Les Creations de Monsieur Dior Diorama

The modern version of Diorama. I expected some kind of thin,synthetic mess. Most classics are obliterated with regulations, profit margins and unskilled hands of a new perfumer. I am pleased to say I was wrong. The opening is a strong tarty bergamot with the bright yellow ylang. Jasmine follows up and asserts the floral identity. It was bright and of substance, and made this hardened vintage lover reminisce of other fragrances in the past that had similar openings. Truly a rare occurrence in these times. I had a moment where I thought I may have wondered into Niche territory. The familiar jasmine and rose begin to take over with a caraway note as an undercurrent. Plum and peach add the fruity echo from its past and adds body and dimension to the composition. This leans more floral than fruity floral. Please note as some of you reading this that its connection to Femme comes to mind..but its not full of cumin. The caraway hints at its past, but does not send it down that animalistic Femme path. Patchouli & cedar anchor modern Dioramas base. Modern regulations take its toll on Diorama here in the base as well as a lack of the famous prunol additive from the vintage. No oakmoss or animalics to weigh it down. It can be a good thing as these types are seen as outdated or out of vogue. The cost is longevity. Its a well tailored fragrance and Im off to get a bottle for the days I want a vintage feel but not its weight. In its class there is Femme, and Parfum de Therese. I feel this is a great middle option at its price point and design. It is interesting to note that Demachy studied under Roudnitska, so Demachy is a good candidate to keep Dioramas spirit intact. Works in Fall and spring. A little light for winter.

The IFRA regulations of 2009/2010 apparently hit Dior hard, since they decided to go radical and relaunch all their classics as Les Creations de Monsieur Dior. They are no longer crediting Edmond Roudnitska for the fragrances in this line, and that might be all for the best, since so many of them are changed beyond recognition. Luckily I am an innocent when it comes to Diorama. I never got the chance to try it before reformulation, and I am lucky I never did because I LOVE this version - and if I had to compare it to a past masterpiece, perhaps I wouldn't. Right away you get a longlasting, powdery yet distinct floral accord with jasmine, rose, peaches and plum that slowly settles in a lovely mellow woody base. It is a kind of summary of all fragrances I love: classical chypre, patchouli, floral, woody, and powdery. If I had to choose only one for a desert island this would be a contender, since it reminds me of all the perfumes I love.

This review is about the current Diorama reformulation, I have never tried the vintage one. I cannot smell a great deal of fruit in it: the most striking note for me is jasmine, followed by some spice (caraway, very distinguished) and leather notes (although they are not in the list). There is some animalic note, stronger at the beginning, more subtle as the fragrance develops on the skin. It surely would not fit everybody. I don't think it would suit a teenager, for sure. I can imagine it on a very classy and self-assured woman; it is sophisticated, intriguing, very different from the floral-fruity-vanilla things that are so popular in these days. I only wish it could last longer on my skin, it seems to go in about 3 hours, therefore I need to reapply it. Update: I found that, applying it not just on my skin but on my clothes also, its lasting power improve greatly. I could still smell it on myself after about 10 hours!

If all of God's creation is beauty then behold les creations de Monsieur Dior Diorama. She is truly breathtaking .. get a whiff and treasure this gem whilst you can. If you're not mature enough to appreciate this too bad. Yes its vintage and in the most beautiful way..you can tick all the accords listed above In a very profoundly nuanced way which I truly find intriguing this has some of the nostalgic smell of a cologne that mon père was very fond of and always used to cool my fever down whenever I was under the weather. Oh how relaxing it was to douse your handkerchief with it .. the aroma really soothed me .. This is another beautiful jasmin rose concoction. Very plummy and the ylang ylang caraway sweetens it further. Voluptuous is what comes to mind. Dior heritage definitely. Think of the new look couture/dresses.

Not as green-fresh as Diorella, more rubbery/leathery than Le Parfum de Therese (and thankfully, without the horrid tangerine note), Diorama sits in the golden middle owning the best qualities of both in being this fleshy, luminous jasmine-ylang sweetness framed by olfactory thinnest, fresh notes of spectrum (bergamot) and some more concrete and lascivious (caraway). It has Roudnitska's signature all over - despite of being current formulation - rubbery leather, carnal caraway, even the plum/peach combo is crafted so well in here, so I cannot help but to see this as the best possible essence of Monsieur Roudnitska: Femme Rochas-Diorella- LPdT synthesis. Since the original formulation is unavailable, all I can say for the current one is BRAVO, BRAVISSIMO!

