Diorissimo

Smelling the pre-1970 versions of Diorissimo is said to be an unforgettable experience... if it's in good condition, as the top notes of this eau de toilette are particularly fragile. My review concerns a 1994 bottle in pretty good shape. Roudnitska developed this fragrance in 1953, starting with a lily-of-the-valley accord (no essence can be extracted from this flower, at least not at a viable cost). Legend has it that he spent a lot of time on his hands and knees sniffing the blooming lilies of the valley in his garden to fully understand their scent. The scent of this flower is fresh, airy, watery, floral (with a slight hint of jasmine), and crisp green with hints of lemon and melon. It is reconstructed using various natural and synthetic ingredients, such as hydroxycitonellal (now highly regulated), lilial, and terpinol. At the same time, according to Micheal Edwards, Roudnitska decided to work against the trend of the time. Perfumers were using a very large number of molecules in their compositions. They used several synthetic materials introduced into their palette at the end of the 19th century, some of which had a relative harshness. To soften this harshness, they used sweet notes of vanilla, fruit, and other flavors. According to Roudnitska, this “gustative” tangent went too far, and he decided to return to the scents of nature and to simplification, stylization, and transparency, without denying synthetic molecules. In 1955, he succeeded in creating a convincing lily-of-the-valley accord, which he presented to Dior, for whom this flower was a fetish. Dior asked Roudnitska to make it his house's next fragrance, making this the third collaboration between the two designers. It is said that Diorissimo is the only soliflore in the history of perfumery to have survived to this day. If it has reached us, it is undoubtedly due to the richness and sophistication of its orchestration. It is indeed more than a lily of the valley soliflore—and incidentally one of the most successful ever made. And according to Roudnitska, this success is due to the fact that he achieved a "stylization"of lily-of-the-valley. Lilly-of-the-valley is present in all stages of the perfume (especially when sprayed on fabric), but the fragrance evolves quite a bit during this olfactive journey. It ends up in a beautiful base composed of jasmine, sandalwood and civet. But civet is absent from recent reformulations and, in my opinion, it is this animal material which is (was) the most interesting in Diorissimo: it created an opposition between the fresh, the pure, the airy vs the warm, the sensual and the carnal. Thomas Dunckley, a perfume critic, summed up the difference well: “Diorissimo in its current formulation is pleasant and pretty, but somewhat unmoving. Vintage Diorissimohowever, well that’s another story. Vintage Diorissimo is utterly mind-blowing.” And it's this final accord that languidly clings to the skin that makes me addicted to the 90's version I got my hands on.

to those whining on the comments, this is the stub for the Vintage formulations (clock the eternal note pyramid & civet being banned for some time, this for real). If you are looking for the current diluted toilet water versions, prepare to be underwhelmed and search for the Creations de Monsieur versions of Diorissimo, edp and edt are both shite. Oh mayne, I gots a herstory to tell. My family was able to own several iterations of this formulation ages ago, I usually stole It from my grandma, diorissimo cologne with a slight redesign on pied de poule, diorissimo with gilded letters and bottle without carvings, gilded letters and stained glass bottle, diorissimo with stickers on a square-ish bottle (with corners, yes!) and no spray nozzle, pink sticker, and the last iteration to ever Grace my hands: bottle with White sticker & gold letters. I thought my greasy fingers had reached their opus when I was finally able to purchase one of my own, unfortunately only Creations de Monsieur EDPedo was available for purchase at the time (2014/15?). And I say "pedo" because its staying power is fleeting as a fart in spanish, It smells generic, watered down and is just downright screechy instead of creamy and radiating. Instead of a massive white floral perfume that radiates, It smelled like a 1 hr soap sensation. Just as a testament of how low quality the Creations de monsieur editions actually are, the perfume's alcohol dried the plastic that holds the nozzle in place, and It broke off the bottle completely, leaving me with the nozzle in one hand and the bottle of perfume on the other. I was able to only use half a bottle before It died on me - I was really bummed out, haven't been able to rock my "signature fragrance" ever since, went to other places mentally, like meh'dore and mehbrielle essence. Last week I Saw a vintage going for sale and took the plunge, I cant wait to smell this conoction in all its former Glory. Its the bottle with the White sticker and no carvings - pre 2010 I assume, still great batch! And if you read my papyrus and still are wondering how the current versions of Diorissimo could ever hold a candle to OG Diorissimo, girl what can I say - try to get the vintage version, it's all EDT but they kick like a radioactive mugler EDP. Dior vintage is always top notch, their current formulas are hot garbage. edit: she arrived! nozzle smells like a wet dirty fur coat, disgustang! It stank, but as long as you don't smell It up close it's all good 💖 sprayed this in the afternoon, went to sleep, woke Up and my arm still had a faint Diorissimo scent! Ahhh I'm so Happy! The opening literally breaks my nose every time so I try to be gentle with the sprays.

