Diorella Parfum

Yesterday I had the most wonderful experience, I was permitted to not only view but to luxuriate in the fantastic collection of the lady who inspired my love of all things perfume (Ms Elodie R). I had been ushered, as I had countless times before, in to an upstairs room totally devoted to Ms Elodie's "babies". On the small table beside the window seat sat some lukewarm water in a a glass jug flanked by sliced lemon, ice chips and squared, wet, linen handkerchiefs. To my thoroughly heathen mind all of this paraphernalia seemed a little overkill but Ms Elodie assured me that this was indeed necessary to appreciate the scents she was about to share with me. Now Miss Elodie is 74yrs young and without doubt the most elegant, poised Lady I have ever met and what she doesn't know about perfume probably isn't worth knowing. Her love affair with scent had begun as a teenager and carries on just as fiercely today. We spent a lovely afternoon olfactory heaven, testing perfumes in sets of two before sipping on weak lemon water or sucking on ice chips and breathing for a count of ten through the dampened handkerchiefs to 'cleanse the palette'. I had heard of the whole coffee bean palette cleanse and mentioned it to Elodie and she smiled kindly, much as you would to a five yr old who invites you to ride in their cardboard rocket ship, and told me this was absolute twaddle. I was offered many vintage and rare editions to try and this one was simply amazing. Much as SuzySchnabel, I found this to be a work of art the scent is the gilt edged queen of perfumes- strong, classy and radiant. This scent endures and does so with quiet persistence leaving you to drink in the peach and honeysuckle that titillates the senses, rounding out with with soft green notes seasoned with a fresh and vibrant floral heartbeat. I cannot praise this highly enough, it may just be that my chemistry. for once, aligns perfectly with this scent but I think it's much more likely that juice of this quality stands the test of time and does so with sublime confidence knowing it is the work of a true artisan. If you ever get the chance to try or own this grab it with both hands, it will not disappoint.

(Extrait c. 1980s) I can't add anything to Diorella that hasn't already been said, so I won't say much. I completely agree with Michael Edward's assertion, based upon his now-infamous question to Edmond Roudnitska, that Diorella is pretty much Eau Sauvage's sister. As I'm writing this at the point in which Diorella has dried down to a skin scent, I can barely distinguish the two perfumes save for that Diorella, in all respects, is just a far richer and more complex composition. That chypre base brimming with oakmoss is nearly identical. The fruity and floral top and heart are most obviously different from Eau Sauvage, but to call Diorella its sister is, I think, a bit misleading. The fruits and florals certainly lend to a feminine nature but it's so rich, seamless, and sort-of abstract that I would probably say Diorella is Eau Sauvage's father. Maybe mother, if we have to stick to the feminine labeling. Older, wiser, handsome as only time can temper, rich with more experience and knowledge and skills. Diorella can definitely be worn by a man, and it should be. It's a timeless masterpiece for everyone.

The parfum isn't anymore a full-blooded chypre; it oscillates between a citrus chypre and a green floral. Whereas the eau de toilette feels like a languid orchestration of basil, lemon, melon and oakmoss, the parfum is a seamless and more detached version. There's a specific warmth in the eau de toilette which reminds me of picturesque sunsets in Italian setup, crackling ice and lemonades and of course sweat. The parfum however feels prim and collected, the cyber animalic feature of the replication of cumin has been toned down and the oakmoss throbs with the hesperidics and basil. It feels like a woman with Italy inside of her, if that makes sense. Where the eau de toilette is sunset, the parfum is the twilight zone between sunset and dusk. It removes the harshness that comes with the Dior-themed chypres and makes it more lovable.

Elegant , feminine, not sweet , perfect for work or going out. Like nothing else - a classic vintage formulation Finished my bottle - need to get another. But lends itself better to spring , summer

The original 1970s Diorella Parfum is a towering giant in today's fragrance landscape. An iconic Masterpiece. If I had to choose one perfume for the rest of my life, it would be Diorella.

in a nutshell fan-bloody-tastic

I got my hands on an original perfume formulation and it's quite an experience. At first i thought that this was quite boring, with an obvious critic opening that stays for a while but after it hit me with the fruit, jasmine and green notes. I read somewhere that this smelled like a vietnamese beef salad and i laughed but, turns out, it does a bit and all this on top of a traditional chypre base that dries a bit minty. Classic yet unexpected. I don't even know if i would consider this a vintage style perfume, it twisted and interesting. It appeals to me on a mental level, not my personal style but i would be curious and intrigued by the person that chose to wear this.

Diorella (1973) was formulated by Edmond Roudnitska who brought us Femme for Rochas. This is a fruity floral chypre musk, cool, fresh, sweet, floral, green, a distinctive perfume of a time when fragrances were treasures not trash. This one I wore in the mid 70's in the spring and summer and on vacations. The bottle pictured in this page is the vintage original but it has had other incarnations and sells in a different bottle on ebay. You might still be able to find it there. Although because of the green moss and musk one might see it as "mature" or Church lady material, it is a youthful maiden's fragrance for the warm summer at the beach or a picnic in the park. A lovely vintage beauty. At first, Diorella reveals a sweet fruit concoction. It's not as exotic or ripe/dark as Femme but it has delicious peach, citrus and a cantaloupe melon. The peach and melon notes at the time were quite different and innovative for a Dior. It might not be an accurate similarity but it gives off just a slight "J'adore" vibe at first. The bergamot orange is fresh, the peach is juicy and furthermore a honeysuckle scent is present. This is a very fruity Dior such as I had never experienced before at the time. Unfortunately with vintages when they age on your wardrobe, the fruits disappear completely. I only get the base notes now of moss and musk but the other elements were equally as gorgeous. In it's heart Diorella is a beautiful bouquet. There's jasmine and rose, cyclamen; though it's mostly roses and jasmines. This is a rather heady floral heart with as sweetness that was heightened by the fruit. In the warm air the perfume smelled so good. My husband at the time was always complimenting me on this perfume. It was rare for me to smell of fruit. Diorella was youth-oriented. I don't know if the name Diorella was meant to sound like Cinderella and the florals are feminine and lovely like roses and jasmine bushes. Green notes are also present smelling like a garden with bushes and shrubs. Patchouli leaves, herbs, moss and vetiver provide this scent with that green theme so prevalent in the 70's. A lovely green garden, a summer retreat with fruit trees and flowers. The dry down is oak moss very plain moss with a degree of musk that gives this scent a maturity and old time gorgeousness I have always loved. The perfume lasts for hours and has a superb projection. There are no modern fragrances I can compare this to other than that slight top notes similarity to J'Adore but it's still it's own perfume very rare and sweet, something Dior has not been able to recreate. This was always a delicious perfume and still is. I wish it could come back. I wear the last remnants of it now and then to remind me of what I used to love.