Just came here to say this. Give it time. At first, I couldn't smell anything but faint ylang and then it was gone, or so it seemed, after 2 hours. I thought it was maybe best for spring and put it away. I tried it again a few weeks later when the autumn came and where did that hyper-realistic, overripe plum come from? Also present a juicy peach, patchouli, a hint of caraway and ylang-ylang (in the order of prominence). So beautiful! An old-school, high-quality, very organic-smelling, divine juice. I wouldn't call it a chypre as some suggest because it's an incredibly joyful scent full of light and no contrasting darkness. This is indeed the Dior heritage as history knows it. Lasts into the next day with good projection.

I love this. It's just a it smells so good, I want to smell it again scent for me. I never smelled the original one, this one does remind me a lot of original Diorella, just softer, gentler. I smell a lot of the jasmine, some citrus presumably the bergamot, and more flowers, maybe the lily of the valley, all grounded on a spicy-ness. A lot of those 70s fragrances which are long lasting and so yummy for so long on the skin seem to have caraway in their notes, it does interesting things to the jasmine. This reminds me a bit of a spring garden at twilight, blooming jasmine at the back and citrus trees filled with fruit and many other flowers also blooming and just a gentle breeze coming from it...

Such a beautiful classic. I ́ve finally discovered this gem. I am really surprised how good this is. According to the description it was supposed to be sweet but it isn ́t, it is fresh and delicate. I love it, I can even feel there a bit of Diorella vibe of course without lemon. Simply modern classic, very elegant.

I can’t comment on the vintage diorama, but this one smells lush: fruity, musky, spicy, and floral. There’s a funkiness to it that makes it even more special. If you like scents like Diorella, le parfum de Therese, and femme, you’ll love this one. Decent projection and lasting power.

I used to wear the original version in the early 80s. It wasn't something I would have chosen for myself, especially at my young age then, but it was given to me by my aunt who didn't care for it. I think I barely put a dent in that bottle but it is long gone, misplaced somewhere along the way. I haven't thought about it since that time until I recently stumbled across the review page for it here. Out of curiosity I decided to purchase another bottle of the new version to see how similar it was to the original, or if my memory of the perfume was the same. I also wanted to see if I would appreciate it more today than I did then. Immediately, my first impression is that it is unmistakably Diorama, with one major difference. I don't ever remember smelling cumin in the old bottle I had. This version has cumin in it. It is not offensive or as strong as in Femme, and lighter than Dolce Vita, but it is still unmistakably there. There might have been cumin in the original, but if there it was so lightly done and so well-blended I never noticed it and certainly don’t remember it. I also smell caraway, but just as in the original version it is lightly done. The old version gave off a beautiful silage that reminded me of a fine soap. This version has that same characteristic. This version seems lighter and not as complex though. Still, I'm very surprised how true to the original this is especially when considering how minimized the notes are now. Most other components of the fragrance seem the same to me, with the jasmine and ylang strongest to my nose. Even though fruit notes are listed I honestly didn't pick it up in either version except in a slightly sweet abstract way. In some respects I think I prefer this version more because it's lighter than the original, though it now lacks the same silage, longevity, and depth. Overall, I think this new version is a beautiful if somewhat unusual fragrance, but am honestly not sure if I will reach for it more now than I did in the past. At this point I think I need to explore this fragrance more.

Sweat! Clean Sweat!!! Okay, now I know this sounds crazy but hear me out. I am wearing this again and it reminds me of clean sweat. Like after you take a shower and then do a workout, or play tennis, or some other strenuous activity, and you finish and you're sweating your butt off. That clean sweat smell, mixed with the floral soap scent left on the skin, is how this smells to me. As if there were an animalic musk in this scent, yet musk is not listed in the notes. Crazy, but that's the overall impression I get. I have a feeling that was the original intention here. Of course, I smell a lot of the notes listed but just as some perfumes give you an impression, like Mitsouko gives me the impression of a serene time in the past, this is giving me the impression of clean sweat. Thought I wanted to return it but decided to give it more of a chance, though I'm still a little up in the air about it. At least it doesn't smell like dirty sweat, like Rochas Femme does to me. IDK, but I think I might like it after all, though am wondering how much I will use it in the long run.

A nice bit of perf actually! This is quite a personality perfume, one that says i don't follow, l dance to the beat of my own drum. It doesn't smell like anything I've ever had or tried before, l cant liken it to anything others probably can. Its Dior vintage kind of 1980's middle class lady smelling, flowers ylang ylang slightly salty and peppery and sharp but nicely done. It smells like white florals, fresh but not in a soapy way, its bright and cheerful rather than sultry and dark. The jasmine announces her presence quite forcefully in this one, l dont get the juicy fruits in this, l think the jasmine ylang and carraway is stomping all over them. Its a good one for Spring like someone else has mentioned, its dries down to a classy chic fragrance that smells clean and floral and has hints of patchouli which isn't massively overdone. It was a blind buy which l liked and have enjoyed having, but l dont think ill purchase it again though I'm happy for it to go into the perfume memory bank. I give this perfume a 8/10.

