Il Mondo di Odore

Last month, I had the pleasure of trying Comète by Chanel, the latest addition to their prestigious Les Exclusifs line. This fragrance follows the release of Le Lion in 2020, another standout in the same collection. Like Le Lion , Comète is a beautiful perfume that captures the essence of Chanel’s refined elegance. However, both fragrances bear a striking resemblance to classic creations by Guerlain, leading me to ponder the direction Chanel is taking. Chanel has a great fragrance history. Not as hallowed and old as Guerlain but for past three decades it has far outshone Guerlain. In my view, no other perfume house has come close to Chanel’s excellence in this century. This makes their recent approach of echoing Guerlain classics somewhat perplexing. Have they run out of fresh ideas? Is Roger Dove at the helm of their fragrance division, or have they perhaps shifted towards AI-driven creation ? For those unfamiliar with these recent Chanel releases, Comète is a modern interpretati...

I tried Comete by Chanel today and wanted to write about how Chanel is going by the way of Roger Dove - copying old masterpieces. I did not know where to post that and then I realized I have been neglecting this blog. When I logged in I saw an unfinished post I wrote a year ago about Teatro Alla Scala by Krizia. Teatro is the best full bodied floral - better than any Chanel or Patou. Even better than Gucci L'Arte.  A brief background: Teatro Alla Scala is an Opera theatre in Milan. The bottle's design is an homage to the theatre and the perfume an homage to its sophisticated patrons. I wanted to write a symphony for it. Maybe some day. For now here are few notes I wrote comparing EDT vs EDP.  And if you don't have Teatro, your wardrobe is incomplete Rose, Jasmine, Tuberose. Jammy berries (more in EDP) . Honey note listed is probably the jammy part Vetiver & moss - more in EDT Rose and carnation is more than jasmine and that is what separates it from other florals like J...

Sad news folks. After battle with cancer David passed away earlier this month. He was a great friend and a guide and I will miss him. He loved fragrances, especially vintages and even at the very end all he talked about was fragrances - the batch variations of Lapidus, difference between Opium PH EDP vs EDT, and the sorry state of current perfumes. The only other thing that made him happy was his music. He was a guitarist and if you are interested, you can check out his songs on youtube . He was at peace with himself at the end. In his own words -   I'm in a good place bro. I've always believed in the saying "Don't get caught dead without Christ" Rest in peace bro and keep smelling awesome.  

When I started my fragrance journey, I got a bunch of these from Target to give as gifts. I liked the shape of bottle and its name. It smelled decent though a bit old school. With time, as I tried more fragrances, I thought this is a knock off of other aldehydic florals. Stopped caring for. A few years ago I came across vintage version on eBay for cheap and snapped it up. And I am glad I did cause this version is simply amazing.  You can smell the whole floral symphony with 3D effect. But that is not even the best part. The drydown is where you see its beauty in full. Soft, powdery sandalwood. It is hard to describe how good this is. I have Arpege, No. 5 and Joy in vintage formulation and I find First to be superior. Arpege is too indolic, First goes low on indoles and uses civet to add the funk. Arpege and No. 5, both blind with aldehydes while First uses it for a shimmering glow. Joy is a great white floral but it is overpowered by Jasmine. Lacks the evolution First has.  Al...

I started my fragrance journey in 2015. For a newbie, the world of fragrance can be very intimidating. I would have floundered had it not been for the kindness and guidance of the community members like Aromi. Aromi was very patient with me and helped me understand the world of vintage fragrances. He was generous with samples and PMs. I would love to give the same patience, knowledge and experience gained back to the community. I hope that by continuing this blog I can do just that.   Thank you Aromi for giving me this chance to carry the blog forward