Passion by Elizabeth Taylor (1987)

09/27/15 00:02:01 (13 comments)

by: Dr. Marlen Elliot Harrison

Hello and welcome to “Gender Bender”, an exploration of aroma, gender and scented freedom. Though by no means do I personally prescribe to fragrance having a gender, sociocultural stereotypes about masculinity and femininity often prevail at the fragrance counters and are viewed as important distinctions for many fragrance fans. Join me as I explore some of my favorite 20th century masterpieces of perfumery in my quest to challenge marketing rhetoric and address the question, “How does fragrance transcend gender?”

Summary: Elizabeth Taylor’s first fragrance release is a surprising oriental chypre focused on moss, leather, incense and animalics. Though a number of classic florals are featured in the midnotes, the current formulation of Passion (for women) seems decidedly masculine in the face of the fruity-gourmand paradigm dominating current “female” perfumery.

Perfumer: N/A, please tell us in a comment below if you know.

Try this if you like: Incense, leather, patchouli or animalic scents; fragrances likePiguet’s Bandit, YSL Kouros, Alain Delon Iquitos, or Chanel Antaeus.

Pros & Cons: Incredible longevity and sillage, as well as an incredible price tag;animalic and aldehydic but well-balanced by florals and woods; a dry leather that feels moresoft and sueded than rough and smoky. Passion is widely considered one of the first “celebrity fragrances” and history has it that Liz had a strong hand in the overall development. Due to its age and the number of times the label has changed hands, it’s not quite the same Passion it once was; the florals are considerably flatter and less creamy than I recall. While some wax poetic about the incense and somewhat gothic vibe of Passion, others offer “granny” and “bug spray”.

The men’s version, also still around, is far sweeter with more prominent vanilla and a heap of lavender, making it equally gender bending these days. Check out my review for Passion for Men here: http://www.fragrantica.com/news/Passion-for-Men-by-Elizabeth-Taylor-1989--5623.html.

Notes: “Top notes are aldehydes, artemisia, coriander, gardenia, bergamot, ylang-ylang and lily-of-the-valley; middle notes are honey, tuberose, sandalwood, patchouli, orris root, jasmine, heliotrope, cedar, rose and spicy notes; base notes are leather, musk, coconut, civet, vanilla, oakmoss, incense, sandalwood and cedar.”Fragrantica.com

Reminds me of: Ted Lapidus Rumba, Piguet’s Bandit, Rabanne La Nuit,Salvador Dali (original), Lancôme’s Magie Noire, Paloma Picasso, Lauder’s Knowing, Tabu by Dana.

Designer’s Description: NA

Number of times tested: 5+ over the last 2 weeks.

Number of sprays applied for this review: 1 spray to the back of hand from a new bottle I purchasedonline at a discount site (has the metallic plastic cap without gemstone; ca. 2015).

Fragrance strength: Eau de Toilette

Development: (Linear / Average/ Complex): Although aldehydes are listed in the top, this really isn’t an aldehydic fragrance in the style of Chanel #5 or L’Air du Temps, for example. The honeyed spices, oakmoss, leather and incense are immediately the focus of the fragrance suggesting a “dark fruit”vibe while the florals are barely perceptible (think “indolic jasmine”), much like the classic Balenciaga Rumba. As the fragrance settles, it maintains its herbal,chypre heart with wood, patchouli and musk taking center stage, and that’s about as complex as the current formula gets. I keep thinking how this reminds me of the lovechild of Rabanne La Nuit and Dior Poison (albeit with much subtlerflorals). I do recall the original being somewhat richer, creamier and revealing stronger white petals (gardenia and tuberose) in its midnotes.

Longevity: (Short / Average / Long-lasting) Wow! The current Passion has incredible longevity, 12+ hours and still perceptible after a shower.

Sillage: (A Little / Average / A Lot) Though Passion does relax after 2-3 hours, others still found it perceptible on me at the end of the day after using 3-4 sprays that morning.

Note about the packaging: Currently a transparent, purple, art deco style glass atomizer that delivers a generous amount of perfume accompanied by a gold, metallic, plastic cap and housed in a monochromatic purple paper box. Older versions sport a gold adornment in the middle of the bottle and a purple stone on the cap.

Where can I buy it? Found online for as little as $15 USD for a 75ml tester.

The Bottom Line: Elizabeth Taylor’s premiere fragrance is widely considered to be the first, major, celebrity fragrance. Though a handful of others arrived around the same time as Passion–e.g. Cher’s sadly discontinued and similarly gender bendingpowerhouse Uninhibited was launched within months of Passion, and Avon’sDeneuve arrived on counters just months prior - Liz was the first to fully capitalize on her name and firmly establish her place in scented history. Launched when I was in high school in the late 80’s, Passion was both in keeping with the “larger than life” hair, shoulder pads and fragrances of its time. However, thanks to samples I had hoarded from my teen years into adulthood, I always felt it had a decidedly vintage feel, as if it were a long lost Patou, Lanvin or Caron. It’s incredible to think that the far sweeter and gourmand Angel was unleashed just a few years later; the late 80’s were truly an exciting time for aromachemistry!

Having confounded the vanilla-rich Passion for Men with Taylor’s original aroma, I was incredibly curious to get reacquainted with the women’s scent. I was quite surprised to find it as dry and dark as it is and kept waiting for a punch of vanilla to sweeten things up. Not a chance. The moss, leather and civet are the standout stars here, even in today’s reformulation, and I can’t image that in a side by side test ofPassion and Dior Homme, for example, that anyone unfamiliar with the two would identify Passion as the “women’s” scent and Dior as the “men’s”. It’s really amazing how paradigms in aroma keep shifting!

I know how many people consider Passion to be Grandma’s scent, but if stereotypes and associations don’t concern you, gentleman readers, it will cost you only a small amount of money to experience an incredible aroma that is still quite successful today and surprisingly gender bending. For women who like their fragrances dark, skanky and rich, look no further than the purple powerhouse in the deco bottle!