The Seven Gems of Francesca Dell'Oro

by: Miguel Matos

Francesca Dell'Oro is not a new brand. Her first fragrances were launched in 2013, after a carreer in design and haute couture. After introducing the brand in Italy with Ambrosine, White Plumage, Lullaby, Francine, Unsaid and Very Tight, Francesca is preparing to export her brand. She discontinued Unsaid and Very Tight, redesigned everything from the logo to the bottles and launched three new fragrances which she was showing in Milan at Esxence, where I met her. The new perfumes in the line are Envoutant, Fleurdenya and Page 29.

The first thing I had to notice when I passed by Francesca's booth was the amazing bottles, like sculptures made out of gems, they sparkle and I felt the urge to hold them in the hand. They are stunning pieces of heavy glass. The creative studio Sonia Pedrazzini Design Atelier was resposible for the creation of the bottle. The glass—almost a crystal prism with pure net, asymmetric lines—catch light and then spread it through refractions. It is produced by the historical French glass manufacturer Pochet et du Courval. The result is a double-faced gem: complex and sharp on the front, round and plain like a smooth stone on the back. A designed cap, shiny, compact, deeply black, seals the fragrances.

Miguel Matos:
How did you create your own brand?

Francesca Dell'Oro:
I had the idea and I worked in collaboration with a perfumer from Grasse. I have a very good knowledge of raw materials and I tried to select them in order to create the best compositions.

Miguel Matos:
When you start working on a new perfume, how is your regular working process? Do you have a specific idea?

Francesca Dell'Oro:
The inspiration doesn't come from a rigid method. It's not calculated. I am anarchic. My inspiration comes from all aspects of life.

Miguel Matos:
Your bottles are assymetrical and full of angles...

Francesca Dell'Oro:
They represent my personality. I like the contrasts and so the back of my bottles is round and polished, but the front is faceted, geometric like a gem. I am very polite but I am also very sparkling.

Miguel Matos:
What about the fragrances? Do they have a main theme?

Francesca Dell'Oro:
All the fragrances have a floral heart and a bright aspect to them. I don't like dark things.

Miguel Matos:
My favourite is the green one, Francine. Can you tell me about it?

Francesca Dell'Oro:
This is the most bitter and tameless. It represents a sensible moment in my life and a journey in the Mediterranean between Corsica and Sardinia, sea and land. It has lentisque and galbanum and the particularity is that it recalls the smell of the sea but it also has an earthy aspect. It also has an aromatic side, with rosemary and basil. In contrast, there is a floral heart of jasmine and an amber base. My idea was to create a green whiff of air. It's also an hommage to a perfume that I used to wear, Vent Vert by Balmain, but this time contemporary and more wearable. I like the vintage style but with somehing romantic and modern.

Miguel Matos:
Judging by your look, the design of the bottles and even your booth, it's clear that you have a taste for glamour ...

Francesca Dell'Oro:
I am glamour!

AMBROSINE Olfactive notes: orange zest, white flowers, white rose, violet, peony, sandalwood, amber, soft woods, tree moss.

Amazing opening of great sandalwood and citrus notes! This is a greatly uplifting perfume that made me smile in joy in the first second. It's a bit odd, and that makes it interesting, I guess there are more notes than those on the list, for I seem to smell a huge symphony of accords. The moss is evident and there's a sweetness that is typical of this brand. Orange blossom plays an important part and it has a green and dirty facet to it. The development is not so surprising and gets into a nondescript powdery violet and peony fragrance.

WHITE PLUMAGE Olfactive notes: frankincense, juniper, white flowers, coffee beans, aloe wood, milk cream, soft woods, white musk

This one is a very intimate fragrance. On my skin it opens to a very soft white musk accord which develops into a base that smells mostly of cedarwood. It seems to be a simple fragrance, but very comfortable, for everyday use and I would even wear it to go to bed. It has a decent longevity and the musk/woods combination gives it a sensual vibe. Don't think this might be sweet because of the coffee notes, because it is not. There's a mineral and airy aspect to it that keeps it ethereal. It is completely unisex but not completely original. I've smelled something like this in Meteorite by the Spanish brand Cuarzo the Circle.

