London 2013

London by Tom Ford
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7.9 / 10 215 Ratings
London is a popular perfume by Tom Ford for women and men and was released in 2013. The scent is spicy-woody. It was last marketed by Estēe Lauder Companies.
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Main accords

Spicy
Woody
Smoky
Resinous
Animal

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes CuminCumin Madagascar pepperMadagascar pepper Cardamom absoluteCardamom absolute CoffeeCoffee SaffronSaffron Coriander seedCoriander seed
Heart Notes Heart Notes CistusCistus Egyptian geraniumEgyptian geranium FrankincenseFrankincense Jasmine absoluteJasmine absolute
Base Notes Base Notes BirchBirch CedarCedar MuskMusk OudOud Balsam tree

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
7.9215 Ratings
Longevity
7.9187 Ratings
Sillage
7.5189 Ratings
Bottle
8.7193 Ratings
Value for money
6.644 Ratings
Submitted by Apicius, last update on 23.03.2023.
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Reviews

8 in-depth fragrance descriptions
8
Bottle
7
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7
Longevity
8
Scent
Chizza
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Chizza
Chizza
Top Review 26  
Sloppy and beautiful oasis of many cultures
London is without doubt a city that has a lot to offer. But it is also a city of numerous cultures - in some districts as Tottenham even very strong - and of contrasts. The huge and modern as well as glamorous buildings and then sometimes diametrically opposed narrow streets with small houses pressed together. Already exciting. So many people and so many ways of life, that makes a city pulsate. And not only has beautiful sides, but also leads to negative aspects, which a tourist admittedly sees less often.
When I think of Tom Ford's London, I think of the people there and their cultures. The mixed scents of their food, the smell of the streets and the hustle and bustle of everyday life there with its positive and negative realities. How a working person, like an ant, scurries back and forth in the hustle and bustle. Last but not least, the ant-like atmosphere in the open-plan offices there is evident. Whoever moans about German versions of it has never been in a London office before.
So when we are at meals of many nations, the characteristic smell of cumin should not be missing. Here it is quite strongly perceptible, dueling with the smell of coffee, which of course plays along all too logically. For me, this makes cumin darker and less voluptuous, the coffee itself does not dominate. Pepper I hardly notice, but cardamom, which is classically perceptible here, but is more likely to shine in the second limb. Now I have to admit, you have to like that, because at least two of the three actors of the top note polarize. Steaming, loud and hot the fragrance streams towards you. Sometimes it appears grubby because of its extreme notes like saffron. It doesn't rush forward either, but remains in the compound of the olfactory spectacle. Anyone who finds this too much, too sweaty, too dirty, has my understanding because it is comprehensible

But London is becoming finer, more delicate and more detailed. Even now, the cedar is already stirring, the fragrance sublimely carries this vibe that only the cedar develops. Sublimity and pride in the achievements of togetherness, I would like to paraphrase it. The balsam tree, which is vanilla and makes London seem reconciliatory, greets you. Almost as the traveller is struck down by London for the first time, but towards the end he is delighted.
Anyway, London is Janus-faced for me; sometimes you can still smell the cumin strongly, only to notice the creaminess of the balm paired with the smoky birch element a second later. A word about the birch tree: it stays discreetly in the background and helps the balm to get more depth and new facets. Its smoke is of a soft-warm nature and rather weak

These different faces are also quite noticeable at the beginning. But in the majority of cases everything harmonizes from time to time and if the weather is too oppressive, the multi-cultural spice festival is a bit too strong and then also too grubby, because the saffron comes through too strongly in this case. But even in this case, we're talking about maybe an hour, which remains at that stage.
London may be a bulky scent by Tom Ford, but it resembles the other TF scents in its design. All of them are - when opened - very pleasing, and it is this dirty/smoky-creamy element at the end that I like very much. As soon as the exuberant beginning is over, it almost becomes cuddly. Well, you just have to acclimatize in new cities before you can feel comfortable.
15 Replies
10
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
8
Scent
Taurus

3 Reviews
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Taurus
Taurus
Very helpful Review 16  
Londung
Indeed, one does not have to write much about the British capital anymore. On the one hand it will be known to almost everyone and on the other hand my personal memory has faded quite after 40 years, even if I liked it there extraordinarily well. What has remained stuck and is still true today: London is a cultural melting pot and this is reflected in Tom Ford's Eau de Parfum.

However, sniffing at the spray head can quickly lead to sniffing, as London reveals a slightly stallid-dunglike undertone here, which hardly appears later in this species.

