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Top Review
Perfection at the Wrong Time
I am currently in a writing mood and have set myself the goal of dedicating a comment to each fragrance in my collection, plus my decants, minus my scents from the souk. Why? Because they deserve it. They are not in my collection for nothing.
Derby is probably one of the best men's fragrances of all time that never really experienced a breakthrough. It never stood seriously in the spotlight. And it never adorned the pages of the world's magazines. What was the reason? Hard to say. Poor advertising or the rather ugly bottle?
Or maybe because this fragrance is simply too opulent, too extravagant, too heavy, too complex, and too aromatic for the 80s. This scent could easily be placed in the 20s of the last century. Or, for that matter, at the end of the 60s / beginning of the 70s.
Trivia question for the scent description: “What do oranges, heavy old wood, and spices have to do with a classic English horse race?” A brief moment of thought. Right! Not a faint clue. I have always thought that Dior was the company that had problems with naming. Be that as it may, in essence, it doesn't really matter.
The impressions one experiences when spraying this fragrance are overwhelming, intoxicating. The start hits with a full blast of spiced ripe oranges. Normal top notes vanish after a few seconds. This one stays and stays. The components of the heart note are clearly recognizable. Almost seamlessly, the (Indian) woods and spices, accompanied by a hint of clove, join the spiced orange. Personally, I would have leaned more towards Indian spices than Indian wood. The whole thing remains opulent, heavy, and filling the room. Towards the base, the fragrance dims down a bit. In its direction and character, it becomes woody-balsamic with a slight hint of smoke.
Longevity and sillage are outstanding. More needs to be said about this.
This is Guerlain's perfumery art in perfection. Or to quote Luca Turin: “One of the best men's fragrances of all time.” Unfortunately, it was perfection at the wrong time. Moreover, it may have been discontinued by now.
Regards
Your Profumorist
Derby is probably one of the best men's fragrances of all time that never really experienced a breakthrough. It never stood seriously in the spotlight. And it never adorned the pages of the world's magazines. What was the reason? Hard to say. Poor advertising or the rather ugly bottle?
Or maybe because this fragrance is simply too opulent, too extravagant, too heavy, too complex, and too aromatic for the 80s. This scent could easily be placed in the 20s of the last century. Or, for that matter, at the end of the 60s / beginning of the 70s.
Trivia question for the scent description: “What do oranges, heavy old wood, and spices have to do with a classic English horse race?” A brief moment of thought. Right! Not a faint clue. I have always thought that Dior was the company that had problems with naming. Be that as it may, in essence, it doesn't really matter.
The impressions one experiences when spraying this fragrance are overwhelming, intoxicating. The start hits with a full blast of spiced ripe oranges. Normal top notes vanish after a few seconds. This one stays and stays. The components of the heart note are clearly recognizable. Almost seamlessly, the (Indian) woods and spices, accompanied by a hint of clove, join the spiced orange. Personally, I would have leaned more towards Indian spices than Indian wood. The whole thing remains opulent, heavy, and filling the room. Towards the base, the fragrance dims down a bit. In its direction and character, it becomes woody-balsamic with a slight hint of smoke.
Longevity and sillage are outstanding. More needs to be said about this.
This is Guerlain's perfumery art in perfection. Or to quote Luca Turin: “One of the best men's fragrances of all time.” Unfortunately, it was perfection at the wrong time. Moreover, it may have been discontinued by now.
Regards
Your Profumorist
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3 Comments
I agree with you. I don't see a significant difference between the old version and this one either.