Backed by a new bag by Trina Turk (my wallet would not withstand the matching suit by Mr. Turk) an old cologne, ‘Bamboo Harmony’ by Kilian, reminds of happy memories, particularly at this time of the year. Spring injects a new bounce into the step, as does this fun new bag, coupled with a green tea-inflected fragrance. It’s the little things that get us through the big things.
Unimpressed with the fruity flankers for the ‘Lost Cherry‘ scent by Tom Ford, despite the write-ups and promise of ‘Cherry Smoke’, I’m holding more hope for the latest addition to the ‘Soleil’ series, ‘Soleil de Feu’. Way back in 2016, and what feels like a lifetime ago, I succumbed to the summer coconut decadence of ‘Soleil Blanc’, which grew on me with its beauty, tropical vibe. (I’m still partial to ‘Mandarino di Amalfi‘ for true summer magnificence.)
That said, I wasn’t so enamored of ‘Soleil Blanc’ to understand setting up an entire ‘Soleil’ line, but then I tried ‘Soleil Brulant‘ when on an anniversary trip to Boston a couple of years ago, and it was love all over again. So it is that I’m anxiously preparing to sample the latest ‘Soleil de Feu’ to see if we’re going to make a run for a soleil triumvirate for this year’s anniversary.
The literature on this one sounds positively incendiary:
Inspired by bronze strokes of fiery sunset light, Soleil de Feu captures a burnished sensuality with tuberose accord, warm ambers, and exotic sandalwood. The amber woody scent evokes the molten sun descending in a burnished blaze over the sea, painting the sky with fiery strokes of bronze solar light.
“Soleil de Feu is a smoldering amber woody scent evoking sunset light. It is the most sensual expression of Soleil.” – Tom Ford
I can see this being something that I might absolutely love, or one that just misses the mark. If it comes close to the ‘Bitter Peach‘ anomaly which was perfect for spring and summer gatherings, I’ll consider it. If it veers toward ‘Rose Prick’ and ‘Lost Cherry’ territory, we may switch up the cologne request for the anniversary season.
Lavender has threaded a magical way through all seasons of the year, its soothing and calming effects rightly renowned, and it has formed an integral part of everything from cocktails and mocktails to sachets and bouquets. It’s a fragrance that we use year-round, in room diffusers to aid with sleeping and in essential oils to add a scent of serenity to any moment that requires a little bit of calming. While its bloom time is high summer in the garden, I’ve taken to using it on snowy days to counter the ill-effects of a winter held too long.
Tom Ford briefly introduced the world to his first lavender creation, ‘Lavender Palm’, a number of years ago. Originally billed as an ode to California, it is one of the finest lavender fragrances I’ve encountered. Carrying an aromatic heart, slightly redolent of herbs thanks to the lavender, clary sage and bergamot opening, it transforms into something that reverberates as a slight fougere, with a dry down that reveals vetiver and oak moss. Imbuing a refined elegance and sophistication to the raw and slightly rough essence of natural lavender, Ford’s version lends it a silvery sheen, something he expands upon with the flanker ‘Lavender Extreme’.
My friend JoAnn, longtime adorer of all things lavender, found a bottle of ‘Lavender Extreme’ but it wasn’t quite what she was expecting, so she was good enough to gift it to me. I find it a slightly more powdery take on the original, something softer and more suited to indoor winter days of cashmere and tea, or summer mornings in the fleeting hours before it gets too overbearingly hot. ‘Lavender Palm’, on the other hand, is one of those elusive Private Blends that works well on any given day of the year. That’s part of the magic of lavender.
I also find that ‘Lavender Palm’ is the more lasting and potent of the two, which is slightly annoying given the ‘Lavender Extreme’ moniker. That said, it’s a minor annoyance, easily remedied by being decadently indulgent and blending the two. At this time of the year, it’s ok to be a little decadent. The more divine, the better.