On the skin, the fragrance plays with quite oriental-spicy components between sweet cardamom, soft saffron, semi-hot pepper and a slightly oversized pinch of cumin. Sometime in the course of the top note, the latter takes over a little too much and temporarily slows down the flow into the dry, dusty and dirty. Fits well to the metropolis, but still has a counterproductive effect.

The flower department in the form of rose geranium and jasmine goes down a bit, but I don't miss it very much. A little more space is given to incense and oud, both really balanced without blending. Woody and resinous are the keywords when the olfactory London trip comes to an end.

What remains is a well composed eau de parfum with all kinds of experience corners and classical elements, modern but also traditional as a mediator between Orient and Occident. As generic terms for the classification I would choose clearly oriental-spicy-resiny-woody, whereby the feared (for others possibly also longed for) horse only briefly leaked from its stable and inflated its nostrils. And as the dear Yatagan already mentioned in the statement, Nebel wafts from the Thames through the alleys and quarters, because London embodies more the autumn-winter side of this cosmopolitan city.
6 Replies
8
Bottle
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Scent
Ropanski2020
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Ropanski2020
Ropanski2020
Very helpful Review 11  
Polarizing grace
Oh, a daring scent, my dear Mr. Ford. That it was removed from the Private Blend series doesn't really surprise me that it was published at all, all the more so because it doesn't fit into your portfolio. But first things first.

A snack on the Thunderbox or a visit to a crowded oriental bazaar - somehow London combines both. It is definitely unique and striking at the same time and therefore a small work of art, provided that the distinct animalistic impact does not trigger a polysynaptic reflex in the wearer. Thus the route of travel is predetermined.

The prelude is quite peppery. Chords of cardamom, saffron and cumin clearly dominate, the latter being responsible for a rendezvous of dirty desires, which is not everybody's cup of tea. After a few minutes, woody components are added, which take away some of the pungency and at the same time ensure that this fragrant safari does not end in a cesspool. Although this spicy-woody conglomerate still has the faecal impact, this is soon balanced by a sweetness that is difficult to describe, without completely fading into the background. Top, this is really well done by hand, I think
Durability: Okay to quite good! Lasts depending on the daily form about 4-6 hours on my skin. Whoever wears it will hardly receive any compliments in our latitudes, its external appearance is too polarizing. But you can expect a respectful nod of the head here and there. Connoisseurs know the score.

London, a daring experiment with an uncertain outcome. This is the conclusion. Anyone who loves animal scents will certainly enjoy testing them extensively. All others are recommended to give this alleged *stinker* a wide berth. I really liked him!

(Greetings go out to dear Moenti)
5 Replies
5
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8
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8
Sillage
8
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Carlitos01

373 Reviews
Carlitos01
Carlitos01
Helpful Review 6  
The evil black potion
Despite thousands of pounds offered as a reward, it took Scotland Yard a long time to receive any concrete information about the macabre and mysterious man called Edward Hyde who was terrorising the streets of London. Less importantly, they seemed unaware of the famous Dr Henry Jekyll whereabouts, who had disappeared for several days with no explanation for it. However, the two cases seemed strangely connected. Apparently, Hyde had vanished, but new reports of his evil acts kept coming into the Yard. Acts of unspeakable cruelty were reported daily, so the wandering shadow of Edward Hide was certainly continuing his vile and brutal rogue trail. Henry Jekyll had been the only one so far who had explained and even anticipated, some of Hyde's heinous deeds. Hyde seemed to have abandoned his Soho hideout for good and had once again escaped the clutches of justice. Coincidentally, with Hyde's disappearance, Dr Henri Jekyll reappeared without any recent recollections. But the good doctor seemed rejuvenated and displaying calmness and tranquillity of mind that was unusual in the weeks before his disappearance. Jekyll reappeared with no recent memories, cured of the paranoia that had lately characterised him, presenting himself in good health and exhibiting a common sense that he had long since failed to demonstrate. The doctor put an end to his supposedly self-imposed confinement and started socialising again. He was often seen in public and everyone who knew him noticed how cheerful and healthy he seemed.
This state of apparent happiness lasted only a couple of months. The previous "dark influence" returned and enveloped Henri Jekyll again. Only a few weeks earlier, it had seemed impossible that the friendly and cheerful doctor would ever lose again his "joie de vivre". Now, all that had changed and Jekyll had condemned himself to hell on earth. And all this had happened because of that American potion hidden in his desk. That little black bottle with a gold label, on which was written the word "London", contained the essence of London's dark docks, the smoke from its street fires, the herbs gathered by its wizards, and the deep darkness of its streets.
When Henri Jekyll sniffed the contents of the vial again, he uttered a shuddering cry. Then he staggered and clung to a table, staring straight ahead with squinted eyes, his capillaries injected with a bloody red, and his drooling mouth wide open, but panting as if in search of a cooler breeze. His face suddenly turned black and his features melted away to become the grim features of Edward Hyde. After all, Jekyll and Hyde were only one person and that magic black vial contained the diabolical potion whose essence transformed Jekyll into Hyde.

