Belgravia Dukes of Pall Mall 1983

In the history of the Dukes of Pall Mall, I made a few notes in the review of Belgravia's partner scent, Cotswold. I purchased my first bottle of Cotswold Aftershave from the English online cosmetics outlet direct cosmetics, back in the good old days when it was still allowed to ship perfume from the UK abroad. There, I also got to know the Crown Perfumery through 100-piece packages of perfume samples. I fell in love with Cotswold immediately and began extensive research on this house - thanks to the internet, its history could be reconstructed quite well. Registered as a brand in 1982, products launched in 1983, and just a few years later, taken over by a new owner. I gradually managed to acquire Cotswold Cologne from the later era (unfortunately very low-quality raw materials and therefore no joy) and finally also some bottles of the original "Cologne Reserve." The other Dukes scent - the urban Belgravia - remained denied to me. Only an expired eBay auction for an After Shave Balm testified to its existence. At some point, an advertisement appeared on Google Books showcasing both scents. Belgravia is based on a 120-year-old formula and contains, among other things, patchouli, oak moss, petitgrain, and lavender. Given the enchanting quality of Cotswold, the desire for Belgravia became an obsession.
It took a while, but eventually, a bottle of Belgravia actually appeared on eBay.uk. The advantage of idiosyncratic buying obsessions is that they don't have to be expensive. No one else was particularly interested in Dukes of Pall Mall products, even though one could occasionally read praises for the brand in wet shaving forums. Unfortunately, it turned out that this Belgravia came from the late DoPM era (the bottle is identical, but the address printed on the box is no longer Pall Mall) and the contents were, as in the case of Cotswold, disappointing. The online market can do a lot, but not everything. My holy grail ultimately came to me only through human kindness. I had contact with a Greek perfume friend on basenotes who always came to Germany for the book fair. We met in the city for coffee to chat and sniff in person, and he pulled an original bottle of Belgravia out of his bag - he had snagged it on eBay, but it didn't suit him in the Greek climate, and since he knew of my fascination with Dukes, he gifted me the scent. That was one of my most beautiful perfume moments. And vintage Belgravia did not disappoint...
Even if you factor out the psychological component, Belgravia is an excellent, classically composed, rich fougère with oriental aspects, and thus indeed a child of the 1980s, not the 1880s. It also bears a striking resemblance to Penhaligon's Sartorial - as if Duchaufour's scent had been retro-engineered. The modern ozonic elements are, of course, missing, and Belgravia is rounder and fuller - better and uncastrated raw materials from the era before the IFRA regulatory frenzy greet us. But both are orientalized fougères with a body of lavender, floral notes, patchouli, spices, moss, coumarin, and a distinctive, beautiful warm heart, which in the case of Sartorial is constructed around the beeswax note, and in Belgravia with opoponax.
By today's standards, one would not describe Belgravia as an urban scent, but rather almost romantic. However, compared to many scents of its era, it is quite elegant and not an antiquated scent bomb. "Timeless urban sophistication" captures it quite well.
By the way, due to my research, I had contact with the current license holder of the Dukes of Pall Mall brand and learned that there were plans for a relaunch. Thus, I also had the pleasure of a sample bottle of the beta version of Belgravia 2.0. It seems that nothing came of the project, and I truly fear that Belgravia cannot be reproduced in its old beauty. I guard the bottle with reverence and only indulge in the enjoyment of a great, forgotten perfume on special days, which found its way to me through such winding paths.