la collection privee: 9 posts

Christian Dior has added a new fragrance to La Collection Privée. Gris Montaigne, developed by perfumer François Demachy, is a classical mossy chypre with notes of bergamot, jasmine sambac, Turkish rose, Indonesian patchouli, moss, and amber.

Gris Montaigne is currently available at Harrods in London, alongside the England inspired makeup collection:  Claridge’s 48 eye shadow palette and lip gloss, My Lady powder, Windsor nail polish. Gris Montaigne will launch at Dior boutiques worldwide later this spring. Via elle.fr and dior.com

There are some varieties of rose that smell fresh and delicate at first and then reveal a piquant, peppery bite. You pull away from the blossom with a start, the tingling sensation still in your nose and can’t help yourself leaning in for another inhale. My first impression of Oud Ispahan, a new addition to Christian Dior’s La Collection Privée, was similar—the compelling sparkle of the top note contrasted dramatically with the darkness of patchouli and oud.

Continue reading →

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Sometimes I encounter fragrances that are the equivalent of overpriced haute cuisine—glittering table settings, 5 waiters per customer and a gnawing sense of disappointment at the end of the meal. That is exactly how I find Christian Dior Patchouli Impérial—the promise of a beautiful experience with little substance and character when it finally dries down on the skin.

Continue reading →

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Christian Dior New Look 1947 is one of my most disappointing and frustrating discoveries this year. I say it because I absolutely love the voluptuous idea of its tuberose and violet accord and the image of red lipstick glamor that it conveys. Yet on the skin, New Look 1947 feels far too soft spoken and sheer to fully deliver on its promise of bold elegance circa 1940s Paris.

Continue reading →

With Vétiver, Jean-Paul Guerlain did a seemingly simple thing—he emphasized each facet of the natural raw material, vetiver oil, to create an abstract, modern fragrance. Even though Vétiver de Guerlain has been in existence since 1959 and along with Carven Vétiver engendered a whole family of classical woods, it possesses a timeless elegance that has come to define masculine perfumery. Therefore, it continues to inspire new fragrances based around the dark, green woody note of vetiver, the latest of which is Christian Dior Vétiver.

Continue reading →