This review is for a BNIB sealed 1960s-era white bow label bottle that I was fortunate enough to find! It appears to have been kept in ideal conditions because the liquid is still pale. EDP concentration. On longevity/sillage: when unsealing the bottle, I managed to dip an end of the pink thread from around the neck into the perfume. That was more than 24 hours ago, and this tiny scrap of thread is still radiating scent! Two dabs from the stopper on each arm is plenty. It opens with an interestingly sappy/green feeling, but there's nothing sharp or crisp about it. It's almost creamy, but still decidedly green. Within 5-10 minutes, this blooms into a big golden-tinted lily of the valley bomb. It's rounded and sunny and a little dense -- not airy/watery at all. I do get a little of that sparkling/champagne bubble right at the edges but it's subtle. It has a velvety, golden texture that reminds me a little of the most recent iteration of J'Adore Absolu (2019). You can't help but see honeyed sunlight radiating through the forest canopy and dappling the LoTV below. The golden LoTV continues all the way and is joined by a very smooth, gentle, soapy softness. This might be the civet coming in -- I have very limited experience yet with that note, as far as I know. There's a refined animalic sense accompanying it so it's likely. The effect is of just soaped skin and it's beautiful. It's truly a scent that transcends time. It doesn't feel at all dated, but it also manages to transport me almost viscerally to an earlier time and a beautiful place. I can see how the recent formulations have tried to recreate this scent. The EDT (my sample of it is from around 8 years ago, so not the most recent) captures the gentle soapiness in the dry down, but has a more astringent opening, and on me the LoTV is fleeting. The EDP (again ~8 years old) is somehow both dense and astringent, but I think comes closer to the golden middle part of this formulation thanks to the jasmine. Neither captures the sappy green opening or the intense lily of the valley that radiates throughout the vintage, and neither has the velvety cloud effect. I have a houndstooth mini splash that reads like a diet version of the 1960s vintage -- similar, but again lacking that expansive, velvety heart.

Diorissimo, created by the legendary perfumer Edmond Roudnitska in 1956 for Christian Dior, is a fragrance that embodies the pure beauty and elegance of nature. A true classic in the world of perfumery, Diorissimo captures the delicate, fresh, and green essence of lily of the valley, making it one of the most iconic floral fragrances in history. The opening of Diorissimo is a breath of fresh air, as it immediately introduces the sparkling and crisp lily of the valley note, which takes center stage throughout the fragrance. This note is wonderfully radiant and dewy, evoking the sensation of walking through a spring garden in full bloom. It is not overpowering, but rather soft and elegant, creating an impression of purity and innocence. As the fragrance develops, the heart reveals a more complex composition, with subtle layers of jasmine, ylang-ylang, and muguet (a variant of lily of the valley) that add depth and richness to the floral bouquet. These notes harmonize beautifully, allowing the lily of the valley to remain the dominant theme while offering a sense of sophistication and refinement. The base of Diorissimo is grounded with delicate, soft musk, sandalwood, and a hint of amber, providing a light, powdery finish that adds an air of warmth and comfort without detracting from the freshness of the florals. These base notes ensure that the fragrance has remarkable longevity, allowing it to linger on the skin with an elegant and soft sillage. Diorissimo is the epitome of a floral fragrance, capturing the essence of spring with a timeless grace. Its light and airy nature make it perfect for daytime wear, especially during warmer months. The fragrance is uplifting, joyful, and effortless, yet still retains a sophisticated air that makes it appropriate for more formal occasions or any time you want to evoke a sense of refined femininity. Though it has been a staple in the Dior collection for decades, Diorissimo remains as relevant and beloved today as it was when it was first launched. Its combination of simplicity and complexity, freshness and depth, makes it a fragrance that will continue to captivate and enchant perfume lovers for generations to come.

