Slim Aarons

The latest Tom Ford Private Blend is called Lavender Palm and it is meant to capture the feel of California. It was an exclusive release to the new Beverly Hills Tom Ford store in the spring of 2011 and now it has become available at the other places you normally find the Tom Ford Private Blend line. I finally got a chance to try it at the recent Sniffapalooza Spring Fling. What I found was a fragrance which did remind me of California but a specific locale in the Golden State, Palm Springs.

Julius Shulman

As I sniffed Lavender Palm my mind was seeing an iconic bit of Palm Springs architecture. The Kaufmann House has been one of the best examples of modern architecture. It was one of architect Richard Neutra’s last projects in the US and it might be his most famous. The Kaufmann House really entered the popular zeitgeist through the lens of two very different photographers. Julius Shulman would treat the house as a focal point and capture it in all different kinds of light. Slim Aarons captured the life of those who lived and partied in the Kaufmann house in the 70’s. The style of these two photographers continue to show up today as the Kaufmann house was recently used as the beauty shots for the J. Crew catalog. Lavender Palm also displays two different points of view of the titular note.

Julius Shulman

Perfumer Yann Vasnier uses two different lavender sources; one which captures lavender in its pristine condition and then another which encompasses more of the depth and subtlety of lavender. All of this in a fragrance which felt dry like a fine martini. Lavender Palm is a very sophisticated blend and it isn’t hard to think of someone poolside in these pictures wearing it.

M. Vasnier uses Lavandin a very light version of lavender which he matches with bergamot, lemon and lime blossom. The latter note adds an ephemeral light floralcy underneath the bracing lavender citrus opening. The next application of lavender comes from Lavender Absolute and it is a much deeper version of lavender as compared to the Lavandin. It also carries the complexity that the best absolutes impart to a fragrance. The herbal quality of lavender is enhanced by the use of clary sage and M. Vasnier has shown he knows how to use clary sage. In Lavender Palm it feels like the natural partner to the Lavender Absolute and it is hard to imagine another note in its place. M. Vasnier then brings out a bit of oleander and moss which pull out the floral facets as the lime blossom did with the Lavandin. There is vetiver, cedar, olibanum, and benzoin floating around in the background but you really have to stop and focus to pick them up. Lavender Palm is really about the lavender and it is very, very good.

Slim Aarons

Lavender Palm has below average longevity and average sillage.

Lavender is probably the easiest of floral notes for men and Lavender Palm is a great choice for guys who do like it. Lavender Palm is also a very sensual fragrance and is probably going to be worn by a lot of women. For those of you who have associated lavender with a barber shop give Lavender Palm a try because this is lavender done with very high quality ingredients and a creative perfumer in M. Vasnier.

I return to where I began when wearing Lavender Palm; poolside in Palm Springs living the good life and knowing it doesn’t get much better than this.

Disclosure: This review was based on a sample of Lavender Palm I received at Sniffapalooza Sping Fling from Bergdorf Goodman.

–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

Editor’s Note: If you aren’t familiar with Slim Aarons he was the photographer of the Hollywood rich and famous at play from the 50’s through the 70’s. Julius Shulman was one of the foremost architectural photographers especially capturing the changes in post-war American architecture. If you love photography these are two worth checking out. -MB