New designer fragrances tend to occupy the same substandard space that celebrity fragrance does, for me. Too many of them are hampered by unimaginative direction and budgetary restraints. Both of which cause a creative perfumer to work with one hand tied behind their back. These releases care more about the lowest common denominator and much less about the art of fragrance. It doesn’t mean that commerce and creativity aren’t mutually exclusive; it just means they aren’t common bedfellows.
Diane von Furstenberg is an iconic name within fashion. She is so iconic she is colloquially known by her three initials, DVF. She has created a singular piece of fashion in the wrap dress, in 1973, which is symbolic of her aesthetic and has risen to a level where you can go anywhere women wear fashionable clothing and see an example of it. When it comes to fragrance DVF has not been part of a fragrance to match the classic lines of the wrap dress. (Editor's Note: She made some bad business calls and revived her name and status in 1997 after her name was over licensed and her products did not reflect her own sensibilities)
In 1975 Tatiana was the first Diane von Furstenberg fragrance. It was inspired by her four-year old daughter and it was a powdery, oversweet, floral which was easily forgotten. It was a fragrance for a child and not a woman. In 2011 DVF sought to change that with the new release Diane. This time around according to the press materials DVF was seeking to make a fragrance for a woman. I know DVF fervently believes in the power of femininity. I saw her backstage prior to her Spring/Summer 2011 show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Her simple instruction to the models about to walk her clothes down the runway: “Be A Goddess”. She turned to Aurelien Guichard to create this 21st century idea of powerful femininity.
M Guichard is one of the best perfumers working today; he has shown the ability to be creative in both the designer and niche arenas. This versatility and ability to coax the best form the ingredients he uses makes him the ideal choice for Diane.
M Guichard opens Diane with a potent floral mix of frangipani and violet. These are orthogonal floral notes for me as frangipani imparts sweetness and violet imparts metallic astringency. This makes the early going of Diane a study in floral opposites. I’m not used to running into this kind of complexity in my normal designer fragrances. Sweetly resinous myrrh amplifies both sides of the openers as the sweet aspects of myrrh go with the frangipani and the resinous side matches the violet. Patchouli and musk slowly overtake things and add an elegant sensuality to finish Diane as well as it was begun.
Diane has incredible longevity and average sillage in the EDT form.
Diane is a much, much more emblematic fragrance of what DVF is all about. It is for a grown-up woman who knows what she wants and this time I expect that demographic will help make Diane the success it deserves to be.
Disclosure: This review was based on a sample provided by Diane von Furstenberg.
–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor
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Editor's note: I met Diane Von Furstenburg for "15 minutes" in the late 1990s and saw Andy Warhol's gift to her in personal office . She was very cordial and her son Alex Von Furstenberrg drove me home (back then the meat packing distirict in NY was on the seamy side).
Helping women: The DVF Awards are supported by The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation, and aim to provide recipients with the exposure and resources needed to extend their critical efforts on behalf of women’s causes. The DVF Awards honors four recipients annually who have displayed leadership, strength, and courage in their commitment to their causes. Each Honoree will receive a $50,000 award from the Foundation to sustain and expand their extraordinary contributions. Honorees have succeeded in improving the social, economic and political standing of women, creating inspiration and momentum for enduring change in communities across the globe.