from the carcasses dangling from hooks in the

meatpacking warehouses, most of which have been replaced by designer stores and

pricey restaurants.