When Taylor Swift premiered her ‘Lavender Haze’ video, it felt a fitting time to rediscover both ‘Lavender Palm’ and ‘Lavender Extreme’, so I tried some of the Extreme for some fun photo preening and posing late at night, and some of the Palm for a family birthday gathering. Swift’s reference comes from the historical version of the lavender haze – a state of love focused on that early infatuation period – the moment that only the very lucky among us can remember and inhabit, and I count myself extremely lucky, as Andy is the one who gave me that rare bottle of ‘Lavender Palm’.
Risking my usual tendency to overshare, I am neither uncut nor much of a gem. I do think an argument can be powerfully made that I’m a raw and rough jewel, in dire need of faceting and polish, but I’m not a jeweler, and sadly I don’t know any or my jewelry collection wouldn’t be in such a shambles. My cologne cabinet, on the other hand, is pristine, and I’m putting out this Valentine’s Day request to add what may very well be the crowning jewel of it all: ‘Uncut Gem’.
According to the typically over-the-top verbiage of the Frederic Malle website, ‘Uncut Gem’ “…is an unapologetically manly scent, diamond-hard and absolutely fresh. Clear, spicy top notes of ginger, bergamot, mandarin, angelica root and nutmeg lead you to the sensual fire within: a leathery accord, vetiver, frankincense, generous amounts of amber, and a musk that vibrates with the skin. This is a scent that plays with the tired codes of masculinity while extracting their telluric force to create something beautiful and irresistible.”
Man, that’s a lot to take, and I can boil it down to this: the scent is wickedly gorgeous – the precise dose of freshness and brightness with a heart of warmth that makes it work just as well in winter as in summer. That’s no small feat, as most of my colognes fall in one or the other; only the best ones straddle all the seasons. I tried it on a test strip on a breezy and too-brief trip through Copley Square the last time I was in Boston, and it was exquisite. (I also tried the pair of new Tom Ford cherries and neither was impressive or worth their hefty price tag.)
And so this is my Valentine’s gift wish – the 50 mL bottle of ‘Uncut Gem’ – which may be found at Frederic Malle, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue.
{If all else fails, I won’t be mad about a bottle of Tom Ford’s ‘Tobacco Vanille’ either.}
Tom Ford has a knack for scintillating fragrance monikers. (Hello ‘Fucking Fabulous‘, ‘Rose Prick‘ and ‘Lost Cherry‘.) One that has an overused-emoji already in place for its glory is ‘Bitter Peach’. While it came out a while ago, this one is a recent addition to my cologne cabinet thanks to a Christmas present from Andy. I’ve loved peach as a fragrance for years, but never experienced it in a perfume or cologne.
At first I was skeptical, as Ford’s fruity excursions (like ‘Lost Cherry’) have veered too close to the sugary mainstream stuff that celebrities like Britney Spears or Jennifer Lopez put forth. Upon an initial quick spritz at a nearby Sephora store, I remained unconvinced – however, when I tried it out again a year later, the bit of bitterness was enough to keep me intrigued, and the bright peach that opens it so gorgeously made it worth the ask.
There’s also a perfect backing soundtrack to this scent, provided by Prince in a B-Side cut from his collection of ‘The Hits’ – this is ‘Peach’:
It’s certainly a ripe song for a Tom Ford Private Blend fragrance – it gives sass and sex and just a touch of raunch – though the fragrance itself is more subdued and graceful. ‘Bitter Peach’ is a brief puff of summer sweetness, immediately tempered by a spicy gourmand vibe from some cardamom, blood orange, rum and cognac. An element of promised bitterness comes in at the end of the opening. While the base notes are a little voluminous (the literature lists Indonesian Patchouli Leaf, Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Sandalwood, Benzoin, Cashmeran, Styrax, Labdanum and Vetiver) they marry well and end up settling into something elegantly restrained – the bright and sexy peach fuzz transforming into the softest cashmere.
At that point, the one drawback of such beauty occurs: it goes away too quickly. Topping out at about an hour or two, that initial voluptuousness fades to a whisper that stays quietly close to the skin, demanding repeated application throughout the day – not necessarily a bad thing, but something to consider with its hefty price tag.
