Perfume Review: Yosh Sottile 1.61

Sottile 1.61 has taught me that ladylike scents can be found in the most unexpected places. I certainly never thought to look for this kind of fragrance in the very modern, hip and trendy perfume collection created by Yosh Han. And yet there it was, next to the brooding Trompeur and the chilled-out and young U4EAHH…Sottile, Italian for “subtle”, seems like a homage to the effortless refinement of scents of the past. It is understated, practically ethereal…a vision of delicate, unselfconsciously elegant femininity. With notes of lily of the valley and tea rose, this is a streamlined composition that feels uncluttered rather than overly simple. On my skin, lily of the valley is much more prominent that rose, which is but an occasional speck of palest pink on Sottile’s white fabric sparingly woven with green ornaments. I also smell quite a bit of young, juicy grass and a note that makes me think of the dandelion stems, which smell dry, fresh and green. The scent is graceful, airy and springlike. Is it worth $130.00 for 8ml? Well, not really, especially because it is rather fleeting and has minimal sillage. The latter is my main grievance with oils in general. I am by no means a sillage-monster, but many oils stay way too close to my skin. I would like to use this opportunity to appeal to the perfumers who like to work with oils and pure perfumes only. Please, think of those of us who love the convenience (and, lets face it, lesser price) of Eau de Parfum and Eau de Toilette sprays. Please provide the alternatives to your beloved oils, the way Sage Machado does, for example. Thank you. Sottile 1.61 can be found at Luckyscent.com, $130.00 for 8ml. Image sources, eaudeyosh.com, krasivoefoto.ru.