Italian blood orange
Clary sage
Pittosporum blossom
Sylkolide™
Tunisian neroli
Bergamot
Lemon
Amber
Jasmine sambac
loewenherz
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loewenherz
Very helpful Review
18
The Summer King
Celtic mythology and folklore - and the popular (trivial) literature built upon it - know the motif of the so-called Summer King. In spring, a young man is chosen - depending on the tale, either voluntarily or without question. For one summer, he is presented with the finest foods, dressed in the most precious garments, and the most beautiful, untouched girls are brought to him, again, voluntarily or not. After this summer of idleness, abundance, and indulgence, the young man is submerged in the bog for the favor of the gods, where voluntariness no longer plays a significant role. The following spring, a new young man is chosen, and the game begins anew.
The product cycle of light summer fragrances resembles this a bit: usually in late winter, the new fresh scents are introduced - sometimes pushing the old favorites to the lower shelves. Sun-kissed models pose with them against southern backdrops, and we know that without a new blue fragrance, summer cannot truly be summer. In autumn, after a financial review, it is decided whether the candidate should remain hot stuff for another year - or be sunk in the (business) bog. Tom Ford's Neroli Portofino has - resisting countless Cassandra calls - survived many summers. Whether his perfume can be prophesied a similar multitude of summers remains to be seen.
Neroli Portofino perfume promises something like the completion of its azure DNA: endless neroli and eternal blue. What to make of the promise of hesperidic immortality has been discussed controversially - my views on this have been described in my comment on Hermès' Eau de Pamplemousse Rose, among others. The essence of such fragrances is their transience - robbing them of this always risks making them lifeless and stiff, taking away their lightness and ease. And yet, one like Neroli Portofino perfume can work - with tempered excess and well-measured infinity. Like the Celtic Summer King, he has too much of everything - but only for one summer.
Here, Neroli Portofino is 'with the volume turned up', which is exhausting but pleasing and intentional. Here is Neroli Portofino for all those who want to enjoy the illusion of hesperidic eternity without believing in it. Here is radiant summer blue and a southern cologne-like glow that celebrates excess and abundance without regret. There is something absurd about it, just as the Summer King - crowned with fruits and flowers - feels absurd, as everything here is too much of everything and too much of now. And yet, there is magic in this celebration of the moment, and Tom Ford's concentrated neroli works, as paradoxical and not-quite-right as it may seem. For one summer or two.
Conclusion: the whole magic of 'too much of everything' and 'too much now'.
The product cycle of light summer fragrances resembles this a bit: usually in late winter, the new fresh scents are introduced - sometimes pushing the old favorites to the lower shelves. Sun-kissed models pose with them against southern backdrops, and we know that without a new blue fragrance, summer cannot truly be summer. In autumn, after a financial review, it is decided whether the candidate should remain hot stuff for another year - or be sunk in the (business) bog. Tom Ford's Neroli Portofino has - resisting countless Cassandra calls - survived many summers. Whether his perfume can be prophesied a similar multitude of summers remains to be seen.
Neroli Portofino perfume promises something like the completion of its azure DNA: endless neroli and eternal blue. What to make of the promise of hesperidic immortality has been discussed controversially - my views on this have been described in my comment on Hermès' Eau de Pamplemousse Rose, among others. The essence of such fragrances is their transience - robbing them of this always risks making them lifeless and stiff, taking away their lightness and ease. And yet, one like Neroli Portofino perfume can work - with tempered excess and well-measured infinity. Like the Celtic Summer King, he has too much of everything - but only for one summer.
Here, Neroli Portofino is 'with the volume turned up', which is exhausting but pleasing and intentional. Here is Neroli Portofino for all those who want to enjoy the illusion of hesperidic eternity without believing in it. Here is radiant summer blue and a southern cologne-like glow that celebrates excess and abundance without regret. There is something absurd about it, just as the Summer King - crowned with fruits and flowers - feels absurd, as everything here is too much of everything and too much of now. And yet, there is magic in this celebration of the moment, and Tom Ford's concentrated neroli works, as paradoxical and not-quite-right as it may seem. For one summer or two.
Conclusion: the whole magic of 'too much of everything' and 'too much now'.
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