Year: 2015
Notes: Sicilian lemon and mandarin, spices, orange blossom, ylang-ylang, jasmine, honey, Sumatran patchouli, vanilla, cedar, oakmoss, white musk
Commencing with a heady opening of succulent citruses, spices and orange blossom, Orange Flowers seems to be a second stab at perfecting the commercially unobtainable Fleur d'Oranger (according to Pierre Montale, the composition was deemed too much of a failure to be officially released).
While Orange Flowers is very similar to its original incarnation, it appears to be spicier, with a more intoxicating warmth from the combination of white florals and honey. A touch of vanilla adds a subdued creamy sweetness, while the woods remain unobtrusively in the background. With a brief powderiness towards the drydown, some patchouli, oakmoss and white musk are clearly evident in the base.
Overall, Orange Flowers is a smooth, lush and beguiling rendition of orange blossom that's more complex than Fleur d'Oranger. One also finds it more endearing than other neroli or orange blossom offerings on the market. If one hadn't sampled Fleur d'Oranger, one would have been none the wiser, and probably would have proclaimed Orange Flowers to be a return to form for this popular niche house. Sadly, this isn't the case, as it's simply an old formulation that's been tweaked and improved.
It's the first Montale fragrance that one can recommend in quite a while. And just like Fleur d'Oranger, Orange Flowers' projection is moderate but its longevity is very good.
Finally, a thumbs-up for Montale!
While Orange Flowers is very similar to its original incarnation, it appears to be spicier, with a more intoxicating warmth from the combination of white florals and honey. A touch of vanilla adds a subdued creamy sweetness, while the woods remain unobtrusively in the background. With a brief powderiness towards the drydown, some patchouli, oakmoss and white musk are clearly evident in the base.
Overall, Orange Flowers is a smooth, lush and beguiling rendition of orange blossom that's more complex than Fleur d'Oranger. One also finds it more endearing than other neroli or orange blossom offerings on the market. If one hadn't sampled Fleur d'Oranger, one would have been none the wiser, and probably would have proclaimed Orange Flowers to be a return to form for this popular niche house. Sadly, this isn't the case, as it's simply an old formulation that's been tweaked and improved.
It's the first Montale fragrance that one can recommend in quite a while. And just like Fleur d'Oranger, Orange Flowers' projection is moderate but its longevity is very good.
Finally, a thumbs-up for Montale!