This is one of those rare Ford Private Blends that can, and probably should, be used year-round. Many of his creations work well only in certain seasons (‘Mandarino di Amalfi‘, ‘Costa Azzurra‘, and ‘Venetian Bergamot‘ for spring and summer; ‘Amber Absolute‘, ‘Vert D’Encens‘, ‘Ébène Fumé‘ for fall and winter) ‘Bitter Peach’ would work well in summer, fall, and even winter, thanks to its spicy accents of bitterness and the warm softness of its dry down.
Such multi-faceted use mirrors the double and triple entendres for a scent called ‘Bitter Peach’ – the likes of which could be explored for days. You’ll have to settle for this cheeky blog post and all its innuendo and butt-baring outuendo.
When Tom Ford released the scandalously-monikered ‘Lost Cherry’ it was somewhat of a let-down. Like ”Fucking Fabulous’ before it, the name was more exciting than the fragrance, and while I love and enjoy ‘Fucking Fabulous’, it doesn’t walk into a room and announce its presence with fanfare and electricity. It seduces in a quieter manner. ‘Lost Cherry’ simply lost me, with a rather cloying sugary element that might appeal more to the youth of today than the old curmudgeons like myself who want more oomph than sweetness.
So it was with a dose of skepticism intermingled with hope that I heard about two new cherry frags from the Tom Ford Private Blend collection – ‘Cherry Smoke’ and ‘Electric Cherry’ – whether they will be flankers or stand-upright on their own remains to be seen. Of the two, ‘Cherry Smoke’ sounds the most promising, and I could totally get on board if they’re going for a darker cherry vibe. That said, my nose tends to favor the fruity, as evidenced by the ‘New York Oud’ by Bond No. 9 which entranced me despite my reticence to sweet and fruit-like scents (nothing really Oud about it) so perhaps ‘Electric Cherry’ will be the one that brings me into Ford’s cherry-popping glory.
The new releases come at an opportune moment, right before Valentine’s Day, not unlike his exquisite Rose release last year. That one resulted in one of the more beautiful creations of Private Blend history – ‘Rose de Russie’ – which I enjoy to this very day. Will any of these new cherries strike similar sparks? We shall hopefully see…
Not many fragrances live up to their over-the-top billing and extreme descriptors, but ‘Amber Absolute’ from Tom Ford’s Private Blends more than fulfills its accompanying literature. It carries even more mystery and magnificence since it’s been discontinued for years, and later versions are reportedly nowhere near as potent as its original incarnation. An early blog attempt at capturing its magic fell flat for me, and I never properly honored such an exquisite scent, so I’m trying again here.
This is considered by many to be the greatest Tom Ford Private Blend, and it is definitely the most gorgeously dark and decadent scent in my cologne cabinet, surpassing even the intoxicating ‘Tuscan Leather‘ and ‘Portrait of a Lady‘. It was re-released as part of a Reserve Collection, but I’ve been told it’s not as good, so I’ve been using my original as sparingly as possible to make it last. The re-releases tend to be slightly watered-down, while the price has gone insanely up.
October is usually when my bottle gets its turn off the shelf, cozily cuddling up to the chilly nights. When fireside chats demand sweaters and boots, this is a scent that can hold its own with the burning embers and smoky air. No other cologne can combat such a combination as well as ‘Amber Absolute’.
There is amber and musk at its animalistic heart, while a smoky shroud of incense lends a spiritual mystery that almost balances the primal beast lurking within the bottle. Almost… because that dirty, flirty, anything-but-religious fervor cannot be contained or balanced by incense or hints of vanilla. Despite their valiant efforts to sweetly tamp down the fiery tongues of fragrance unleashed with each spritz, this is one monster that refuses to be tamed. It’s like fucking around with fire – sooner or later someone gets hurt – and what a lovely way to burn.
