Christian Dior La Collection Couturier Parfumeur - a Non-Review

By Marina I haven't been this excited about a release of a collection since Chanel's Les Exclusifs. Unfortunately, while Chanel met and even somewhat exceeded my expectations, Dior...not so much. I can't really blame my lack of excitement over what I am smelling on my olfactory ennui, because I am over my olfactory ennui and am trying new things with renewed interest. Don't get me wrong, these are masterfully blended, elegant, quality creations, but...something feels flat, falls just a little bit short of hitting the right spot...the way the first three in the collection, Cologne Blanche, Bois d'Argent and Eau Noire hit the right spot. It feels like the new entries have already been done, some done too many times, and done better. Perhaps, there comes the time when a perfumista...a fumehead...a fumey...a scent addict...a lover of fragrance has to ask herself a rather arrogant question: is it possible that I have by now smelled so many scents, that it has become impossible for a new release not to smell like something else? Or are brands really just repeating each other and themselves, with minimal variations? In other words, is it me or is it them who is at fault for not having any chemistry together? Of course, chemistry is a tricky thing. Everything might be just right on both sides, yet sparks won't fly. Anyway...this lack of chemistry prevents me from wanting to do proper detailed reviews of La Collection, I apologize for that. Below are basically just notes I scribbled for myself... Mitzah. Burnt, stale Ambre Russe. New Look 1947. J'Adore goes lady-like. Genteel, decorous and recherché to the point of blandness. A debutante with an overbearing mother. Or one of those faces which, even if you see them every single day, you wouldn't recognize when met on a street. Vetiver. Well, it's a vetiver. Interesting smoky note (coffee?), nice sorrel-like undertone that I enjoy in vetivers. But maybe a little too on the sour side. Maybe a little too ordinary. Sycomore it is not. Granville. Too sour. Not enough pine and not enough pepper. A grey suit with an unpleasant green sheen. Boring but strangely creepy. A perfume for an FBI agent from the 50s. Leather Oud. Has every major brand now done an oud scent and we can put the trend to rest? I love oud, but the ubiquitousness and overexposure can make anything boring. The scent is wonderfully elegant, in that minimalist manner that few creators can actually pull off, although many try, but it's not an oud-oud. And the leather note is rather half-hearted. The composition is too subtle and short-lived overall. This, along with New Look, will probably be the most popular in the collection, certainly among people who like their ouds and leathers on the tame side and among the oud and leather beginners. Oud purists and leather fanatics will shrug shoulders and yawn. Still, the best in La Collection.* *I decided not to smell Milly-la-Forêt and Cologne Royale since they represent the genres I am guaranteed not to be able to appreciate. Of course, as irony would have it, one or both of these were probably the scents I'd have hit it off with. Available in Dior boutiques and on Dior.com, $225.00 for 8.5oz. Please tune in tomorrow for the first post from PST's new contributor, Birgit/Olfactoria who will be blogging with us on Saturdays. Her first article will be discussing candles for winter days.