Tom Ford is releasing a new collection of fragrances within his Private Blend line. The collection is called Atelier d’Orient and will consist of four perfumes: Shanghai Lily, Plum Japonais, Fleur de Chine and Rive d’Ambre.
Now Smell This (“NST”) has the press releases for each scent which is provided below. The only site I’ve found that has the details of the notes for each fragrance is Miss Fashion News, so I’ve added that underneath the NST quote:
Shanghai Lily ~ “Opulent. Tantalising. Elegant. Tom Ford’s Shanghai Lily eau de parfum is a floral oriental scent that transports the senses into a world of rare and opulent ingredients from the historic silk road. Warm spices, elegant florals and addictive notes of vanilla and frankincense create a hazy reverie of glamour and temptation.”
NOTES from Miss Fashion News: bitter orange, pink peppercorns, black pepper, clove, jasmine, rose, tuberose, vetiver, cashmere wood, benzoin (Laos), castoreum, cistus, gaiac wood, vanilla and incense.
Plum Japonais ~ “Delectable. Luscious. Sensual. Tom Ford’s Plum Japonais eau de parfum reveals the extraordinary beauty of the ume plum by juxtaposing it with a lush and unconventional mélange of exotic asian ingredients. Rich and luxurious, it is a fragrance with irresistible complexity.”
NOTES from Miss Fashion News: saffron, cinnamon bark (Laos), immortelle, plum blossom, camellia blossom (Japan), agar wood, amber, benzoin (Laos), fir balsam absolute, and infusions of vanilla.
Fleur de Chine ~ “Dramatic. Smouldering. Seductive. Tom Ford’s Fleur de chine eau de parfum is an unequivocally romantic and haunting floral fragrance touched with a reverence for the great scents of the past. Precious asian flowers, including hualan flower and star magnolia, are arranged in a bouquet of rare beauty for a scent that lingers on.”
NOTES from Miss Fashion News: blossoms of tea, magnolia, fresh clementines, white peach, bergamot, hyacinth, hinoki wood, leaves of jasmine tea, plum, rose tea, wisteria, amber, peony, benzoin from Laos, styrax, Chinese cedar, and vetiver.
Rive d’Ambre ~ “Ornate. Compelling. Warm. Tom Ford’s Rive d’Ambre is a golden toned eau de cologne with a veil of colonial elegance. Precious citrus fruits – a talisman of good fortune in asia – are beautifully illuminated by a warm and seductive amber background.”
NOTES from Miss Fashion News: essential oils of bergamot, lemon and bitter orange with notes of tarragon, green mint, and cardamom [along with]… cognac oil [and] tolu balsam[.]
The collection is already out in the UK at Harvey Nichols, along with other British department stores like Harrods and Selfridges. The price for the 50 ml/1.7 oz bottles is £140.00, while the massive 250 ml bottles are retailed at £320.00. No word yet on when precisely the collection will hit the U.S. or elsewhere, and what the U.S. pricing may be. However, Miss Fashion News says that European pricing is €180 for 50 ml and €430 for 250 ml.
Lastly, Miss Fashion News also has some more information about the story associated with each scent — such as how Fleur de Chine is meant to reference the 1930s-1960s femme fatales of the Chinese silver screen — so you may want to glance at that, too, if you’re interested. Also, while Now Smell This has a more generalized, press release description of the scents, there are additional details in the comment section from its UK readers who have already given the four fragrances a quick sniff. So you may want to check out the responses if any of the fragrances intrigue you. One interesting tidbit: one poster says that the UK prices seem to have gone up for these four fragrances as compared to the other Private Blend perfumes. And looking at the Harvey Nichols’ prices in British pounds, I would agree. So, U.S. pricing is bound to also increase from the current $205 rate for the small 1.7 oz/50 ml bottles.
Shanghai Lily sounds promising, but a price increase over the already exorbitant prices is going to keep me away.
A lot of people already complain about TF prices. This news will send them round the bend and cement the deal – no doubt about it. And, honestly, they’d be right. For a large number of his Private Blend fragrances (Jardin Noir Collection, I’m looking straight at you!), I think his prices are ludicrous for the perfume in question. We’ll see how this collection turns out but I’m not hugely optimistic it will be good enough to justify even higher prices. Especially for the one that seems to have all tea and light blossom notes!
I don’t understand why would they increase their prices? Didn’t that happened last year to the Private Blend line? Urghh…
I agree. More and more, it seems eBay is the way to go when buying Tom Ford, as full retail price is too much for a number of the Private Blend fragrances. I cannot fathom spending $205 for something like Ombre de Hyacinth, for example, let alone more!
Plum Japonais sounds intriguing to me… but am afraid like many of the TF’s that a little dab will scream rather than entice. Who knows though?!
Oh, blurg. I am so weary of TF’s constant releases, and that promo copy! My eyes just glaze over. 🙂 I apologize for being so negative nancy about it, but it feels like the brand is constantly issuing new things. And raising their prices.
Please, I’m glad you were honest and shared what you really feel. For what it’s worth, I quite agree with you. 🙂 And I can’t believe TF is getting even more expensive!
All of them are intriguing! I would sample all for sure. But I will join the chorus of voices in agreement: ridiculous prices. When I fall in love with any TF perfume, I satisfy myself with a large decant, I won’t shell out for a full bottle. I will also add that the SAs at the Tom Ford counter I last visited were less than helpful.
Large decants are definitely the way to go. Or else, eBay! What’s your favorite TF perfume(s), Annina? 🙂
Pass. As someone of Asian descent, I am pre-offended.
Oh.My.God, I laughed and laughed, and then laughed some more. “Pre-offended.” Absolutely hilarious.
Yep. I think the copy-writer missed a cliché 😉