My sexual awakening happened in the 1990’s, just as Calvin Klein’s ‘One’ unisex cologne was taking off everywhere, and his androgynous black and white ad campaigns with Kate Moss and Mark Wahlberg were all the rage. Marky Mark never did much for me; my attention was grasped by this male model’s non-gaze and prone pose for Davidoff’s ‘Zino’ cologne, so much so that I bought it blindly, without trying it on, and it was a bum decision that I have regretted ever since. (Kids, don’t try this at home, despite what this post says.)
Davidoff was responsible for ‘Cool Water’ which, being the good burgeoning gay boy I was in the 90’s, was a staple for my earliest fragrance forays, right next to Curve by Liz Claiborne. I think you can still find both at your local CVS or Walgreen’s. I shamefully digress… but that was the ghastly initiation into cologne that most of us had at the time. (Tom Ford wasn’t even the Creative Director at Gucci then.)
When I got the bottle of Zino back to my dorm room, and discovered its less-than-desirable odor, I decided not to waste it and instead put it to work as part of my own little ‘Sex’ project, directly inspired by Madonna. More on that, and her, later this fall when we properly pay homage to her ‘Erotica’ period and its 30th anniversary this October. Back then, it was all new, as was this Nick Scotti song on which she sang back-up. It was originally written for her, but she gave it to him and only appears as a backing vocalist. Somehow, even that small contribution gives it the Madonna magic that was in full effect in the early 90’s.
I put this song on a mix tape I made for that ‘Sex’ project, because in the early 90’s that’s what we were still doing. A playlist was an unfathomable idea way back then, and we were limited to the 90 minutes of a double-sided cassette tape. That was more than enough time to aurally get off, and this song kicked off such an aural extravaganza as my friends opened their mail to xeroxed images of me in and out of my Calvins. Baby steps for a budding project-maker.
While I’d like to say that I did it all for a driving creative desire to flesh out the fantasies running through my mind, that is only partially true. A significant impetus for why I did it all, and perhaps why I still do it, was to make sure that my friends – the people who meant the most to me during those treacherous high school years I almost didn’t survive – would not forget me. If I assigned myself with things that they would see or experience – such as Madonna, or a cologne ad and fragrance that would take the mainstream media by storm – then maybe they would remember me. A childish, futile effort, to be sure, but one that I took up with all the fanfare and hoopla of a proper pop culture lightning strike.
As for Zino by Davidoff, it only ever got to be the signature fragrance of that ‘Sex’ project release, scenting the writing and photos I sent out to my friends during the month of October in the year of our Lord 1993. 
When one crosses the threshold into fall, it doesn’t always feel like fall. There are days when the sun is strong, and the heat builds like it does back in summer. The idea of a heavy and musky cologne at such a time feels as out of place as a wool cardigan on a hot July day. This makes fragrance a tricky thing, as I tend to be seasonally oriented when it comes to choosing what to wear on my skin.
The solution is to find something that straddles both summer and fall, and for me that has been the fig. As much a part of high summer as it is the harvest season, the fig is a transitional fragrance that can swerve to sweet and fruity, while being reigned in with something more sharply aromatic. That marriage can be found in Diana Vreeland’s ‘Staggeringly Beautiful’.
A little bit of background on how I came to be in possession of such a glorious gift: I’d had this on my wish list for a little while. It was an impulse add, an extravagant and lavish wish of high-hopes that I never quite expected to receive, as much as I would have liked to receive it. It was also a risky blind-non-buy selection – I usually don’t ask for something I’ve never tried, fragrance-wise, because that can be crazy dangerous. Notes and scents listed out on paper are often nothing like the actual aroma that the final combination might produce. (Luckily enough, some previous blind-buys have turned out to have very happy endings, such as Viktor & Rolf’s ‘Spicebomb’ and Tom Ford’s ‘Oud Minerale’ – still, it’s a risky business.)
I wasn’t expecting anyone to choose such a lovely item for this year’s uneventful birthday, so when I opened up the pretty bag that Sherri and Skip had bestowed upon me and found this spectacular item, my heart jumped – as much for the perfume itself as for the touching generosity and thought that went into it. Sherri always knows the perfect gift to pick out, when even I’ve forgotten what I really wanted. She has a sixth sense about such things, the way she can pick out a pregnant woman practically on the morning-after. It’s also a testament to my friendship with both Sherri and Skip that they were kind enough to deliver this magnificent present.
