Roja Dove - Haute Luxe
9 years ago
Today I sniffed through the offerings at a Roja Dove counter, a day ahead of his arrival. I'll return tomorrow to meet the man Guerlain called its Professeur de Parfum and get his signature on his book, The Essence of Perfume. At least I think I will. Dove is said to be able to identify 800 notes on a single sniff. Some say he's the world's greatest nose. Is he? I note his classics collections do contain perfumes I fell desperately in love with--many during past sniff fests when I was studying a specific genre:
• Chanel No. 19 EDT
• Coty L'Origan edt
• Guerlain L'Heure Bleue EDT
• Guerlain Mitsouko EDP
• Gres Cabochard EDT
• Karl Lagerfeld Chloe EDT (vintage)
• Narciso Rodriguez for Her EDT
• Paco Rabanne Calandre EDP
• Van Cleef & Arpels First EDP
• Yves Saint Laurent Opium EDT
But I wasn't actually bowled over by most scents as I sniffed through the line (except Diaghilev, a masterpiece, but to me it's so male I can't wear it.) One other exception, and it's a fragrance not really available, which is why it isn't in the database.--Haute Luxe. I smelled it and had to hold back tears, it was just that beautiful. It's Dove's personal fragrance. He made it for himself, not intending to share it and he didn't for years. There was exactly one bottle of it in the store, to be had for a mere $3,500. It's a chypre and I should have written down the notes they let me peek at in a brochure. I remember the top is bergamot, the heart is jasmine, rose and ylang ylang I think. It was the base that's magical, a resinous woody beauty thrumming with, if I remember right, ambergris, patchouli, cedar, labdanum, oakmoss , orris and more, though not necessarily in that order of strength. If I go back tomorrow, I'll write them down. It vaguely reminded me of Serge Lutens' Muscs Koublaï Khän. I have a sample of it around here somewhere and Haute Luxe on a paper. Comparing…Haute Luxe has more spice, maybe it’s cinnamon. Muscs Koublaï Khän has more saddle—leather up the gazoo from the start. Both are gloriously animalic. I can smell Haute Luxe’s flowers. Don’t especially love the cinnamon if that’s what the spice is. Maybe it’s allspice. It’s a more complex perfume. I suppose a man could smell better than this, but not much. They share several notes. Both are achievements in my opinion — one in musk and the other in, well, ultra expensive luxe. It actually has 24k gold flecks in it.
The Roja Dove female fragrance that I liked the most was Inuendo (in the UK; it's called Creation I in the USA). Don't have a sample to sniff and describe. With tax, it's 500 Benjamins like most Rojas. He may or may not be the greatest nose in the world, but he's a terrific marketer.
• Chanel No. 19 EDT
• Coty L'Origan edt
• Guerlain L'Heure Bleue EDT
• Guerlain Mitsouko EDP
• Gres Cabochard EDT
• Karl Lagerfeld Chloe EDT (vintage)
• Narciso Rodriguez for Her EDT
• Paco Rabanne Calandre EDP
• Van Cleef & Arpels First EDP
• Yves Saint Laurent Opium EDT
But I wasn't actually bowled over by most scents as I sniffed through the line (except Diaghilev, a masterpiece, but to me it's so male I can't wear it.) One other exception, and it's a fragrance not really available, which is why it isn't in the database.--Haute Luxe. I smelled it and had to hold back tears, it was just that beautiful. It's Dove's personal fragrance. He made it for himself, not intending to share it and he didn't for years. There was exactly one bottle of it in the store, to be had for a mere $3,500. It's a chypre and I should have written down the notes they let me peek at in a brochure. I remember the top is bergamot, the heart is jasmine, rose and ylang ylang I think. It was the base that's magical, a resinous woody beauty thrumming with, if I remember right, ambergris, patchouli, cedar, labdanum, oakmoss , orris and more, though not necessarily in that order of strength. If I go back tomorrow, I'll write them down. It vaguely reminded me of Serge Lutens' Muscs Koublaï Khän. I have a sample of it around here somewhere and Haute Luxe on a paper. Comparing…Haute Luxe has more spice, maybe it’s cinnamon. Muscs Koublaï Khän has more saddle—leather up the gazoo from the start. Both are gloriously animalic. I can smell Haute Luxe’s flowers. Don’t especially love the cinnamon if that’s what the spice is. Maybe it’s allspice. It’s a more complex perfume. I suppose a man could smell better than this, but not much. They share several notes. Both are achievements in my opinion — one in musk and the other in, well, ultra expensive luxe. It actually has 24k gold flecks in it.
The Roja Dove female fragrance that I liked the most was Inuendo (in the UK; it's called Creation I in the USA). Don't have a sample to sniff and describe. With tax, it's 500 Benjamins like most Rojas. He may or may not be the greatest nose in the world, but he's a terrific marketer.