Behind the Armani stand in Alsterhaus, there hangs a large poster promoting ‘Orangerie Venise’. Of course, I had to grab a sample right away. While I found most of the newer Privés only moderately successful, and an orange scent might not be the first choice to expect another bold creation like ‘Myrrhe Imperiale’ or ‘Pierre de Lune’, ‘Orangerie Venise’ is supposedly (see above) penned by Dominique Ropion. One can really be curious - after all, the master has casually dusted off one or two old-school ideas for Mr. Malle.
So how is the new luxury Armani?
In the opening, there’s a lot going on in terms of relevant fruit: straightforward orange, “nimm2” neroli, green sourness, and zesty oiliness. For the claimed pepper, I need a bit of imagination; I find it more woody than spicy. The young man at the Armani counter introduced vetiver into the mix, which fits, although (for now) as a means, not as an end; it hardly leaves the realm of speculation in the first hours.
Speaking of purpose - we are now at the actual topic: How’s the freshness extension today? I smell a bit of everything, so to speak. Neroli is prominently mentioned as a quite potent contender for this; it can be traced back, for example, in ‘Puro Neroli’ by Officina delle Essenze. For the herbal-spicy part, petitgrain leaf green and underbrush soon join in, initially quite subtle, but already noticeable after an hour.
For a while, I also ponder something tomato-like, until I ultimately suspect that the watery fresh chemistry (another one checked off) has played a trick on me in combination with the acidity. This happens to me sometimes; see, for example, Harry Lehmann’s ‘Boston’, where I speculated about tomato (leaf) back then.
Well, and then there’s vetiver. Initially just a support, it develops its own profile throughout the day. Partly quantitatively, simply relatively due to the retreat of the other ingredients. But also in content, it gains strength and even shows something slightly sour-smoky, as is usually indicated by the -yl acetate.
A reference to the Privé colleague ‘Vetiver d’Hiver’ is now almost inevitable. Both share an aura that hovers over the scent. That doesn’t mean much; it’s often similar with chemically supported fresh scents of this kind. What’s more remarkable is that the present candidate offers a stronger presence in terms of sweet grass (or its derivative) than the sibling scent that carries the ingredient in its name. The vetiver is accompanied all the way to the end today by zestiness; number five on our freshness extension list would be that. Occasionally, a remnant of nimm2 pops up.
Conclusion: Certainly not a milestone, neither for Mr. Armani nor for Mr. Ropion. Nevertheless, a decent scent that delivers more (reasonable aromas until the end) or less (no hardware store) at the right places compared to others in this group. Given the price (around 160 euros per 100ml at the stand), I can expect that. It’s frustrating that one practically has to bathe in this stuff to generate a decent sillage.
I almost became curious. Really curious. Even though I found the winter vetiver a bit disappointing. But I'm currently eyeing Venice for the end of the month, so that would have been an interesting encounter. Or, as I now believe, maybe not.
Freshness extension sounded so promising. It's a shame that it has such low longevity; otherwise, I would have liked to try it. Thanks for this fragrance review and trophy!
I can see: your enthusiasm is somewhat limited. I actually quite like things like this, but it has to have the charm of something new (see Azemour les Orangers). Otherwise, you don't really need something like this that urgently anymore.
Actually. Yes, actually. If it weren't for that. That's why it's probably better not to.
I rarely connected with the Privé line. Only the Myrrh impressed me. All the others shared a weak performance...
You've tried it... That's not really my price range, even though I might like the scent. Except for the pepper, that's become quite a trend to throw into just about every fragrance.
So far, none of the Armani Privés have convinced me. They all seemed too obviously concocted in a chemistry lab. After your comment, I get the impression that I can safely skip this one too.
I rarely connected with the Privé line. Only the Myrrh impressed me. All the others shared a weak performance...