As for the fragrance itself, it joins a small but beloved collection of Diana Vreeland perfumes on my shelf: ‘Vivaciously Bold‘ and ‘Absolutely Vital‘. This third jewel in the Vreeland crown is the missing piece to a glorious triumvirate. ‘Vivaciously Bold’ is the bright spring awakening that often accompanies us to our Memorial Day adventures in Ogunquit; ‘Absolutely Vital’ is the winter sandalwood that has been present at holiday gatherings; and ‘Staggeringly Beautiful’ is the summer/fall beauty that will now remind me of happy power dinners with friends, planning what is going on with this very website.
‘Staggeringly Beautiful’ carries some of the same gorgeous threads that weave their way through the Vreeland perfume line, but avoids the cloying florals that some of those offerings fall prey to (which is why I will only have three). It opens sweetly with fig and citrus – a blast of fruity rich decadence – which is the perfect summer celebration. There is a green freshness that carries through, keeping things from going too sweet, and after an initial blast of some potent sillage, it dries down to something much closer to the skin – perfect for those days that are hotter and more humid than you think fall could ever be. Elements of bergamot and daffodil temper the ripeness of the fig with spring-like elements, hanging onto a bit of the sunnier seasons the way fall sometimes does. This is a beautiful transitional scent for the tricky time between summer and fall – many thanks to Sherri and Skip for bringing it into my world.
Straddling the gorgeous crux of spring and summer, the scent of ‘Soft Lawn’ by Imaginary Authors is my first foray into this fragrance brand, and it’s a surprisingly impressive entry. This was a blind-buy request as an anniversary gift, and quite happily it was a raging success, fulfilling the descriptive literature that likened it to the scent of a tennis match day in a lifestyle to which I have never been accustomed, but I love the way it smells. Taking its name from an imaginary novel by Claude LeCoq (an imaginary name if ever there was one), it’s meant to be worn as a leisure scent on weekends, or days that you wish were weekends, which is pretty much every day right now.
This was a welcome addition to my cologne cabinet, lightening the load of Tom Ford and filling in for the lackluster latest from the Hermes Jardin line. ‘Soft Lawn’ lists the tennis ball as one of its notes, but I find that may mostly be for the image it conjures instead of the actual scent. The other notes are more what I detect and adore, starting with the lovely linden tree, whose blossoms are just now coming on to perfume the local air. Some grapefruit helps open things up, before ripening quickly into something greener with oak moss, vetiver, and laurel and ivy leaves lending the dappled light of a forest to the proceedings.
It’s an ideal scent for this time of the year, and it is courteous enough not to stick around for more than a couple of hours. I don’t always admire that in a fragrance, but at $95 for 50ml, this is practically a steal. The packaging is exquisitely whimsical, conjured to perfectly resemble a book, and the bottle art is the sort of art-deco beauty that suits its lofty literary references. I’m going to order a sample set to see which one will see us through mid-to-late summer.
Ever since I started this website almost twenty years ago, I wanted it to be a respite and sanctuary of quiet and calm, a little corner of serenity and beauty, where old memories could be rekindled and new ones could be made. Keeping things light and tranquil was as much for my own enjoyment and inspiration as it was to provide that which I always found largely lacking on the internet. The sites that I enjoyed were simple, stripped-down, sparse, and pretty. They were mostly silent and without ads or interruptions or fanfare, and they provided a safe space away from the noise and bombast and vitriol of the rest of the online world. At their best, they showed us a world filled with beauty and peace, even if it was brief and finite.
In the ensuing two decades, social media grew and expanded, turning into the overriding monstrosity that it is today, and I’ve kept close to my original design because I felt it was needed more than ever. As the world around us demands serious work and concentration to address all of its growing ills, I still only want this space to be light and airy and frivolous, our own tiny loft of safety and whims, where memories are conjured, and the simple joys of life can be studied and celebrated.