I have been wanting Diorissimo for a long time.I wanted to use up some other perfumes before I bought it, but I knew,or thought I knew, what it smelled like, so I ordered it on-line. I was surprised when it came. It didn't smell like Diorissimo to me. I understand from reviews that it, like others has been changed, reformulated. So I ordered an older bottle from ebay. So here goes, white box, pink label, new bottle of EDT. First blast is strong,fresh & green. A grassy green, maybe a little synthetic,but fresh. Then after a few minutes it settles into LOTV and jasmime,with lilac in the background,it stays this way for about an hour or two,pretty but linear,it doesn't seem to change on my skin. Then it seems to fade away. Older bottle of EDT,pink box,white label,bottle also has a white label. I think it is from 1990's maybe 2000's. First blast is softer,more floral, but still green and fresh. After a few minutes it becomes creamer, softer, but still floral. The LOTV and jasmine are there,pretty & soft,they seem to warm on my skin becoming more feminine. The newer bottle is OK but not what I remembered,the older bottle is more what I was thinking & it lasts a good four or five hours. It does become a little soapy in the dry down,but I love soapy. So what to do? Dior is not cheap. The white box cost more than the pink box & and both were fairly expensive. I decided to wear both. I first spray the new bottle and then over that,I spray the vintage. I also use the parfum extract on my pulse points & wala!I have the closest thing to the Diorissimo that I remembered years ago. I would also like the purchase the vintage perfume some time in the future, but it will have to wait,as I have blown my perfume budget for now. All of the reviews were a big help,but EmeraldDreams really helped me know what to look for on ebay. Thanks Emerald

Many times have I fallen for the "You just got to have this - it's so amazing!" bravado. I find this is particularly so with nod to vintage fragrances. I have also lamented a large number of those particular purchases, arriving again at snow-blinding aldehydes, and a sad bottom-line in the bank. And then there was Diorissimo. I was so nervous when I purchased this online. Will it be like the others? Will I never understand and appreciate vintage chemistry in perfumery? Did I turn off the coffee pot? The questions swirled around me as I opened the humble packaging surrounding my new arrival. What was encased was a classically formulated, mid-century modern masterpiece! I sprayed the crystalline amber liquid onto a blotter, and immediately had the most photo-realistic flora instantly surround me. Heaven was housed here! The mother of flowers, as natural as finding it in a field, lily of the valley! Oh, how we've been getting it all wrong lately! Lilac, jasmine, Amaryllis and Ylang Ylang follow through. Each legible and defined, like pulling strings on a classic guitar. The hand-polished wood resonating a specific vibration against the hand, while exhaling hums of familiar tonal chords, precisely commanded. As we reach the heart, green notes, herbaceous structures and wild flowers enter our field of vision in this world of fancy. One is left feeling breathlessly exuberant, after running up a hill, caught mid giggle, feet painted green in chlorophyll. This is, in a word, joyous! Raucous only found on a perfect spring day. Collapsing at last under aqua skies, to find patterns in the fluffy cotton clouds kiting overhead. Just lazily biding time, until one more molecule collects - catalyzing rain's inevitable descent. Utter, and absolute, paradise!

This is a classical perfume, in the sense that it will never go out of fashion - not only for "classical" ladies, but for every woman who feels feminine, elegant and joyful. To me, this is the perfume of joy and spring in a bottle. The most prominent note is muguet (lily of the valley), one of my favourites flowers. So rare to find it nowadays in the fields, it reminds me of my childhood when it was a feast if you found some of these marvellous little white flowers in the countryside. As I always loved the flower, I will always love a fragrance that is the mirror of the flower itself. I always have a bottle at hand. Smelling Diorissimo is cheering me up and acts as "better times will come" potion, a kind of drug without the side effects! Lol. That said, I have to tell you I had the chance of smelling the REAL 1956 Diorissimo in a sample they keep at the Osmothèque in Versailles (that place is the Mecca for all frag lovers: they keep a sample of the original formulation of the most important perfumes ever created, the number of which is impressive). What an experience! The original Diorissimo was so concentrated and rich, so indolic (more jasmin) compared to the current formulation, it was a really sexy, overtly seductive one. I would have not imagined, as the formulations i have ever smelled evoke joy and sunshine, happiness and light moments, not sexyness. As a final note, this is my mother's favourite perfume and smelling it, it always brings her back in the same room I am. I love Diorissimo!

