Australian Chic, illustrated by Percy Trompf, ca. 1935

Growing up in America, I knew little about Australia except from what I saw on TV or heard on the radio. I stayed up late at night to watch “Prisoner on Cell Block H” on my little black and white TV. I took 3 buses to get my hands on an import record of Nick Cave’s band, The Birthday Party. To this day I am still chilled when I think of the film “The Plumber” that I saw in a small theater in New York. My impressions of Australia were that it was a rough and gritty place. The people were flinty and the terrain rugged. None of this prepared me to fall in love with one of the most elegant niche perfume brands to come along in years, Goldfield and Banks. The fragrances are luxurious and subtly blended. The packaging is “eco chic” itself. Goldfield and Banks celebrates natural elements unique to Australia with a sophistication I associate with French perfumery.

Europeans have long been fascinated by Australia as evidenced by this 1938 travel poster

It all came together when I met the founder of Goldfield and Banks and learned about the genesis of the brand. Founder and Creative Director Dimitri Weber is a French-Belgian expat who settled in Sydney. Mr. Weber had a successful career in the perfume industry in Europe and brought that passion, taste and style with him to his new home on the other side of the world. He found Francois Merle-Baudoin, a perfumer in Melbourne who was not only and expert in Australian ingredients but whose family had been creating fragrances in Grasse for five generations.

Good things come in 3’s. Vintage Poster lithographed by Gert Sellheim, 1930’s

I have reviewed the two most recent Goldfield and Banks releases, Southern Bloom and Velvet Splendour for Cafleurebon. However, we wanted to know which three fragrances Dimitri Weber thinks we should be wearing (a difficult challenge we put to master perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux recently and Etienne de Swardt of Etat Libre D’Orange in 2017). It’s not an easy question for creative directors or perfumers to answer since it can be like choosing among your children, but Mr. Weber thoughtfully answered our question. His selections were, in no particular order, Goldfield and Banks Desert Rosewood, a warm woody spiced beauty that is in my top two from the line; Pacific Rock Moss, a masculine-leaning herbaceous aquatic; and Wood Infusion, a stunningly dry woody perfume that I like more with every wear.

“Tallest Trees in the British Empire” declares Australian travel poster illustrated by Percy Trompf, 1930

All three of these fragrances are part of the brand’s “Native Collection”. Each is inspired by a specific region of Australia and the nature to be found there. Goldfield and Banks Desert Rosewood is inspired by the Central Highlands in the south eastern state of Victoria, a couple of hours northeast of Melbourne. The soaring trees in its ancient rainforest protect a rich world on the forest floor of mosses and ferns. I am in love with the resiny richness of Goldfield and Banks Desert Rosewood, especially as it is thrown into contrast with the a citrus brightness.

Notes: Palisander rosewood, Sicilian mandarin, Cardamom, Benzoin, Vanilla, Patchouli

1930’s travel poster celebrating the beaches of Australia

Goldfield and Banks Pacific Rock Moss takes us to the coast line of New South Wales, home of the famous Byron Bay and Bondi Beach. I never like to pigeon hole a fragrance as being for one gender but Goldfield and Banks is a very masculine scent to my nose. The aquatic greenness and fresh, airy saltiness make it a very appealing perfume in summer months. As it wears a woodiness appears and lingers. This phase of the fragrance reminds me of coming home a beach house after that perfect beach day. It’s definitely sexy!

Notes: Moss, Italian Lemon, Sage, Geranium, Virginia Cedar

Go north to the tropics. Queensland rainforests promoted in 1930’s poster by Percy Trompf

Goldfield and Banks Wood Infusion is dedicated to Fraser Island, off the northeast coast of Australia in the state of Queensland. I’m not sure how Mother Nature pulled this off, but there are rainforests on the island that are only rooted in sand. The uniqueness of Fraser Island even has garnered it UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. I can see how Mr. Weber assigned Goldfield and Banks Wood Infusion to this exotic location. This perfume is a celebration of exotic woods throughout the world. The fragrance opens with an immediate hit of dry wood. It settles into a luxurious smoothness but it’s that initial woodiness I keep going back for. And yes, there is oud! In fact Mr. Weber enlisted Firmenich in Dubai to help him create the scent on account of their experience and expertise in handling the precious Agar wood. Wood Infusion is the sort of fragrance I like to spray on a little at a time throughout the day because I’m addicted to that first rush. (And a little goes a long way, Goldfield and Banks’s fragrances are blended at perfume concentration.)

Notes: Italian Iris, Sweet orange, Lavender, Amber accord, Agar Wood, Sandalwood and other exotic woods, Indian patchouli leaf, Musk.

The impossibly charming and stylish Dimitri Weber, courtesy of his Twitter account

Thanks again to Dimitri Weber for making the difficult decision of which three of his Goldfield and Banks line we should be wearing. His three choices offer different aspects of fragrance that reflect the seemingly endless array of natural beauty in Australia. Eco chic indeed.

Disclaimer: samples generously provided by Goldfield and Banks

Marianne Butler, Senior Contributor

Goldfield and Banks Desert Rosewood deserves the white glove treatment, courtesy Goldfield and Banks

Thanks to the generosity of Dimitri Weber we have a 100 ml bottle of Desert Rosewood

OR

Pacific Rock Moss via Goldfield and Banks

OR

Wood Infusion via Goldfield and Banks

for one registered reader in Australia, the EU, USA or Canada. To be eligible, please leave a comment letting us know what appealed to you most in Marianne’s reviews, where you live,  and which you should choose should you win and why. Draw closes 9/16/2019 EST

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