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.