Town & Country

Today we shift away from the familiar brightness of the Elysium line and step into the world of Clive Christian—one of the most prestigious and notoriously expensive fragrance houses in modern perfumery—as we explore Town & Country. My previous encounter with the brand left me underwhelmed, especially given its sky-high pricing and reputation for opulence. But Town & Country, a revival of a historic Crown Perfumery formula once worn by Winston Churchill himself, carries a sense of gravitas and heritage that demanded a fair second look. Based on the notes, this fragrance promises a refined trio of aromatics, woods, and ambergris, aiming to deliver a classic masculine sophistication worthy of its lineage. Whether it can redeem my earlier impressions of the house or continues the pattern of prestige overshadowing performance is what we’re here to uncover. Let’s step into its storied legacy and begin. Opening: The opening is aromatic, warm, and woody. With only three official notes—clary sage, sandalwood, and ambergris—each one plays a distinct, easily identifiable role from the very first spray. Clary sage leads with a fresh, spicy aromatic accord touched by bright citrus nuances and subtle piney undertones. It feels clean, masculine, and immediately engaging. The ambergris rises to meet it with a warm, slightly sweet, skin-like glow characteristic of high-quality natural ambergris. To my nose, it's reminiscent of the type used in Baccarat Rouge 540—an impression confirmed instantly by my wife, whose favorite fragrance is BR540. Rounding out the opening is the sandalwood, providing a sturdy, slightly powdery woodiness that anchors the composition and gives the brighter notes something solid to rest upon. Dry Down: The dry down remains warm, woody, and aromatic, but the balance shifts notably. The ambergris becomes the dominant force, pulling the fragrance even closer to that BR540-style DNA with its warm, sensual radiance. Beneath it, the sandalwood gains a bit more presence, enhancing its powdery, creamy woodiness and adding depth to the base. The clary sage, once a major player, moves to the background, now contributing primarily its piney, aromatic facets rather than its initial brightness. The result is a smoother, rounder, more ambergris-forward composition that retains the original freshness but settles into something richer and more refined. Performance: The performance is exceptional. Initial projection within the first hour is very strong, easily reaching six feet with a dense scent trail. After a few hours, the projection and sillage remain largely unchanged—remarkably stable for a fragrance built on such a minimal note structure. Even at the 7–8 hour mark, it continues projecting nearly as strongly as it did at the start. Town & Country lasted at least 12 hours on my skin before becoming a true skin scent, showcasing performance that confidently sits alongside many of the strongest fragrances in my collection. When to Wear: Much like Baccarat Rouge 540, Town & Country is highly versatile. Its balanced blend of warmth, woods, and aromatics makes it appropriate year-round, whether day or night. It works casually, pairs beautifully with special occasions or formal attire, and can even be safely worn in an office setting—just avoid heavy overspraying given the impressive projection. Blind Buy: This is not a safe blind buy for one reason only: the $500 retail price. Even mass-appealing, versatile fragrances can become regrettable blind buys when that kind of money is on the line. But evaluating purely on scent alone—ignoring price—Town & Country is relatively safe. It's smooth, modern, and broadly appealing, the kind of composition many people could wear with confidence. Final Verdict: Town & Country has, without question, rekindled my faith in the house of Clive Christian. Where my previous experience left me unimpressed, this fragrance demonstrates the kind of craftsmanship the brand is capable of at its best. To my nose, it presents as a more masculine, more wearable interpretation of Baccarat Rouge 540—sharing that unmistakable ambergris-driven DNA but enriching it with cleaner aromatics and a refined sandalwood base. The result feels familiar yet elevated. Adding to its appeal is the powerhouse performance, which remained strong even at the 12-hour mark. The only drawback is the $500 price tag, which I cannot justify at full retail. Thankfully, Clive Christian fragrances often appear at discounters, and I’ve seen Town & Country selling for under $200. At that price, I can absolutely see myself adding this to my personal collection. It is a standout from the house—polished, versatile, and beautifully engineered. Scent: 9/10 Longevity: 10/10 Sillage: 9/10 Versatility: Very high Mass Appeal: High Gender: Unisex, leaning masculine Value: Extremely overpriced

