Most of the Tom Ford Private Blends I’m fortunate enough to have come with memories of certain moments or specific sections of select seasons. When Andy got me ‘Azure Lime’ for our anniversary last summer, it came just as my Dad was entering his final days. I was torn over whether to wear it to those visits and the funeral, because I knew it would become part of those memories, and I’d never be able to dissociate it from such dark times. Then I realized that marrying those days with my favorite cologne maker would be a fitting way to honor my Dad. If I had one more sensory item to remind me of Dad years from now, it would finally be a scent to trigger one final memory.
It’s a little ironic, as my Dad hardly ever wore cologne. Once in a great while – for a fancy night out or someone’s wedding perhaps – he would splash on a few drops of Old Spice. (Oddly enough, Tom Ford’s first mainstream cologne, titled simply ‘Tom Ford for Men’ has elements that remind me of Old Spice.) Scent was not something I ever connected to my Dad – he didn’t even wear deodorant because he had no body odor. He was always meticulously clean, but even to his last day when he was only getting sponge baths he never had body odor. If there was anything that might remind me of him scent-wise, it would have to be Vick’s Vapo-rub, which he used for various ailments. ‘Azure Lime’ is a much nicer way to remember him, and it’s a classic lime cologne that reeks of old-school style and class – the very sort of debonair elegance and suave sophistication that Dad, in his tailored suits and Burberry coat, personified when he went out in public.
As for the merits of ‘Azure Lime’ itself, it was one of Tom Ford’s original Private Blends, then was discontinued for several years. He brought it back as part of the Neroli Summer collection, in an aqua bottle to match that line and the citrus lightness of those blue hues. It fits in well there, as like most citrus scents it’s light and not lasting – something that might be a bit of a detractor given the price point. I get more than a little fougere to this one, putting it in classic cologne territory, and perhaps I’ve finally aged into that world.
It’s a fine and fitting fragrance for summer, and a new memory for the final days of a father.