Diorissimo is famous for being the perfect lily-of-the-valley, an angelic green floral for 1950′s brides. So I expected “cold and prim and like a florist’s shop” and was shocked to get a nose full of L I L A C S. Warm, heavenly, swooning, exactly like a lilac bush in June. Pure nectar. There’s also, very faint, a bit of the Roudnitska signature base I know from Diorella. What Tania Sanchez called “Vietnamese beef salad” – the combination of cool watery green and something just a touch savory/meaty. The muguet is in the drydown, and it’s more rounded than the usual “lily of the valley” accord you get in soaps and most of the soliflores I’ve smelled. It smells like the floral air on a mild day in May or June as you pass by a lush garden. It radiates; I smell it better away from my skin than up close. It smells like the feeling of triumph, of processions crowned with flowers, that I used to get around May or June when I was a teenager (that was AP season and finals season and the season for state competitions and I always ended the year with a bunch of medals). Lilac-time, cottonwood-time, apple-blossom time. The time for happy endings, for things turning out better than you could have hoped. Alexander Nevsky marching into Pskov with flower petals raining on his head. “After the final no there comes a yes and on that yes the future world depends.”

Wore this little beauty in my twenty's,& was very much put off it with a fellow work colleague who told me it smelt like "Sparkle Furniture Polish"!! Rotten cat lol!! I'm very pleased to say that after all these long year's that have passed I treated myself for my Birthday a fresh new 50ml bottle,& wow I'm so glad that I did!! I wore it for the first time yesterday,& git the most amazing compliment from my Mum,who immediately asked me what that beautiful Perfume Was that I was wearing!! Then just today my Husband's brother in-law asked me the very same question as he was leaving,saying "Paula you smell absolutely gorgeous today"!! lol'lol'lol!! Diorissimo may have been reformulated from I first used it all them year's ago,but let me tell you that it is still very much the unique beauty she alway's was!! Imagine taking a plunge into a fresh clean lake on a beautiful warm spring/summer day,& you look up through the clear water as you surface to the top,& the sunlight glinting of the water as you do so!! Diorissimo certainly is very much a single note Fragrance!! Very much Lily Off The Valley,& so well constructed!! I can honestly visualise "Dianna Princess Of Wales" actually wearing & really enjoying this beautiful classy gem!! I'm so glad that I have Diorissimo firmly back in my Perfume collection once again!!

I have a vintage bottle of this from the 1980s. It's seen some sunlight, more than a few week's worth anyway. Maybe the current formulation wilts in such a small amount of time, but the 80s version still smells fresh and beautiful. I've found this fragrance to be both the perfect Dior & the perfect spring time scent. People go on and on about a scent has to be complex in structure or through the ingredients used... Honey, no. This scent is proof of that. It's a simple, elegant and beautiful lily of the valley with a touch of indolic jasmine, lilacs and civet. It's the type of scent that's a joy to be around and a joy to wear. It reminds one of dancing around fields of flowers or, in my case, walking home the long way from school where all of the beautiful flowers were. It didn't smell entirely like this, but in the summer or spring there were many beautiful fragrant oils leaping from the petals and wafting in the breeze. In the winter time, the frost amplified the more indolic touches. In the early morning, the dew made it damp and a touch humid. That is this scent. You can really wear it anytime, anywhere. I can imagine it being a beautiful wedding scent. Simultaneously smells ahead of its time... but also like an age old classic. Just stunning. Can't praise this enough.

I discovered Diorissimo on my workplace, since we have plenty of testers that we spray around the rooms when the air isn't fresh enough. Now that I've come to learn the history and the caliber of this fragrance... What a blasphemy I must say! What I like about this fragrance is it's monotone: it smells almost the same from the beginning till the end. I love lily of the valley and how its smell was reproduced in this scent. The lilac is definitely the most prominent tone, even though I detect some grassy, green notes. This fragrance is for women, and I see many commenting on here that it is the epitome of femininity, but I don't think it necessarily is. It is a pure white floral, it's an innocent scent, but I don't find it feminine exactly because it is so simple. With it complexity reduced to minimum, I find this fragrance perfectly unisex. I am a guy and I am not ashamed to say that I adore this fragrance and I love to wear it. I think it's about time that we boys abandon the fragrance train wrecks that seem so trendy for men nowadays (the musky citrus, the sweet spicy and the woody-cat-piss scents). Only thing I'm not crazy about is longevity, that as expected from white florals is not the best, but I assume it will work better in the warmer months.