LULLABY Olfactive notes: red apple, coconut, hibiscus, tiaré, osmanthus, vanilla berries, orris, oak moss, amber.

Very beachy and tropical, but not in a suntan lotion kind of vibe. Coconut is very evident as well as tropical flowers. It smells “pink” to me, I'm not sure why, but it is sweet and intoxicating. The tiaré flowers are a bit unbalanced and tend to dominate the composition. Lullaby is evocative of the beach but I could only imagine myself wearing this in the winter, because it is very dense, sweet and powdery, presenting also a salty facet for contrast. Sometimes it brings to mind the sweet and dirty/salty aspects of Thierry Mugler's Womanity, only sweeter and dare I say a bit cloying.

FRANCINE Olfactive notes: lemon, sparkling bergamot, galbanum, basil, lentisque, jasmine sambac, precious woods, musk and amber

The opening of Francine got me on my knees, loving this very green, very rich and natural galbanum. Along with citrus notes and the aromatics, this is a glorious scent, so fresh and earthy, recalling vintage greens, like Francesca herself admitted. Francine doesn't hide the lineage from Vent Vert, Yves Saint Laurent Y, Silences by Jacomo and maybe Chanel's Nº19. It gets powdery as the scent develops on the skin and there's even a little sweetness to balance the bitter green. Sometimes it reminds me of another great green galbanum/lentisque scent, Sisley's Eau d'Ikar. For today's standards this is a totally unisex perfume and a perfect interpretation of the greenest material of all in a contemporary way that winks to the past. Francine is my favourite in the line and an absolute must have for my collection.

FLEURDENYA Olfactive notes: bergamot, rosewood, narcissus, gardenia, jasmine absolute, lys, ylang ylang, tiaré, orange blossom, benzoin, musk.

The classic combo tuberose/gardenia in a reference to Piguet's Fracas but with a bitter zest of something that makes it a little more quircky. Fleurdenya is an explosive and erotic floral which is not for the fainted hearted. I have to warn you that all Francesca Dell'Oro perfumes are very persistent and have a great sillage, so this one is not an exception. There's a high quality jasmine inside this composition, a very natural one with a smoky green aspect that makes it earthy. If you think Fracas is too much for you but you still search for the perfect tuberose/gardenia, try this one.

ENVOUTANT Olfactive notes: saffron, davana, coriander, osmanthus, orange blossom, rose, jasmine Sambac, Indonesian patchouli, vetiver, oud wood, amber, Bourbon vanilla, musk.

Sweet, sweet oud, heavily infused in osmanthus (combination seen before in Oud Osmanthus by Mona di Orio) and vanilla. The addition of saffron keeps the fragrance settled in the traditional Middle Eastern Oud perfumes, but in a creamier, smoother way. The flowers and sweet notes of amber feminize this oud that is elegant, contemporary and traditional at the same time. A perfect example of oud shaped in a European way, winking at the East but cosmopolitan and hip. Even if the opening can be a bit confusing, it settles later into a great seamless composition where everything evolves nicely. A good technical work in combining notes from sharp to smooth in a journey to the orient.

PAGE 29 Olfactive notes: tangerine, bergamot, citrus note, rosewood, elemi, orris, vetiver, flower bouquet, leather, labdanum, tonka bean, vanilla from Madagascar, musk.

Sharp sparkling citrus opening with a sweet zing that turns sweeter and sweeter. And powdery. Couldn't stand this. Almost had to give up in the first five minutes and hurry to the bathroom for a a scrub. But the heart gets a little softer. So just wait if you think this is not for you. Tonka and vanilla are overdosed and clash with vetiver and the elemi. It all gets very masculine at the end and could be easier to wear in eau de toilette concentration, maybe.

All in all, Francesca Dell'Oro is not an easy brand for my nose. The fragrances are a bit too sharp and sweet, but I admire the courage of chosing bold scents and the amazing design is something that coluld make me buy a bottle just for the sake of it. Im my opinion, Fleurdenya, Evoutant and Francine are great examples on how to be inspired by vintage or traditional perfumery and transport it to modernity.