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…
