The 1907 Beneath the Surface collection came out with no less than with 3 new fragrances, so I chose to try them.
Dame d’Or
The flagship of this year’s collection got its name from one of the most striking paintings of the Vienna Art Nouveau, Lady in Gold, by my favorite Gustav Klimt. The picture is not only beautiful, but there is also an interesting story behind, and, moreover, Klimt finished it just in the year 1907. That can’t be a coincidence ;-).
The scent itself is wonderfully nostalgic. Maybe it is done by a drop of floral aldehydes in combination with really classic ingredients, who knows. It feels dry, soft, floral, but matured and, despite the classic ingredients, both timeless and modern. It seemed to me quite dry, like potpourri of dried flowers, but beware, not the dyed all-blend that a man gets in every florist, but carefully selected and carefully dried individual noble flowers, which still dispense their aroma, stored on a tender satin pillow of musk, vanilla and light cedar. It’s like a fairy-tale breeze from other times.
Bellanelle
I can smell a human! Thirteenth son! … but not. I feel something quite similar to Belle de Jour by Dior, or even inspired, I don’t know. It is a fact that this is richer, more complex, on top with a much more thorough foundation. Joyful fruity-floral fragrance, light but full, round, enjoying life, from which the quality is more appealing.
Nom
It immediately reminded me of Poirot’s Nom d´un nom d´un nom! :)… and I think he would appreciate the scent, especially its beginning. Neat, clean, nice wood tones with a bit of spice, minimalist and arranged… but later they gradually accelerate, taking lavender and animal tones (I also suspect it hiding a pinch of incense, or at least my skin smells that way) for a trip, gain power and defilitely they are not any more a safe and trustable house pet. Like when Dear Poirot gets angry and decides to act. Quickly, decisively, incalculably and adamant, but still in an elegant spirit and sanity. Yes, yes, mon ami … I like this.
The fragrance was alegedly made to the request, I am not going to call it begging of the men’s part of the brand’s admirers, that they still do not have their own fragrance in the collection, and I think they could be satisfied.
Overall, by my measures, all the three new additions to the collection are nice, good quality, and I see a certain shift in comparison to the past two. In these three, I feel more joy of life, the first two were more serious, perhaps designers felt more responsibility and perhaps also worried how will the public react.
