J’Adore by Christian Dior advertising campaign (1999)

When I think of gold, my mind goes straight to gothic paintings, and especially to the Badia Polyptic by Giotto. As Mark Rothko said “in Giotto we can see the early rumblings of disintegration of the unit”, and you can understand why at a glance. The Madonna and Child here are surrounded by Saints symmetrically distributed, but the true star of the artwork is gold filling the gaps and creating a sense of rhythm, exuding above all a magnificent glow that fills the eye; the total effect is greater than the single parts of it.

Badia Polyptic, Giotto (around 1303) photo by Ermano©

“Life isn’t black and white, it’s gold… J’Adore,  “claimed Estonian supermodel Carmen Kass while walking through a pool of liquid gold in the original 1999 commercial advert filmed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino. J’Adore’ (1999) was a fragrance celebrating absolute femininity, all gold and with a  hypnotizing effect. Deeply admiring the work of John Galliano those years for the house of Dior, I remember I was impressed by the spot as much as I was disappointed by the perfume at first and erroneously dismissed it.

Ermano’s J’Adore Eau de Parfum circa 1999

It is only now, after a decade that I had an epiphany with J’Adore by Christian Dior, recently smelling my bottle with the original formulation. Now, I understand its greatness.

Mme. Calice Becker, Vice President Perfumer & Director of the Givaudan Perfumery School credits Givaudan©

Just like the Giotto’s Polyptic or Mark Rothko No.14 Golden Composition, you have to sense J’Adore at a distance to fully understand its magic. Givaudan Master Perfumer Calice Becker depicted with clockwork precision details of so many flowers, but didn’t jam them into a dense bouquet: she scattered them with rhythm, along with luscious ripe fruits to bath the delicate petals in berries and plums juiciness. Then she filled the space in such gauzy warmth, blurring with its radiance the whole picture that you can barely remember it.

No. 14 Golden Composition, Mark Rothko (1949)

Flooded from afar by the golden chameleon trail of J’Adore, and you can’t help but admire it. The original J’Adore by Christian Dior marked the beginning of a new aesthetic in feminine perfumes, the “early rumblings of the disgregation of the unit” to quote Rothko. That’s why J’Adore by Christian Dior is a game changer and a Modern Masterpiece that set the benchmark for a new style of fruity-floral perfume, spanning  designer, luxury, mainstream and niche markets.

Christian Dior HC SS/97 by John Galliano photographed by Peter Lindbergh for Vogue IT, April 1997©

J’Adore by Christian Dior opens highly diffusive with the soft greenness of tender ivy leaves bathed in the milky dawn light. Like a neo-sixties bouquet, a subtle violet hint joins this outdoorsy chill lending naturalness and complexity, forerunning at once the blackberries lusciousness at the heart of the fragrance. Later on, more opulent florals blend in, each one adding distinct details: the juicy watermelon-like freshness of lily of the valley, the plum-tinged exuberance of Indian jasmine sambac, and finally the sumptuous Queen of flowers making her appearance adorned in pink ruffles, surrounded by her subjects offering her the first fruits of spring. You just have to close your eyes, inhale and bow down to this return to nature after the “oceanic” calone© ubiquity of the 1990s.

J’Adore by Christian Dior Infinissime ad featuring South African actress Charlize Theron (2020)

When François Demachy was appointed in-house perfumer chez Dior, his first task was to reformulate the entire fragrant portfolio in order to internalize the production. This quite impacted the beauty of the original J’Adore, like a botox injection gone bad on a Botticellian face. You know it and you don’t, as it lost its symmetry in favor or a more explicit peachy jasmine and losing that magic radiance. Nevertheless, the success of J’Adore by Christian Dior continued, and the stunning Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron became the iconic face of the perfume in 2004 and continues her endorsements for J’Adore flankers including the latest “Infinissime” launched last September.

 J’Adore flacon design – credits Dior ©

J’Adore attained legendary status faster than any other fragrance of its era and still is at the top of the list of global bestsellers, due in part to its iconic flacon. The designer Hervé van der Straeten conceived the iconic J’Adore by Christian bottle blending classic elements like the first Christian Dior collection “en huit” (in eight) silhouette or the original Louis XVI baccarat amphors of Miss Dior parfum together with the gaudy sensuality of the first John Galliano Haute Couture collections (those signature Massai inspired collars!) and the streamlined gilded polished design.  Every flanker has a different collar,  but all are easily identifiable.

J’Adore by Christian Dior (1999) includes notes of bergamot, mandarin, ivy leaves, champaca flower, jasmine sambac, Turkish rose, violet, orchid, blackberry, plum, musk, wood.

Disclosure: Miniature of the original 1999 J’Adore by Christian Dior edp from my own collection, opinions as always, my own

Ermano Picco, Editor and Perfume Expert

Please join us in congratulating Mme. Calice Becker, Vice President Perfumer & Director of the Givaudan Perfumery School who will be awarded the Fragrance Foundation 2021 Lifetime Achievement Perfumer Award via a dedicated webinar on June 10, 2021

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Have you tried the original J’Adore by Christian Dior or any of the flankers?

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