WHAT I SMELL: Orlando, named after the title character from the Virginia Woolf novel of the same name opens with a combination of spicy orange and ginger. There’s almost a minty quality about the opening which quickly then moves into a mentholated stage as it’s deep and thick as you breath it in. I’ve never smelled camphoric patchouli like it is here. Amber is added to the progression, but it’s not warm and fuzzy, but instead is distant and at arm’s length. After around 20 minutes, Orlando becomes lighter and begins to even out with a woody consistency. There is a tang of sour from the gaiaic wood that comes to play and a musk creates a layer of haze over the composition. Around the 30 minute mark, out comes a urinous quality that doesn’t take away from the scent, but actually adds a bit of additional mystery. Orlando becomes lighter as it wears, but by no means does it disappear and it seems to rotate the notes each time you take a sniff; sometimes spicy, sometime musky, sometimes lighter, but never too wispy or demure.
From the Jardins d’Ecrivains website:
Jardins d’Ecrivains puts its own interpretation on the fascinating Virginia Woolf fantasy. An androgynous character with eternal youth, Lord Orlando in the Elizabethan era becomes Lady Orlando in the 18th century. Quirky blends with the eclectic and timeless in a spellbinding fragrance. Irrational dreams, an eastern monarchy and a sense of the divine linger in its wake. A unusual character comes through in the first notes, before the transcendent heart of the fragrance draws you in. And the warm, soft base notes convey its delicate spirit.
Olfactive pyramid:
Top notes : Orange – Pink peppercorn – Ginger
Middle Notes : Amber – Patchouly – Cloves
Base notes : Wood of Gaiac – Musk – Balsam of Peru
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Melancholy
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ORLANDO: mysterious, conflicted, emotional
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ORLANDO: Cafleurebon, BL’eauOG
BOTTOM LINE: Orlando is a strange perfume for me. It’s a fragrance that seems to draw some very primal emotions from inside me. It’s beautiful and pensive and is not something that I could ever wear on a daily basis. However, it’s the perfect fragrance for those quiet fall and winter days when you just want to retreat into your own private world. I was lucky enough to win a full bottle of Orlando from a draw on Cafleurebon, and its the first fragrance that I have ever tried from Jardins d’Ecrivains. If they are all this beautiful, I have to try the rest. Oh, and the bottle is perfection; simple, substantial and classic.
- Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
- Scent: Woody Spicy
- Classification: Unisex
- Expense: $110 for 100ml EdP, available at Beautyhabit.com
The Scented Hound 