The City of London is a maze, both in space and time. During the Victorian era, the streets were always smelly, dirty, smoky and dark. Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle objectively described for us a gloomy London shrouded in dense, rainy fog, and where people's daily lives were really tough. Its dark alleys were buried with horror stories and social tensions between its extremes of poverty and wealth. Characters like Mister Hyde, Jack the Reaper, Sweeney Todd, Fagin, Bill Sikes and Professor Moriarty can all be found in a bottle of London by Tom Ford. To recall modern Carnaby's Street, Picadilly Circus or stroll through the labyrinth of London Tube, it's more fitting to spray yourselves with Noir Eau de Parfum. I imagine the smell of Dickens' London resulted from blending the XIX century accelerated development of conventional polluting industry, hand in hand with overcrowded slums laden with prostitutes, pick pocketers, dangerous Inns, stinky taverns and abandoned rubbish.

The black bottle of London looks like any other Tom Ford Private Line bottle. His perfumer - Yann Vasnier - has made several other fragrances for Tom Ford, so I'm guessing he was competent to extract the olfactory vibes required by Tom Ford for this scent. Other perfume houses have also tried to uncover a trail of perfume with these characteristics. I find the same kind of feelings aroused by fragrances like Dior's Leather Oud and Lutens' Muscs Koublaï Khän. They are not similar perfumes, but somehow, I relate them in my mind as provoking the same sensations.
For me, the most remarkable facet of London is the huge amount and variety of spices. We find cumin, saffron, cardamom, black pepper, coriander seeds, coffee beans... Without a doubt, this elixir is very well seasoned. Of these spices, the most intense note is that of the cumin seeds that we feel at the opening. A portion of saffron has been added to it to enhance pungent, warm and earthy nuances. This chord contains an aroma that reminds me of leather and human sweat. It is sour and bitter at the same time and provokes a sense of intimacy. It ends up being suitable to emulate animalistic notes. At the heart of the evolution, this wave of spices is amplified by intense, smoky, amber and balsamic resins, and they prove to be present until the end of the dry down. This dark whirlwind is emphasised in the base, with leathery notes of smoked birch and animalistic musk, along with an intoxicating dominant note of agarwood, thankfully without a faecal profile. The dry down turns out to be quite peaceful and most of the blackness just vanished. You get a consensual woody oriental scent with a faint projection of sweet balmy notes.
Strangely enough, I was hooked on this fragrance. I can only wear it at will in my own private space. In fact, no one likes it in my house, not even my dogs. But in the early hours of the morning, if I decide to watch movies like "Oliver Twist", "A Christmas Carol" or "Sherlock Holmes", a spray or two of Tom Ford London will certainly put me in the right mood.

My opinion: Besides its singular gloominess this perfume behaves quite normally in what concerns performance, despite its dense, dark and heavy ingredients. If like me, you like a singular near gothic scent, even if just to please your nose, you may well enjoy this perfume as much as I do. Otherwise, don't jump into blind purchasing experiences. This perfume is far from being consensual and it will not reward you with compliments from those around you. As with most of the Tom Ford Private Line perfume offerings, try to sample it or test it on a Tom Ford counter. In my case, London has been loved at the first sniff in the perfume alley at Macy's.

Music: Black Sabbath - "Changes"
0 Replies
Akis

12 Reviews
Akis
Akis
3  
My oh my!
My oh my! I am amazed by this dark and sexy scent. Very rich, spicy, sweet, peppery, smoky, and slightly floral notes compete. Powerful, sophisticated and eccentric. If you like Tobacco Oud Intense, Βois Μarocain and Moss Breches you will love this one. Τhis is simply glorious! So damn good!

10/10
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Statements

3 short views on the fragrance
IatikIatik 2 days ago
Absolute masculine masterpiece
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Syzygy73Syzygy73 6 years ago
As dark as the subtext of a Dickens novel, full of poverty, vice and wretchedness. This evokes the seedy London of Jack the Ripper.
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HermeshHermesh 6 years ago
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
7
Longevity
8
Scent
Cumin is present from the beginning, but it's delicately weakened by a soft velvety note which characterizes many Tom Ford fragrances.
0 Replies

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