Diorling

In my endless research on vintage diorling parfum, I reached some conclusions. I would love if other fragrantica aficionados would confirm, complete or disagree with my conclusions (ok, they are more guesses than conclusions, anyway...): I'm aware of 3 different bottles of diorling parfum. 1) the amphore, that I believe it's the older one, but I do not know if it carries the original & unreformulated fragrance only, or it was used for the 80's reformulation too. 2) the classic parfum bottle used for all the other dior fragrances that has an oval section & a crystal inverted cone dauber, that I believe carries the original 1963 fragrance 3) the newer but still classic parfum bottle, this too common to all other dior fragrances, that has a rectangular section & a gold inverted cone screw cap that I guess was used in the late 70's on, to carry the reformulated diorling. I found a 1fl.oz bottle of the 2nd bottle, the one with the oval section & the glass dauber. sealed box, sealed bottle with untouched onion skin & gold thread. no leaks, no evaporation, a full bottle. ain't I a lucky guy? In a previous review on ELdO RIEN I was mentioning, quote, the infamous diorling in its original formula, that in the '60s was a commotion but to me smells only très chic & bcbg, like chanel's cuir de russie did in the '20s. unquote. I forgot to mention that I was talking about a very vintage EdC, leathery but no edge at all. you can imagine my surprise when I opened the parfum bottle & the expected blast of leather... did not blast at all. & I have to say thanks god! I do not need any other leather fragrances: when I want a comfort leather I choose cabochard, knize 10, tabac blond, monsieur couturier & signor vivara. when I need flowers in my bowl I choose miss dior (the real dior's leather) & jolie madame. when I'm in a ur-vamp mood I go for scandal & bandit/brigand. If I switch to a stay-away mood I use ELdO rien, CdG garage or bulgari black. If I feel really macho, like a blue balls ape, a spritz of balenciaga ho hang black will do. after reading LT on diorling, I do not remember the exact quote, saying something about being too dyke to be used by your girlfriend in the first meeting with your parents, I had a vision of a female friend of mine with whom I attended a new year's eve party: I was in black slacks & a vintage silk men's pucci shirt. she wore a man's tuxedo like an unholy dietrich... but I have to say that LT, whose books I love, seems to have a really scarce familiarity with vintage perfumes, to the point he raised many time the legitimate suspect that he never had access to one whatsoever. so, back to diorling parfum. forget the lesbo butch thing & forget the leather, there's no leather. a hint of it, says my brother (the nose) but we both agreed that diorling is a hyacinth fragrance, a very blue one, with a weird, disturbing bergamot note that plays hide & seek with the hyacinth & gives to the whole composition a whippy & witty edge. "it reminds me of... " said my brother. " patou's vacances" I completed. without that buttery coccoina glue paste smell (do not believe that coccoina simply smells like marzipan or sweet almond. it smells like coccoina, an unavoidable & unforgettable experience). yes. diorling reminds me of vacances. & the verdict? while we were flabbergasted because diorling is NOT a leather, & cannot win a pankration match with scandal, it's utterly splendid. there are so few blue flowers perfumes so good, so carnal & fresh at the same time. the bergamot plays the role of the whip, as the leather did in vintage shalimar. it is not an easy fragrance, & not a comfort fragrance or a gracious fragrance at all. is it classy? yes. is it sexy? no. is it frigid? well... no french kiss here; just a kiss on the forehead. is that the english way of an english fragrance? no sex please, we are english? a bad joke & that's all? sorry there's nothing remotely english in diorling, in strictly term of fragrance notes: only the very french, smooth, pale & ravaging watercolors of monet-like hyacinths, while the bergamot's mot d'esprit floats in the air whipping your wits: mot d'esprit. it is what englishmen call humor. is this the englishness in diorling? yes: the darling -ing. back to the EdC old bottle, but I cannot be sure if it's from the '60s or the '70s (Is it possible to roughly date dior's bottles & boxes?) I only smell at first a good, polite but generic leather, a bit unchallenging, than a slightly metallic hyacinth appears & when the leather fades that's when things get interesting; then the leather appears again with a soft, fresh saliva smell & I loose interest. it was unfair by my part to put diorling EdC in the same bunch of chanel's russian leather EdC; chanel's RL actually IS a real leather head to toes, not a 'let's play leather for a moment then go back to monet' as diorling EdC does. diorling's parfum disappearance is another massacre of good perfumery: while diorama was gorgeously refomulated (I have a vintage diorama parfum amphore) & I can easily live with the les creations de monsieur dior's reformulation, I cannot live with the last diorling reformulation: it is true that the lCdmD diorling reformulation is edgier to the point of being disagreable, no hyacinth taming the HUGE, urinous bergamot, but it is such a shade of a shade of a memory of the original diorling that it is actually ANOTHER fragrance. so please change the name. call it diormetro, diorboulot, diordodo... but not diorling.