Diorissimo is a minimalist masterpiece by Roudnitska. It is a fragrance of striking beauty, centered on the Lily of the Valley. On my skin, its simplicity manifests as linearity, with a certain lack of depth - yet this is by no means negative. This linearity does not imply an absence of texture: the Lily of the Valley reveals different facets throughout the olfactory journey. From the start, green notes open the fragrance, but the Lily of the Valley quickly asserts itself. It begins with a slightly citrusy nuance, then blends with other flowers like jasmine and ylang-ylang. Towards the end, it mingles with woods, notably sandalwood. I do not detect civet, which is likely synthetic in current formulations. On my skin, Diorissimo remains simple and linear, but I think it is precisely this constancy that gives it its beauty. I am not an absolute devotee of Lily of the Valley, yet I recognize this fragrance as a true Roudnitska masterpiece. Roudnitska always believed that less is more, and he was a master of minimal compositions, where each note speaks subtly. Diorissimo is a very beautiful olfactory journey for those who appreciate a perfume that is elegant, delicate, and restrained, yet full of subtle charm.

Looking at the structure aspects, Diorissimo in 1956 can be called the pinnacle of minimalism. It is dominated by lily of the valley, supplemented by jasmine, and has a fresh and romantic style. It is widely loved by female consumers as soon as it is launched. Diorissimo from the master Edmond Roudnitska has very few changes, even if there are adjustments, it will not damage the original appearance. It was not until the budget constraints and the ban imposed by IFRA that Diorissimo really changed its face. (This fragrance is the first to complete the odor simulation of lily of the valley with lily of the valley aldehyde.) Compared with the essence, EDT and EDC weaken the unique odor of jasmine, so people who are afraid of indole can buy it with peace of mind. The old version is a little powdery, but the new version is a very pure white flower fragrance. Diorissimo is based on Mr. Dior's favorite lily of the valley. While in line with Dior's spirit, it also inherits all the characteristics of Dior women's clothing, which is light, elegant and feminine. Unlike some perfumes that are old-fashioned, Diorissimo is modern and a wonderful fragrance for every morning.

I have a travel-spray decant of the current formulation, and it's a bit of a disappointment--I'm not going to blame the fragrance, though, just the formulation of whatever batch I have. The LOTV note is indeed spectacular, everything it was promised to be (and I smell them every spring because they bloom profusely on the treelawn around the corner from my house); however, I have to endure a distinct "wet latex wall paint" smell in the meantime, what others describe as a gasoline scent perhaps, and that makes the admittedly lovely lilacs and LOTV less intoxicating. It's a bit like smelling a fresh bouquet of lilacs and LOTV in a room that was painted an hour earlier. A pity. I can tell this must be really special when all the ingredients are as they should be. Perhaps I was too harsh. An hour or so in, the handkerchief I sprayed this on is much, much more LOTV and lilac than latex paint; my husband was genuinely enthusiastic about it (although he's a handy fellow, and maybe the smell of paint is a positive one for him, haha). But really, the drydown is the most important part of the perfume, and the drydown of Diorissimo is divinissimo!

ah, diorissimo... i have a bottle of the 80's batch EDT: my first vintage bottle of perfume. i blind-bought it without trying the most recent reformulation, and im so glad i did. diorissimo is a huge yet somehow soft white floral, the main point of interest being a beautifully done lily of the valley, supported by a little bit of civet and jasmine/ylang. there is a screeching quality to it at first spray, as if announcing it's presence, then blossoms into an airy grand bouquet. it has an "ascending" feel to it, like a bright cloudless spring sky. i only disagree on one point with most of the reviewers though: this is not a happy, quiet fragrance. it is as loud as a drunken bride on her wedding day, dancing barefoot in the grass, yet she never loses her beauty. i could imagine kirsten dunst in the movie "melancholia" wearing this as she stands in the middle of the forest in her elegant white wedding dress, an ethereal being contrasted against the darkness of the trees and roots wrapping around to ground her, but her feet are floating above, running towards the sky. needless to say, i love that movie, and i love this fragrance.

