If there’s one fault I’ve found in Tom Ford’s Private Blends (and there are, actually, a few – but most of them are a matter of taste) it’s that with the notable exception of the exquisite Neroli Portofino, and possibly Azure Lime, there are none that are truly summer fragrances. His touch is simply too potent, his essence too powerful. The Private Blends are a lot of bang for the buck (and given their hefty price-point, that’s saying quite a bit.) The problem comes in the heat of the season, when heavy scents are the last thing I want on my body. I want light and crisp, effervescent and airy – and that is decidedly not Mr. Ford’s way with fragrance.
That may change with the arrival of two new Private Blends that are whispered to be cousins of Neroli Portofino. As he did with his Oud collection, he will be offering two new blends in the same vein as the Neroli, and the bottles alone look worthy of purchase (in shades ricocheting off the original Neroli bottle, imitating the aqua ocean and mesmerizing like the Mediterranean sea.)
Mandarino di Amalfi sounds like the more promising of the two, featuring tarragon, mandarin orange, mint and lemon. Tom Ford finally delves deeper into the citrus grove, and I like the possibilities at hand. Costa Azzurra is the second blend, said to focus on oak, driftwood, lavender and vanilla. As with most Ford items, what’s on paper is often quite different when sampled in person, so I will be anxiously awaiting the arrival of these two lovelies, one of which may be my new summer scent. Get your olfactory engines running.
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