Azzaro by Parfums Loris Azzaro 1975

Azzaro by Loris Azzaro, the first release of the house and Loris’s signature, is (was) a gorgeously sensual floral chypre that defined the 70’s. It had the beauty that Loris’s fashion creations had, the tenderness of his eyes and the sensuality that his clothes gave a woman. The only drawback I would say it has, is its lightness. I used to own a large splash bottle and while gorgeous, it was fleeting if I didn’t douse myself. The extrait is somewhat richer but still doesn’t shout. Top: tuberose, gardenia, rose, narcissus Heart: jasmine, ylang-ylang, iris, peach, coriander Base: vetiver, sandalwood, grey amber, musk, civet (Courtesy of kl99 bellow) Main notes among many others, created by a relatively unknown Maurice Thibond (1988 edp reorchestration) or Jean Martel (1975 original edt and extrait) depending on the source. Pucci Zadig and Mila Schon (first fragrance, from 1981) which I own, are the closest in character and scent profile; both are bold chypres with carnality, a fruity wink of mischief, bold languid florals, and rich animalic notes. Arquiste Ella, which I also own, is also a very very well executed idea that inevitably took Azzaro as inspiration. Think late 70’s, disco music, flowing dresses, nighttime pool parties, Donna Summer, smoke filled discotheques, soapy aldehydics, what a Calandre wearer changes to at night and you get an idea of what Azzaro smells like. A stunner that is also somehow melancholic, reminding us of what used to be and is no more. Azzaro had emotion, it was alive! It’s hard to say that about any perfume, but here I felt it breathe! I absolutely love it, and I’m happy to see an old friend in the sillage of the above mentioned beauties. Either of them is a mirror reflection of one another, complete with differences and similarities. But if I find another bottle of it, I’ll most definitely buy it again; the liveliness of it is incomparable! Man! The decade from 1970 to 1979 did really spawn some of the most beautiful perfumes ever created! If you find any of them, don’t hesitate. They are treasures!

A Fatal Soapyness. I own the eau de parfum of this jem. I was not persuaded about the notes so I found also these lists. top: Bergamot, Plum, Peach, Apple blossom, Gardenia, Rose Heart: Iris, Jasmine, Ylang-ylang Base: Amber, Moss, Patchouli, Storax, Vetiver And Top: tuberose, gardenia, rose, narcissus Heart: jasmine, ylang-ylang, iris, peach, coriander Base: vetiver, sandalwood, grey amber, musk, civet So bergamot and Apple blossoms are added but no benzoin no aldheydes not generic fruity notes but plum and peach. And many others in the second list.. I can't say. Every perfume has its secrets. As the perfume opens I can detect a bitter strong bergamot for sure, that gives almost a masculine impression, and some fresh fruity notes like raspberry or cassis more than a richest plum and peach, but can be. Maybe rose and gardenia make a cold ring around those fruits. Or it is more correct to say that It is exploited the cool side of these fruits. Even if at times Azzaro it is animal, dark, and green of lily of the valley and osmanthus, this is mainly a bergamot, mossy (oakmoss) and gardenia fragrance. In my Opinion. Soapy, fresh, but rich, sensual, creamy, organic, I mean material, full-bodied. This scent is really between the sexy bomb fragrances of the 80s and the tenderly flowery forest perfumes of the 70s. Elegant. Sophisticated. A great work. A loss. It make me think of a rainy day in summer, or rather a day after the rain in a green city on the coast. A certain Maurice Thibond seems to be the creator of this beauty.

One of the greatest fragrances ever created! I’m not even making an attempt to pick out any of the key notes. I find it pointless, since it’s so seamlessly blended that I don’t want to waste my time for taking it to pieces in my head. Instead, I simply and happily surrender to its untold beauty, close my eyes and indulge myself in the magical, mysterious opulence of its symphony – and my life is complete again. My perception of this scent is that it contains everything I would ever want in a perfume. It’s like it consists of all notes in existence, heavenly balanced and pure. Intriguing and sophisticated. Exuding that wonderful, indefinable “texture” and “color”. Rough and smooth, warm and cold simultaneously. I just can’t gush enough about this composition. I first discovered it in the early 80ties, and despite having tried countless fragrances before then, and up until today – this still remains the “holy grail” of olfactory art for me. Unfortunately discontinued due to IFRA restrictions, as I heard. I sincerely hope and pray that one day the perfume industry will find all necessary substitutes for the restricted or banned materials, and masterpieces such as this one can be reconstructed in its full glory to our enjoyment. By the way: the 2008 Couture (in a similar but white bottle), although not bad, is an entirely different scent and doesn’t even come close to the complexity of the original.

Azzaro is another unveiled mystery to me. After enjoying a certain success it was discontinued at a time when flankers, discontinuations and fashion trends to please the crowd was not a spread attitude. It was a stupendous floral, wisteria, jasmine, iris in the opening. Contrary to the scents popular in the '70es and '80es it didn't have a dark woody undertone nor a bright aldehydes opening. It was flowers, woods, maybe fruits that mixed together and created a stunning beauty. What was amazing about Azzaro was its brightness went on and on until the final drydown. It was kind of puzzling as it never settled totally down, it was as if it did not want to surrender and fade away. It was longlasting with an excellent projection and was stupendously classy. I recall I could smell it both on young and older ladies and it was perfect on all of them. I used Azzaro in my early '20es and was immmediately conquered by its complex simplicity, yes an oxymoron that in Azzaro finds true accomplishment. A pity it does no longer exist. REFINED BEAUTY

The sensuous and sumptuous Azzaro parfum is a dark jewel, a smoky quartz, a wisteria sunset, a flowerbed of dreams, a gold ring of glamour, a fruit-salad, light on the syrup, backlit the flicker of aldehydes, a gardenia as creamy as they get before they start to brown with age. It's a peach-and-orris Pimm's cup with a borage leaf or two, a musky cocoon with zippers undone and garters unbuckled. Oops, down-to-the-ankles sexy. Gird your loins if you're a Glossier You type, because this is a Randier You fragrance. Disco cats and kittens, I hope you're not adverse to dirty foreplay on a thick woody trunk in a dimly-lit lounge, walls covered in vetiver, moss and oozing droplets of civet and smoldering resins. The soap is on the sweaty body, the bass shakes legs and thighs, this perfume is in the air when the sound of Giorgio Moroder arpeggios penetrate the air. I feel love, I feel love, I feeeel love....