Darling Diorling! What a gorgeous leather you are! And I’m reviewing an early 60’s Eau de Cologne so I’m not getting the full strength! Diorling opens in husky shades of lilac clouds. There’s freshness from bergamot but what stands out immediately on my skin is violet, though not listed in this minuscule note list, but it’s there. I sometimes wonder if it’s just a side effect of the leather, kinda like a precursor to Fahrenheit. There’s ozonic freshness and green buds bursting, with their slight cucumber dew. I’m not a fan of violet or violet leaf, but the contrast here is gorgeous. Lilacs as well I can sense. The leather doesn’t take long to come front and center. This is old school isobutyl quinoline just like in Jolie Madame, but it’s rawer here. Wilder. So much for its British associations! The heart unfolds slowly and tenderly a white flower blanket. Soft flowers as if seen through a hazy mist, tender jasmine, soft roses, a canvas of blue and purple blossoms hindered even smoother by the patina of leather. Leather that keeps turning darker and more animalic, reaching a point where it smells just like Mona di Orio Cuir; Edmond’s disciple, Mona did get influenced by the master, and her wonderful Cuir pays a wonderful homage to her teacher/mentor/friend, whose influence by Paul Vacher can be smelled in his later creations. From Paul to Edmond to Mona! Slowly but steadily, a blanket of oakmoss and musk, castoreum certainly there, starts to engulf the leather, taming it. And underneath, a soft floral powderiness softens all remaining edges. Skin that smells of floral talcum, leather and moss, pierced by the hushed breath of animalic notes. As an Eau de Cologne, Diorling opens loud but starts getting quieter as the hours go by. There’s not massive sillage but with a generous application Diorling shines brightly for at least 2/3 hours before becoming gradually a skin scent that lasts for the entire day. Longevity is amazing but it of course lacks the volume of an extrait. A pristine bottle like the one I own feels and behaves almost better than modern edt’s. Better actually, not almost. As the scent starts disappearing from skin, what’s left are the last remnants of leather caressing my senses. A gentle powdery feel makes it smell elegant to its final breath, just like a made to measure Christian Dior outfit. Stunning! I’d love to get my hands on a vintage extrait, but even in EdC I’m amazed by this beauty and its stunning glow!

By the slimmest of chances I got a sealed half ounce of the 60s parfum and let me tell you about it. I believe that others have failed to mention how this has a watery quality to it; sweet much like how the old Nina Ricci perfumes used iris along with their herbed floral garni. It’s also a blue floral; I’d second that, and a wonderfully made one. The comparisons to Bandit and Cabochard only recall how they smell when one is at quite a distance but where the former are quite bold upfront, Diorling on the other hand is a bottled softness of how suede and hyacinth work well together. Others mentioned the exorbitant prices are unwarranted because there are better ones; well, perfection is boring and execution of accords in Diorling would be the least of its accomplishments to mention. The smoky leathery aspect unfurls as soon as the florals dissipate, there’s also an ashen quality to the smokiness after all has subsided. Truly a wondrous journey from the narcotic florals up to how it waxes darkness. I don’t even agree with Luca Turin saying this is dyke for women. I’m wondering if he had a chance to smell the vintage. Lastly, I’d like to point out that it’s a floral chypre and not a cuir chypre. Much in likeness as with her sisters, leather is only a touch-up as with Dioressence and Diorama but not the focus. Best used in autumn.

Diorling is refined and dry like Cabernet Sauvignon. In spite of its initial green sharpness and bergamot sparkle, it reveals that it is gracious, a plush velour robe, a hyacinth-scented suede, rosy highlights, and a hazy jasmine. It has a polished lacquer texture, a Pontiac Bonneville leather interior, an orris root patina, waning lilacs after a rain. It's the lit cigarette in a boomerang-shaped melamine ashtray, on the nightstand, a thin plume of smoke, a lipstick print on the filter, an accelerating heartbeat. Vacher had a light hand on the iso-butyl quinoline, not a Cellier smack, no acrid bite, more blended in a labdanum reduction with peppery nasturtium petals. It verges on improper, sweating underneath its collar, but keeps its poise, dying to let go of its restraint, but holding fast, while garments crease and the urge is near impossible to ignore. Diorling is the elegance on the surface of a stirring latent sexuality, never giving into sleaze, but always on the precipice. It is its mulchy, musky husk that keeps it down to earth.

Elegance and refinement in one word: Diorling. This is a dry soft leather chypre. It feels like a second skin. It reminds me of Jolie Madame but less floral. The opening is slightly sharp with bergamot, but it lasts just for few minutes. The white floral notes: jasmine and lily of the valley elegantly come in after 15 min. This composition is really smooth and I would associate it with white velvet. Perfect, innocent, gracious. A chypre that is so smooth and suave... this is art. I have never thought a fragrance would bring tears to my eyes. It sounds pathetic but it is true. The dry down is soft and subdued with a hint of patchouli and few woody touches. Of course, the leather stays in from the beginning to the end and is unforgettable. This chypre doesn't scream or slap. It just whispers and caresses. I also find it sensuous even if it doesn't include sweet notes. It is the teasing leather note that creates that feeling. I love many leather fragrances but this one will always be special for me. It is my mother's image. 9.5/10