Azzaro 9

I can't get over this pretty little perfume. And yeah the Fragrantica note for note pyramid makes it look like some heavy huge complex floral because of all those notes but it's quite simple, really. It's a warm sunny yellow floral. Soft, feminine, delicate, smooth, a well-blended mix of fruit, flowers, incense, wood and musk. It seems to capture the late spring and summer with sun-kissed flowers in a garden as one strolls along catching whiffs of the various floral scents from the heart notes of this perfume. Opens with very soft aldehydes. They are subdued, tame and can be quickly missed aldehydes perhaps because this fragrance was released in the 80s (1984) aldehydes were already considered outdated. Stronger than the aldehydes are the fruit accords of citrus courtesy of a mandarin orange and a slice of pineapple Has a soft fruit smoothie start. Delicious and quite fresh. If this wasn't a perfume, I'd drink it. The fruit lingers on a bit before the florals kick in. There's quite a lot of them so it's hard to distinguish each individual flower. I'm smelling mostly the yellow ones: ylang-ylang, mimosa and orange blossom. The white flowers are there but not front and center. The tuberose is the shyest ever for an 80s tuberose an era in which the tuberose was loud and proud. The lilies of the valley are what most come through as far as the white floral scents. There's a very minimal touch of jasmine. The florals are so well formulated and such a fine match to the top notes of citrus and pineapple plus those shy aldehydes that they seem to be a classy throwback to such vintage beauties as Nina Ricci's L'air du Temps and only from a few years earlier Gloria Vanderbilt. If you like those kind of soft feminine florals, then Azzaro 9 is gonna be your cup of tea. The dry down is a lot warmer, like sunshine streaming down on the flowers. There's a smoky quality owing to the incense note. There's also warm musk but never animalic, just a nice soft warm musk. I don't pick up on any green vibes or herbal notes such as oak moss or patchouli. There's a touch of vetiver but that's about all I can smell for green notes. There's more woodsy accords. Sandal and cedar wood. There's a dash of vanilla. A dry down of mostly smoke and wood. By the time of this warm dry down, it feels like we've spent the day in a garden and now it's night time. The sun has gone and the cool night air and the moonlight begins to beam down on the flowers that are going to sleep for the night. This is a fancy perfume that can be worn to places like church, a wedding (but not as a bride) a classy formal affair, and or a romantic dinner date either at an upscale restaurant or at home. This is a feminine womanly fragrance. Nothing unisex about it. It also smells quite expensive and luxurious. I love to wear it on dates with a nice dress. I think you'll love it if you are a big floral fan.

I'm one who hoards minis of Azzaro 9. Nothing quite like it. Not before or since. Evidently the overpriced niche brands have been duping it. In terms of structure, it is most similar to Creation 1984 for Ted Lapidus, on the periphery, maybe Perscriptives Calyx. I would argue Azzaro 9 is more original than either, and superior in every way. Creation 1984 is a clever, pleasant, and thoroughly unremarkable nod to the original Miss Dior. While Calyx is certainly an original, it's a Grojsman creation. It contains her distinctive DNA, which is intensive and difficult to appreciate. References and egoism aside, Azzaro 9's timeless beauty comes from its novelty and originality. After the initial gust of spring breeze, I smell the "pineapple". It's hard to relay because it does not resemble the neon pineapple notes of today. Like most 80s florals, it has a subtle fruity quality, but its moreso citrusy, diaphanous, green. After the top notes depart, an abstract bouquet of fresh green flowers, heady white flowers, and pollen-like yellow flowers, with soft spices and herbal notes. The florals blend seamlessly and are difficult to discern. Pure olfactive joy. The bouquet smells natural and its progression is masterful. After the symphonic floral arrangement begins to lull, a powdery, woody, earthy chypre base emerges. Authentic moss, vetiver, and incense. I'm poor at relaying it, but the base of this perfume is stunning, it strikes me as very original. Azzaro 9 is the chypre floral answer to the original Boucheron for women. Easily my favorite of the 80s chypre florals, it's one of those rare, perfect pieces that belongs in a museum. If I could bring any perfume I wanted back into production, this would be a top contender. Fantastic perfumes have me wondering who perfumed them, and the Fragrantica database is questionable at best. I did some digging and learned Azzaro 9 was developed by Alberto Morillas & Roger Pellégrino under the oversight of Firmenich. Alas. I keep wishing the industry legends were permitted to make good perfumes once more.