To that end, fragrance has always been one of the more powerful memory triggers and creators. With certain scents, I can be brought back to happy summer days, smoky autumn afternoons, and wintry holiday evenings.
Having only recently succumbed to the rich beauty of the rose after avoiding it for years, my rose binge has found its culmination in one of the latest Tom Ford Private Blends: ‘Rose De Russie’. This gorgeous juice is as pretty as its fuchsia-hued shade – a sumptuous treatise on the darker elements of rose, tamed and centered by accents of pepper and leather, allowing the rose to truly shine, while bringing out greener hints of fresh woodland wonder.
I didn’t have high hopes after the disappointing ‘Rose Prick’ – such a promising name deserved so much more than its sweet and light flimsiness. Ford delivers that rosy promise here, with a stunningly beautiful fragrance that is richly nuanced, and easily the best of his rose trio. It’s the darkest and richest of the bouquet, and bridges the lovely distance between the heavenly ‘Rose & Cuir‘ and his own ‘Oud Fleur‘. It is only sightly reminiscent of the gorgeousness that is ‘Portrait of a Lady’, bringing in a woody and green element of freshness that might make it the ideal day companion for that smokier beast.
As we approach the month of June – when roses are at the height of their enchantment – this may be the memory-maker we need for the moment.
A surprise pre-Valentine’s release of three new Private Blend rose scents from Tom Ford was happy news indeed, made even happier by Andy’s gift of a sampler set including the entire trio. (I wish Ford had done something similar with the Vert or Oud lines, but we’ll take what we get.) In this case, everything’s coming up roses, as Ford presents scents inspired by a rose garden, and while I’m a relatively recent convert to the love of rose in fragrances, the passion burns brightly now, as evidenced by ‘Oud Fleur‘, ‘Portrait of a Lady‘ and ‘Rose & Cuir‘. For Ford’s latest floral entries, I did a sampling of each over a three day period, and here are my thoughts.
Rose de Amalfi ~ I expected to either love or hate this, but I fell somewhere in-between. An all-too-brief opening of sharp citrus – with the tartness of bergamot – dissipates all-too-quickly, but while it lasts it hides the powdery rose from view. Sadly such giddy citrus never stays for long, and as soon as it subsides the powdery heliotrope takes over, again hiding the rose from view. It’s a tantalizing game of hide and seek, with no satisfying reveal.
Approaching the questionable border of an antiseptic quality, this one then surprises with an echo of that sharp citrus opening, lingering a little longer as if to expressly defy the notion of citrus before disappearing again.
This is the point where I expected it to crumble into sugar, the way a few of Ford’s latest releases have gone (‘Lost Cherry’ and ‘Rose Prick’ for instance) but just as it begins to crystallize to a dusty essence, it holds on, clinging desperately to some small trace of tartness and refusing to caramelize into something more. The heliotrope then steps forward again, a multitude of tiny blooms to mask the rose, and it seems as though the rose of Amalfi is a shy one indeed, letting itself be whisked off sight unseen by some rushed sea breeze.
Rose de Russie ~ The preliminary literature on this had it pegged as the one I would love the most, and all went according to plan. This is a gloriously peppery rose with underlying layers of leather that reveal themselves in stages. The rose and pepper battle for dominance in the opening, and it’s an exquisite duet for those of us who find rose in its pure form too sweet and rich. Darker than its cousins, ‘Rose de Russie’ is the evening scent for this trio, and I appreciate it all the more for that. It’s still slightly green, with an herbal element which crops up after the opening, much appreciated to keep steering away from the danger of sweetness. There was a fruity note that surfaced at one point- not at all unwelcome, and I’ll take fruity over sugary any day.