Winston Churchill wore this, you know. Town & Country is a modern classic, which is quite something for a fragrance that was first sold over a century ago. Many of the comments on Fragrantica note its similarity to BR540 and there is certainly a comparison to make there but I own both and find Town & Country sweeter, richer, more citrusy and even better performing. It is my go-to for when I want to smell good in a way that impresses everyone. Readers of my reviews may know that I tend to wear fragrances that I like for my indulgence and enjoyment and that I do not give much credence to how others perceive them - and me by association. I have several that I love but am dimly aware that others probably do not share my view. In fact of my all time top five fragrances this is the only one that could genuinely be described as a universal crowd pleaser. Town & Country is one of those where others seem to enjoy it as much or more than I do. So let's have a look at the notes. There is jasmine and some lemony bergamot in this in the head accords to my nose but not in the notes and I swear I can smell some berries as well. The clary sage is there in the middle but the heart of ambergris is very dominant and is what carries this fragrance. I've always thought I could smell Ambroxin in this but I believe it is just the very pure ambergris. I don't think Ambroxin was a thing back in 1925. For sure this is the strongest ambergris core I've ever encountered and it is worth nothing that Town & Country doesn't go sickly or cloying if you overspray or wear it hot weather in the way BR540 can do. You aren't going to get a ambroxin headache from this. Oddly, Town & Country is much more forgiving of a bit of over-indulgence on the atomiser than BR540 EDP/Extrait or the even better Desire du Coeur by Thomas Kosmala are, despite being an unarguably stronger and heavier fragrance. It is easy to imagine the ebullient, irrascible, irrepressible, unsinkable Winston Churchill, (a wartime British leader a million miles removed from the absolute non-entity jellyfish we have now) in a really fine three piece Saville Row suit giving off clouds of this, cigars and Pol Roger champagne as he stomps purposefully into a hushed room. I couldn't imagine him wearing BR540 but I can absolutely see the great man wearing this. The base notes are sandalwood officially but I'd be amazed if there is no amber in this. There may be something leafy and fresh in the base as well to stop it from going too rich but I cannot quite place it. Tomato leaves perhaps? It is a creamy, sweet and very, very rich base that serves to anchor the ambergris middle. It is a nicely structured, forceful and dominant thing that is logical and very put together, much like Mr Churchill himself. The effect when you wear this is quite something. It is a legitimate 12 hour fragrance and projects with potent sillage the whole time. Town & Country garners compliments in a way few others in my rapidly-growing collection ever have and although I do not wear fragrances for the approval of others, it is nice when people tell you you smell wonderful, isn't it? As with BR540, this is a very wearable fragrance that goes with almost anything. It is also just as unisex as BR540, though I'd love to know what Mr Churchill would make of a woman wearing this. I have the feeling this was nowhere near as unisex in the 1930s and 40s as it is now, or indeed that the whole notion of unisex perfumery had a rather different dynamic than the one we enjoy today. Clive Christian make some wonderful and incredibly expensive fragrances and I am very fond of several others by this luminary British house. I'll be reviewing Crab Apple Blossom a bit later but, of all their creations, Town & Country remains my favourite of theirs and one of my favourites ever. Three Word Summary: Resolute Bottled Assurance Scent - 9/10 Sillage - 9/10 Drydown - 7/10 Bottle/packaging - 8/10 Performance - 10/10 43/50

Town and Country is everything you expect from a fragrance that is $500 for a small bottle and comes from England. It is refined and elegant. Aromatic in a very subtle way. In the beginning, there is a slight citrus not mentioned in the pyramid. It lasts for maybe five minutes and then the sage comes in. This is where the elegance really shines. It's almost effortless in the transition. Perhaps even mystical. After an hour, you'll start to notice small effervescent pops of spice here and there. Just enough to notice but not too much to overwhelm. There is an editorial hand at work here. And this is one of the elements that separates extraordinary work in perfumery from the manufactured trash marketed to you at the department store. Clive Christian stated that they wanted to begin in the English countryside and arrive in the city of London. That has been executed very well as the fragrance moves you on that olfactive journey without having to administer any images in your mind beforehand. I personally think that is another factor that separates a true artist from just another bottle. I sprayed the fragrance around three hours ago, so I hope I have a long day ahead of me to test the fragrance even further. I have gotten a compliment from my mother, whether that counts or not I'm not sure lol

Ok so I really like Town and Country. A fresh modern take on a vintage barbershop cologne, and I know people will disagree with this. It doesn't smell complex, but I think it is if that makes sense; a lot of trace materials, time, and love had gone into this. I don't think, however, it's worth the price tag at all considering I don't see anything rare or expensive in the ingredients, and it's only a 25% concentrate. But hey, I'm not a perfumer. Yes the bottle is beautiful, yes Clive Christian revived an iconic and historical perfume house/cosmetic co... But £400 for 50ml? Come on! The connection to some fat sweaty conservative patriarch (yes the war etc but let's not forget what he did to the Irish) is not a selling point for me, quite the opposite. Nevertheless, it /is/ a beautiful scent, and I've worn it around some people who've swooned over this fragrance and ended up getting themselves a sample. I like my darker, gothy, insence, woody, dirty leather, niche-coded, and "out there" fragrances, but if I'm going to have something fresh and mass appealing in my collection, then it's gotta be this. I really like it, I just think it's too hyped and too expensive. Although, lovely. 7.5/10 groundbreaking? No. Luxury? Somewhat. Overrated? In my opinion, yes.

I love this one. I'm pleasantly surprised because of all the hate, but I assume it's mostly due to pricing. The only commonality this has with BR540 is the prominent ambergris note, but Town and Country is very natural smelling as opposed to the nose-blinding note in BR540. I don't get any OFG from this. The opening has some citruses, like lemon and maybe a soft tea note that carries throughout. It has a rugged barbershop flare that gives it a masculine edge. The Ambergris is amazing and provides a slight saltiness that mixes with the sandalwood perfectly. The aromatic clary sage blends beautifully (this creates the barbershop vibe). I wouldn't say this is a nuke, but it performs above average, with great sillage. It makes it a unicorn when you factor in that it's a natural-smelling freshie. I got a deal on a 10ml so this was affordable. With the size of my collection, 10mls will last me for months. The retail pricing on Clive Christian fragrances is ridiculous and I would never pay that much for a 50ml. With that said, thank god for discounters. Once my 10ml is done I may have to buy a tester bottle. I would say if you can buy a bottle for around $150-$200 it's worth it. A little goes a long way. This is sample worthy for sure.