Tom Ford has gotten better about providing some lighter fragrance fare for the summer months (Neroli Portofino, Mandarino di Amalfi, Costa Azzurra, Venetian Bergamot), but at his price points they still feel heavier than most scents out there, designed for a special occasion, not a half-day at the office before cocktails by the pool. Not that Frederic Malle’s line is any cheaper, but they’re often less intense, and a softer feel for summer is just what I was seeking when I stumbled into Barney’s with Andy for our anniversary weekend.
I’d been reading raves about Dominique Ropion’s ‘Cologne Indelebile’ and its lasting power, which for a neroli-based scent is a striking aspect, worthy of note. It announces its name definitively, without asking or requesting, content to state itself without any other option for dispute. Yet it does so in the most elegant and refined manner, not flopping excessively about with its sweetness, or departing after one whiff. Its neroli notes are reminiscent of any number of similarly-themed scents, but this has a surprisingly long life on my skin (consider it the powerhouse version of Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino, with a more masculine slant).
Don’t ask me why I paired the packaging with a peony for these photos, other than the simple fact that I loved the pink juxtaposed beside the fiery orange. I suppose in certain peonies there is a hint of tea and spice, just as there is the slightest hint of such elements in the Cologne Indelebile, so perhaps they are bound together in ways not initially or outwardly detectable after all. Everything happens for a reason. There are no accidents.
For the summer of 2018, this is an auspicious beginning, and a signature scent that recalls summers past with anticipation and citrus vibrations of what’s yet to come. A nod to the before and after.