Twenty minutes in the scent goes all bashful, timid and hesitant, barely peeking out from the cuffs of my shirt. Still gorgeous, simply subdued. Then the synthetic leather vibe comes into prominence, still laced with a peppery rose, and still slightly hidden, which is a good thing at this point. I need to explore this one a bit more, but it’s a likely contender for the spring/summer scent 2022…
Right up to this moment I was feeling rather uninspired and woefully unfabulous when it came to Valentine’s Day fragrances, so I was digging deep into the scent closet and pulling out various rose frags to lift the winter spirits. I started with the exquisite ‘Rose & Cuir’ which is a gorgeous summery bloom that somehow sparkles in the snowy crystals of winter. For the nights, when the air gets a little smoky there is ‘Oud Fleur‘ and the even more divine ‘Portrait of a Lady‘.
So the rose was very much on my mind when I let out a startling gasp in front of Andy as I read about this new trio of fragrances from Tom Ford based on a rose garden. Much in the same way that his ‘Ébène Fumé’ took me by surprise with its beautiful alignment with Palo Santo incense, this rose triumvirate may be exactly what we need right now. Here is the literature on these new beauties:
Rose d’Amalfi: Inspired by the designer’s favorite Italian coast of Amalfi, this rose is sprinkled with fresh citruses and spices. It opens with Italian bergamot and mandarin paired with pink pepper. With rose, heliotrope and almond, it blends in romantic pink magic in a scent that is sensual and intimate.
Rose de Chine: This is a more potent, smoky and sensual rose fragrance. Besides rose, it features yellow peony, labdanum and myrrh, with a hint of smoky accords. According to the designer himself, the fragrance exudes an indomitable and untamed attitude as decadent rose and Chinese peony form a gorgeous and strong contrast. It has a provocative and challenging feel.
Rose de Russie: Announced as opulent and dramatic, this edition blends Russian black leather with a rich rose scent that is nighttime appropriate. The composition also features notes of white pepper and woods for a sexy and warm finish.
These all sound intriguing, but Tom Ford and florals are a bit of a mixed bag. It began with the spring blooms of his Jardin Noir line which completely missed for me, and the Vert line he did afterward only had two of four frags that I would consider (and only ‘Vert d’Encens’ was worth a purchase). Recent offerings ‘Rose Prick’ and ‘Bitter Peach’ also smelled lackluster, with the juice veering much too sweet and sugary for my taste. That said, after the brilliance of ‘Ébène Fumé’ perhaps he’s found his way back to the dark beauty that I’ve always loved. It’s definitely that time of the year with Valentine’s Day right around the corner.
{And if Andy is looking to completely sweep me off my feet and semi-surprise me for the holiday of hearts, the most promising option would be the handy-dandy sampling collection at this link, which includes all three for a fraction of what a full bottle costs… Also, for those of you looking to purchase some yourself, the Tom Ford store is offering them for $270, while Sephora has them listed for $368 – both at the 1.7 oz size. Something to think about for gift cards as well… Not sure why there is such a discrepancy.}
Every wonderful once in a great while, the passions of my measly personal life align with the artistic creation of one of my heroes. When it was announced that Tom Ford was releasing a new Private Blend that harkened to the early days of that line’s original potency, I was intrigued. After a spell of sweeter and lighter stuff (‘Lost Cherry’ and ‘Bitter Peach’, neither of which I adored) a return to the pungent, darker aspects that made his best stuff so beautiful was a welcome notion. Even better was the notice that explained this fragrance would feature the somewhat polarizing scent of Palo santo – a sacred wood used for incense and meditation – which is precisely how I knew it.
Legend has it that the scent of Palo santo smoke is often acrid and off-putting to those who have spiritual issues that they still need to work out, and as they address and acknowledge them in repeated meditation sessions, the scent becomes more and more enjoyable. This was very much my experience with Palo santo; the first time I smelled it, in a Tibetan store in Cambridge, MA, I thought it was horrendous. That was many years ago, when aspects of my life – at least the ones that I had never fully dealt with – were appreciably horrendous. Returning to that store, I still found the scent objectionable the next few times I visited.
