Portrait of a Lady Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle 2010 Eau de Parfum

... but as far as I'm concerned she can protest all she likes!!

WOW!!! There is a really good reason I love Dominique Ropion's work ... the man is simply a genius!! This 'portrait' is not of a demurely clad Monet-esque maiden reading innocently in a bower of trees, she's a Rubens-like scantily clad Delilah ... demanding Sampson's head on a platter after having her way with him.
Actually, I think this gal is a Drag Queen, cast in the mould of a lewd and loud Mae West :). A fragrance for a big personality, that could probably asphyxiate those within a six foot radius should the trigger not be handled gently ... just the way I like it!!
An astounding Patchouli is given a spicier twist with the accompaniment of clove in the top, the Rose here commencing as a faint floral whisper and crescendoing to a sweet, dark roar. Sandalwood and Frankincense really sing in the heart here too. Portrait of a Lady is an astoundingly modern fragrance, whilst retaining a certain 'olde-worlde' charm with it's almost irreverent power. I'm pretty sure that there is a little Oud here, even though it's not listed. It may well be a combination of the Sandalwood and Resins, but there is a similarity here to Montale's Black Aoud. There are also overtones of Ropion's Costume National Homme in the sweet and spicy nuances that this creation emanates.

Portrait of a Lady is definitely unisex in my book ... after all ... what's in a name? Definitely one to own!!