Autumn brings us a barrage of fragrant launches. This year there happen to be a fair amount of decent ones, from where I sniff.

Very well-composed, nose-friendly, wearable- so why does it feel uninspiring?I’m not fond of finger-pointing. Each person MUST smell for themselves; that’s an order 😉 

 

 Some of the recent perfumes start off brilliantly, only to wax thin and wan, cachectic even- the drydown feels like they’ve been binging and purging, poor things.

My suspicion is that our collective attention span as a society has dwindled down to poverty level; many of us can’t be bothered to wait to see how scents play out over time.

 

Enter Tom Ford Violet Blonde stage right: Antidote to Olfactory Boredom. 

I am smitten by the fragrance, but deplore the ‘face’ and image for VB.

[Dutch model Lara Stone is so lovely and natural-looking- it pains me to view her this way]

I find the extra-glossy purple lips and presentation lurid and tasteless, such a far cry from the pared-down elegance of the color scheme, the timelessly chic flacon, the superior quality of the aromatics which make this SUCH a welcome addition to Tom Ford’s burgeoning body of work.

TF Violet Blonde is a winner, hands-down- for all seasons and reasons.

Notes:

Italian mandarin, pink pepper, violet leaf

Iris absolute, orris concrete, jasmine sambac

Vetiver, musk, Virginia cedar, benzoin, suede accord

 

 

I smell this over and over again. Mama’s nose feels that there is surely a woody/ ambery aromachemical in the base- but I don’t care, frankly.

[It’s NOT singeing my nosehair; you’ve got to really ponder to notice it, examine it thoroughly.]

For me, this is how these über- potent substances should be utilized, when they are at their finest use in a fragrance.

I am beguiled by violets, iris, ionones, rhizomes- and we smell scores of them here.

I’m not yet weary of the mandarin/ pink pepper opening that is so often seen these days; it augurs a delightfully sunlit, zingy disposition.

When you’re adding the earthy and limpid note of violet leaf, a lightness and verdancy tiptoes into the room.

 

This is a grand start, because the heart of Violet Blonde is heartbreakingly poignant.

We are enveloped in the jasmine/ orris nuptials.

The wedding gifts are bountiful- no end of costly orris concrete, iris absolute, jasmine sambac. – the cool and the warm intertwine in a love embrace.

This abundance could prove overwhelming, were the very carefully crafted foundation not lying in wait to delight us.

And it is.

Vetiver contributes its grassy balsamic personality, but oh- so- gently and deftly.

Virginia cedar is one of the finest woods for a base, but it too is used gingerly, we’re not smelling Ticonderoga #2 pencils at all 😉

Musk and benzoin are suave and velvety, just to ensure that charmeuse nose-feel we crave.

Such olfactory slatterns we are!

Suede?

I’m reminded of the base of Daim Blond by Serge Lutens. I feel fairly certain that an Ambroxan- type accord is at work here, but it is less obvious, as it bestows the subtly leathery, butter-soft sleight-of-hand which complements our cool /warm heart, so generously floral.

 

Violet Blonde is immensely satisfying.

She can be subtle or explosive, depending on your dosage.

If you anoint [or self-medicate] before bed, this is a heavenly thing.

I loved it in the summer heat, I’m savoring it in the early autumnal shivers, and eagerly anticipating luxuriating in it while cosseted by triple-ply Merino wool 😉

Folks lean in to sample me and sigh with satisfaction.

Is it edgy?

Absolutely not.

Is it ground-breaking?

No.

Violet Blonde embodies a return to lasting timeless design and composition.

If you want something of exquisite quality, elegant, comforting, versatile and simply beautiful-

This might fill the bill.

–Ida Meister, Senior Editor

 

Senior Editor’s Note: Who doesn’t love  the art of Gustav Klimt ?  His appreciation of women and flowers feels so intimate.