The first time I lit a stick of Palo santo at the beginning of my meditation journey, it was challenging, but even without consciously working things out in my mind, the last few years seemed to have shifted how I was reacting to the smell. As my days of mediation went by, the scent became something that calmed and centered me before each session, and I eventually came to love it. Whether that’s simply the familiarity taking away its sharp edges, or some deeper transformation, I cannot completely tell, and it doesn’t really matter. When I read that Tom Ford was crafting a Private Blend that incorporated this sacred wood, I was stoked.
Of course the best laid fragrance plans on paper always seem to end up defying what the actual scent ends up being, but that didn’t stop me from blind-buying it during a Sephora sale. Thankfully when I finally tried it out in Boston a few days before my bottle arrived, it turned out to be everything I’d hoped it would be, and quite a bit more.
Rather than starting out with the Palo santo, ‘Ébène Fumé’ opens exactly like Ford’s exquisite ‘Santal Blush’ which is a sentimental favorite for holiday time, so at this point in the year it’s a welcome breath of refined air. The one minor thing that (barely) troubled me about ‘Blush’ was its relentless sweetness – which was fine for the holidays, but I tended to temper it with a bit of ‘Oud Wood’ to give it a darker aspect. Ford solves that gorgeously with ‘Ébène Fumé’, as behind that opening blast of sandalwood is a layer of incense and smoky resin which gives it some heat an hour or so into its trajectory. Shortly after that, the Palo santo comes into its glory in a most marvelous unfurling of wispy smoke – deep and rich yet somehow not overpowering. After years of volleying between too much and too little sillage – see the extremes of ‘Tuscan Leather’ versus ‘Neroli Portofino’ or ‘Japon Noir’ versus ‘Fucking Fabulous’ or ‘Vert D’Encens’ versus ‘Mandarino di Amalfi’ – Ford seems to have found the ideal meditative center of a lovely cologne, which feels finely fitting for the calming essence of Palo santo.
It was on my birthday trip to Boston this summer on which I discovered the oud offerings from Byredo. That house has never been one to produce particularly potent scents – they err on the lighter side of things – whispers of elegance ad slivers of sophistication – but nothing strange enough to merit the higher price points. (‘Black Saffron’ is one of the main exceptions.) They have a pair of oud frags – ‘Oud Immortal’ and ‘Accord Oud’ – and it was between these two that I was torn.
After sampling both, I decided on the ‘Accord Oud’ and its rich, leathery darkness. Opening with a powerhouse trio of blackberry, saffron and rum – it has elements of the exquisite ‘Straight to Heaven’ By Kilian and and undercurrent of Tom Ford‘s ‘Oud Wood’ and ‘Tuscan Leather‘. After a while, the scent deepens with the leather accord, clary sage and patchouli – and the rollercoaster has begun.
The first time I tried it, the city was hot and humid, and I showered it off after an hour or so – much too soon to get the full fragrance journey, especially of this beast. Still, it was enough to sell me – except for the Boston Saks, which did not have this one in stock. I had to wait to order it online from Bergdorf and Goodman. You snooze on your inventory, you lose on a sale.
It arrived a few days later, and when the calendar clicked to fall, I hastened to give it an office whirl. All the excitement and anticipation for a new fall fragrance – something I’d missed during the stay-home doldrums of 2020 – was dampened with a disappointing first time out. It smelled more synthetic and harsh than I remembered, and then it tapered quickly off – the worst of both worlds. Luckily, that may have only been the first few squirts of the bottle, for the next few times I tried it, the magic of that first try was back in full effect.
This is testament to the notion that the mark of a decent perfume or cologne – and how it performs – depends on numerous individual factors, and requires time to fully appreciate and understand. When this goes on me now, it still develops differently each time, and it varies based on whether it lands on my clothing or skin. The last time I tried it there were elements of Tom Ford’s ‘Soleil Brulant’ in the best possible way, when it rose up after a full day on the front of my shirt. On quiet days, and when it stays close to my skin, the leather is what comes out most. I like such unpredictability in our vastly unstable world, and I’ve come to appreciate it more than ever.
