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Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Perfume Review: Domenico Caraceni Loren

Men's designers' offerings for the better halves of their clients often strike me as unremarkable. They are polite if unimaginative acknowledgments, usually very predictable in their inoffensive floralcy (one example- Knize). Not so with Caraceni. Inspired by and named after Sophia Loren, apparently a long-time client, Loren harkens back to the Big Pefumes of the 1980s. In fact, its creamy floral accord wrapped around a berry note reminds me of none other than my love forever, Poison.

Associated with Loren, the scent simply couldn't have been a timid, understated arrangement. It had to have curves, it had to have Presence. It had to come into the room with a bang and make everyone gasp. But it had to be tasteful, it had to carry its gorgeous self with grace and dignity. Cary Grant said of Loren: "She is so sensual that most men must have a mad desire to tear off her clothes. However, they do not even dare to take her hand because she looks so distinguished, natural and discreet." Loren translates that paradoxical quality into perfume rather well. The first notes are almost overwhelming in their sweet, thick white floral voluptuousness. They are All Woman and very much aware of the head-spinning effect they produce. But there is a note underneath the floral opulence, a delicate, juicy berry note which, surprisingly, doesn't make the scent any sweeter but in fact cuts through the sweetness with it's gentle tangy-ness. It smells touchingly young and strangely vulnerable and so very endearing. The base notes feature the return of the creamy florals, now enriched even further by the presence of amber and opoponax. This is not the scent for the faint of nose nor perhaps for casual or office wear. It should be worn with a dress made according to Sophia Loren's own specifications: "serving its purpose without obstructing the view".

Loren is available at First in Fragrance, €90.00 for 100ml, and is soon expected to be sold at Luckyscent too.

Image and quotes are from sophialoren.com.

24 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow, great review, and the photo is to die for!

I suspect I would like this one since I love big Florals, but it may be too much for me - my persona is not the femme fatale I wish I could be. :-D

2:36 AM EST  
Blogger chayaruchama said...

Fascinating...

I love the picture best..
Can I wear THAT ?

7:31 AM EST  
Blogger lilybp said...

It sounds great, but I am not sure about the berry. Still, probably worth a try when these come to LS.

7:37 AM EST  
Blogger elle said...

*Want*! Sounds luscious and ideal for winter evenings. Sad reality is that I'll never have Loren like curves, but adore curvaceous scents - hope springs eternal that people will smell them on me and somehow be mesmerized enough by the scent into thinking that actual curves also exist.

7:43 AM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Your review makes me want to sniff this even if I couldn't wear it. And now I really really want the dress. Off to pay a visit to stopstaringclothing.com to look at the dresses now ... (not as upscale as I'd imagine Sophia would wear but still, they don't obstruct the view).

8:07 AM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

this reads as being just luscious...

8:50 AM EST  
Blogger Ducks said...

Sounds utterly beautiful. I love the idea, but I don't think I dress up enough to have such a heavy hitter in my arsenal... le sigh.

11:16 AM EST  
Blogger Unknown said...

Oh, sounds nifty! Love just a straightforward womanly perfume.

2:00 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Donna,
It's not really fatale, just very feminine, you know?

2:44 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ida,
You certainly could!

2:44 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Judith,
The berry is not offensive here, at all.

2:44 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

L,
It is totally ideal for evenings!

2:45 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

M,
I want that dress too! Perhaps in black :-)

2:46 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tom,
It is!

2:46 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

L,
Same here, actually.

2:47 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Patty,
that's just exactly what it is.

2:47 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mmmm...yummy. I at least have to give this one a sniff when it (if) gets to Luckyscent.

3:59 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

LOL at that Loren quote. I adore her. I only wish she had made more movies in which she wasn't the only watchable thing...

Perfume sounds delicious, too. Sometimes you just want to go big and lush and mmmmmmm.

5:26 PM EST  
Blogger NowSmellThis said...

If the line about Poison wasn't there, I might be buying it unsniffed. Now I'll wait until it makes it's way to Luckyscent, and try a sample. Do you think I'll like it?

6:01 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

P,
I think you'll like it!

9:16 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

A,
I adore her too. I think even in a Great movie, she'd still be the most watchable part of it:-)

9:18 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

R,
With you, I cannot predict! :-) It DID remind me of Poison.

9:19 PM EST  
Blogger Gaia said...

The berry scares me, but since my approach to fashion and clothes is "What would Sophia wear?", I'll just have to brave it.

12:59 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Gaia,
LOL! That is a great approach! :-)

6:42 AM EST  

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