Usually my "reviews" are told in story form, but alas, no story behind this one. Diorissimo is another of my mother's beloved white floral, fresh green scents that I would sneak off her vanity from time to time. Hence my love of Chanel white florals, Versace Blonde, Jessica McClintock, Evyan's White Shoulders (I've got a great story about that one) and Estee Lauder's long gone and sorely missed, Honeysuckle Splash. So, considering how much a bottle of vintage CDD is going for on the Bay and VB and ELHS had a very limited release and are nearly impossible to find (although I've hoarded a few bottles, which I probably will never use. I made my son promise me he would either gift it to his wife or sell it at my estate sale and pay for part of my grandchild's college tuition, because I figure they'll be fetching a pretty price by then), I'd say go for the Jessica McClintock...I just bought a 1.7 oz bottle on the Bay for $19. Or, just blow a whole paycheck on a precious bottle of the original. You only live once, so why not smell delicious while living in your car?

I was able to sample a vintage EDT from a houndstooth bottle, not having yet compared to the current formulation. Like some vintages, my sample opened with a dark, alcoholic twang, like acetone or Sharpie markers. Within a few minutes this settled into a beautiful spring garden. Not light and sharp like one might expect of a lily of the valley scent in the vein of modern compositions; vintage Diorissimo is green and verdant, dewy and rich with LOTV and deep purple lilacs. Crushed green leaves and golden nectar folded into perfectly crisp bouquet. This is quite a bit deeper than I imagined, but beautiful none-the-less. I'm wondering whether a fresher vintage or the reformulation might be more 'fragile' or 'delicate' as other reviewers have experienced. This vintage has some subtle civety business going on that delivers an undercurrent of something elegant and less innocent than the tiny white flower might imply.

I just received vintage Edt in the hounds tooth style bottle and I am so delighted. I am so glad that I have read about how vintage scents can smell terrible for the first two minutes. Sure enough this delicate fresh scent transported me to a spring morning in my Mother's garden. And then to the hilarious day in the late 80's when my poor dads had to deal with my fuss that they had purchased the wrong Dior and that I had expected a bottle of Poison! When I finally got Poison with money from my first job, I learned that what we smell in the paper in a magazine may bear no resemblance to what shows up to play on our skin. They have had their revenge at last as I have recently mistakenly purchased an amazing vintage boxed set of Miss Dior Edt Edp in search of this Diorissimo vintage. There may be Lily of the Valley scents similar to this that are easier to acquire but I am living without regret at the moment.

Diorissimo is the proof that simplicity is, after all, the ultimate luxury. The bottle I have it's exactly the one on the picture above, a 2009 eau de toilette. The fragrance itself is quite simple: a sharp, metallic, shimmery opening preceded by a fresh, green, dewy, delicate accord of lily-of-the-valley, sooo photorealistic that you can almost feel the flower arrangement in your hands, close to your nose. Very mild and light, it creates an aura arround you, tender like a caress. It doesn't last long, but I don't care to reaply. The point is: Diorissimo is GORGEOUS! It's the most springtime fragrance I've ever wore, an human, artificial construction that smells the most natural. It's classy, elegant, proper, but also utterly romantic, innocent and pure. It's something that 1950s Disney's Cinderella would wear: she is humble and modest, but she possesses a natural queenly grace and beauty. I LOVE IT!

I’ve just spent four days in London, sniffed what feels like hundreds of new releases, and ended up purchasing the oldie goldie Diorissimo. I don’t know about the vintage versions of Diorissimo and how different they were to the present-day editions, because I’ve never tried them; but this contemporary version really works for me and I have no complaints. This is an incredibly beautiful floral-green scent, wearable throughout the year. On my skin, the scent opens with very prominent lily-of-the-valley, amplified with some citric notes. As it progresses, the LOTV note makes way for jasmine, which dominates the central period of the scent’s skin life. The final stage features soft sandalwood and some powder; I don’t get the animalic notes at all. Scents such as this one are the reason why perfumistas love the house of Dior, in spite of some recent disappointments.