Oh how I miss this beauty. Every early summer, I find myself browsing the internet. Trying to find something that would be a suitable replacement. I'm not in to fruity scents. Least of all something like pineapple. But, for whatever reason it's what makes this fragrance work. Made from 9 white and 9 yellow flower extracts. Henceforth the name. I was sold in 198(something). When it was new and the sales lady at Macy's perfume counter sold it to me. 9 yellow and 9 white flowers, do you like pineapple? Was all she said. Of all the forms it arrived in. I preferred the parfum extrait. The little uniquely cut opaque, jet black crystal bottle designed and manufactured by Lalique for Azzaro. From the box, to the bottle, to the delectable juice inside. This parfum is truly unique. In all my years I have not smelled anything even remotely close to it. There's a perfume out now, I'm not sure who makes it exactly. Called Frangipani and Pineapple. I'm going to give it a try. I'm not looking for an exact clone. But, a heavy smooth floral with that pineapple note underneath the surface grounded by sweet oakmoss.Even a more contemporary version of those notes in that dynamic would make me happy.I remember wearing Azzaro 9 to work on occasion in the winter. It always cheered everyone u around me. The parfum had a beastly projection and longevity that ride from sunrise to sunset easily without getting tired. Now, that I wrote this. I just talked myself into searching the internet for a bottle. Since I will be celebrating my 60th this Friday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Me. Time to get out the visa....lol.

Golden and greenish bright at the same time, this is a whole bouquet of everything nice. The opening is crispy like a bottle of gewürztraminer, semi-dry with the pineapple adding just a touch of fruity sweetness. It isnt overtly aldehydic, but kind of soapy. The heart consists of an almost perfect jasmin-ylang-mimosa accord that makes it warm and golden. There are quite a few other supporting flowery notes, among them a tulip holding on to the crispyness of the opening, but also other enchancements such as Dryers greenweed making it notably greener and basil adding just the tiniest whiff of something vaguely anise and minty. Azzaro 9 is very bright, but oh so yellow at the same time. Even before I was able to identity different flowers in perfume, this always stroke me as the yellowest of all perfumes, even more so than my beloved Ysatis. In the base there is a curious and rather unexpected incense note that reminds me of another very yellow perfume, Oscar de la Renta’s Volupté. They don’t smell that alike and I much prefer this over Volupté, since that one is too sweet and heavy, reminding me of a lighter version of Tresor. However, they do share a lemon-woodyness in the base and I think it could be frankiscene. The added incense note gives Azzaro 9 a feel of grounded sophistication that keeps me interested till the very end. Nevertheless, Azzaro 9 isn’t a demanding perfume, on the contrary it is a very vivacious and happy scent and I smile from the moment I spray it on, till it’s all gone, which takes a good 12 hours on my skin.

The opening of Azzaro 9 is unusual- very green, but not strongly aldehydic. It actually smells to me like freshly cut tulips. Although I know that this note is created, it does not smell synthetic- it smells *fresh* and realistic. Under the note I read as tulip is a spicy floral note, perhaps wisteria? and lightly sweet pineapple, ever so faint. The heart, on my skin, is lily, light carnation, faint rose, and basil, with a green/mossy wood vibe that I think may be the dyer's greenwood, and an almost juicy, airy mimosa. Lightly spicy, balmy, relaxed, clean without being soapy, fresh as a breeze, a little cool. Wearing A9 is like sitting out of doors in the early morning, catching drifts of scent from your neighbor's gardens, as the breeze begins to warm, and dew still sparkles in the grass. In the dry down, neroli, a touch of white musk, creamy sandalwood and green hyacinth appear. Ylang ylang is lightly present, as is LoV. But the real star here is the velvety iris, supported by clean cedar, with a touch of incense. Just lovely! A9 is a treat! Cool and warm by turns, airy, light, spicy, a little sweet- this is definitely a classic, and deserves to be ranked with L'heure bleue and the like. Extremely complex, and likely to show a different facet in different weather. A9 definitely deserves more of a reputation than it has! My special thanks to Mi55anthr0py, who provided me with my mini- I will treasure this little beauty, and savor it! My sincere gratitude!