Perfume Review: Tom Ford Black Orchid Voile de Fleur (Eau de Toilette)

I am very tempted to simply leave it to Queen to describe Black Orchid Voile de Fleur for you. Because they would do it so much better than I ever could: She keeps a Moet et Chandon In a pretty cabinet 'Let them eat cake' she says Just like Marie Antoinette A built-in remedy For Khrushchev and Kennedy At anytime an invitation You can't decline Caviar and cigarettes Well versed in etiquette Extraordinarily nice She's a Killer Queen Got that agility Dynamite with a laser beam Guaranteed to blow your mind Anytime Recommended at the price Insatiable an appetite Wanna try? “The alluring potion of Black Orchid is given a warm effervescent modernity with this new entry”, says the copy. And I suppose it is right in a way… Only a tiny bit less robust than the sinfully opulent original Black Orchid, Voile de Fleur replaces the pungently earthy accord of black truffles with a leathery undertone, thus transforming from some (most probably evil) mythical creature of the night into somebody slightly less outlandish and more “urban”…a femme fatale. Compared to the witchy, black-magical, somehow “pre-historic” Eau de Parfum version, the Eau de Toilette is fairly modern. I would place it in the film-noir times of 1940s. To avoid complications She never kept the same address In conversation She spoke just like a baroness Met a man from China Went down to Geisha Minah Then again incidentally If you're that way inclined Perfume came naturally from Paris for cars she couldn't care less Fastidious and precise She's a Killer Queen Got that agility Dynamite with a laser beam Guaranteed to blow your mind Anytime The notes that I smell most prominently in Black Orchid Voile de Fleur are gardenia and ylang ylang. The trademark creaminess of the luscious flowers is so thick, you could cut it with a knife. When their buttery quality is taken to such an extreme, gardenia and ylang ylang (as well as tuberose) always seem to me to have a “nutty” undertone, nutty like the sweetly spicy nutmeg, perhaps. Due to the presence of cinnamon, that spiciness is particularly accentuated in Black Orchid Voile de Fleur, and I find that characteristic exceptionally appealing. Another side of the new version that is absolutely irresistible to me is the presence of “leather” (probably a side effect of a pronounced patchouli note)…Gardenias and leather… I don’t think I know of a union more gorgeous (except for roses and aoud, that is ). Funny thing is, my Holy Grail, which is slowly but surely being created within the Made by Blog project, is also based on this yin-and-yang, black-and-white contrast of gardenias and leather. Because of the lack of raw earthiness and strange, over-ripe fruitiness, and because of the strengthened white floral accord and the sublime leathery undertone, the Eau de Toilette is different enough from the Eau de Parfum to warrant having both…in case you were, like me, one of a handful of people who loved the first Black Orchid. Because of that lack of rawness and fruitiness, the Eau de Toilette is perhaps more palatable, more accessible in a way than the weird and wonderful Eau de Parfum. If those features were what repelled you in the first Black Orchid, you might find the second one to be more agreeable. If, however, the very “thick” and very heady, dark, sensual, sillage-full fragrances are generally not your sort of thing, I would recommend you stay far away from Voile de Fleur. Unlike most Eaux de Toilette, it really isn’t much gentler or fresher or lighter then the Eau de Parfum. Like its magnificent predecessor, it too is a Killer Queen. Drop of a hat she's as willing as Playful as a pussy cat Then momentarily out of action Temporarily out of gas To absolutely drive you wild, wild She's out to get you She's a Killer Queen Got that agility Dynamite with a laser beam Guaranteed to blow your mind Anytime Recommended at the price Insatiable an appetite Wanna try? Available at Neiman Marcus, $65.00-$90.00. Image credits: Unknown, Andrea Klarin, Steven Meisel.