Not sure why my (second hand) bottle would be so weak..such an interesting scent otherwise. Curious, interesting. Diorella’s cousin, definitely. So interesting. Classic perfumery, complex. But so beguiling. I love the caraway jasmine bergamot combination. Cedar is coming through also, rendering it fairly dry as a result. This kind of perfumery is like with drinking wine, you have to have some experience to appreciate it. Refined taste, delicious, delicate, intricate flavours.

Diorama è un Kaleidoscopio di centinaia di sfaccettature diverse, prima è caldo, morbido, dolce, avvolgente, nel momento in cui pensi di esserti abituato a ciò, ecco che cambia di nuovo. E' un profumo in continuo mutamento, camaleontico, è come entrare in un bosco e ritrovarsi in un giardino, o essere in un deserto che nasconde un safari rinfrescante. Un altro capolavoro di Dior. <3

I wonder where people are smelling the sweetness ?! To me this is not sweet at all. You can feel the bergamont and the jasmin giving it a spicy white floral kick. This does have a vintage twist to it meaning spray with caution cause it can feel heady. This is not your sweet girly girl scent. The spices are very evident in the dry down so be aware when spraying dont go crazy

This fragrance perfectly encapsulates the vintage and elegant feeling of the 20s. This feeling is being proved by the strong presence of ylang-ylang, an aphrodisiac which is not a blind buy. You either love it, or find it outdated. I personally adore this, wish it was more accessible to this day.

Vintage white floral. Lovely. Very indolic, which I love but may not be for everyone. Sophisticated

old fashion but not boring scents. long-lasting with good sillage.

Too heavy on the white florals for my taste, especially in the opening. The mid and dry down are more tolerable, but still not to my liking. I was expecting more peach, and plum; I do get some peach, but no plum. If you like vintage florals, this is one you should try. It’s nice for what it is, I’m just not a fan of most floral fragrances, especially white florals.

Very heavy, fruity-sweet, opulent and heady. Vintage inspired, slightly soapy. I don't get much of Le Parfum de Therese resemblance. Too overwhelming for my taste.

That Roudnitska is a genius we already know. That you can buy his creations blindly is another truth. Obviously if you like his style which is elegant, refined, never too claimed, understated. This scent is a powerful mixture of every nuance which can be found in a perfume: there are flowers, citrus notes, powder, fruits, leather. All so well balanced that one might wonder how this could be possible by a human. I really wonder if Monsieur Roudnitska was only human. Wearing Diorama you have the impression of wearing Diorella (the citrus opening notes), Dior Dior (the exploding of flowers and honeysuckle coming from behind), Diorling (the powder and leather notes). The fruits is the new note, the innovation in this wonderful scent from the range of the other Dior's masterpieces I have listed here. Among the whole of Dior's range this is certainly the best creation in my opinion, it sums up what Dior used to be, what elegance was, what a classy woman anchored to the past but with her eyes to the future should wear. Incredible scent, just in between past and future, perfect if you love the vintage feel and the modern trend. Unbelievable.

I had been thinking for a while that I really should write a few words on this site about Diorama "in memoriam". Then I came across this "re-issue" - or is it a reformulation?. I wore Diorama EdT from the late sixties until it was discontinued. The happy bergamot was definitely there with the first one or two sprays, but Diorama quickly made sure that you were aware of its chypre, woody heart. Yes, there was a little lingering jasmine later on, but I can't say that I ever smelled a peach, a plum or a rose in it. A very little, even EdT, lasted a very long time, but like all the Diors it was not brash but complex and sophisticated. I kept an empty bottle for years and years afterwards. I am intrigued and would love to try this new Creation.

This is a really great perfume. Like all Roudnitska creations one gets a little bit of everything. They are at once spare and complex. As for Diorama, there is a air of famille, along with Diorella and Femme, but it is totally its own creation. As a man I feel quite confident wearing this even though it was made for women. It is totally unisex apart of the loud jasmine note in the beginning. I got this at Neiman Marcus for $102. Expensive, but I have to say worth it considering what a beautiful bottle it is. Also in comparison to the very expensive niche offerings, this is a bargain.

Comme je sais que je pourrai jamais avoir la chance de posséder la version originale parce que trop rare et trop chère de nos jours, je me suis offert celle-ci. Je n'ai jamais senti ce chef-d'oeuvre absolu de monsieur Roudnitska dans sa version originale mais j'aime bien celle-ci. Un très beau chypré fruité avec une belle note jasminé fruité et légèrement épicée. Tout comme le parfum, son nom est joliement abstrait.

So this must be what I tested in Saks today, this and Diorella. One was very herbal, this must be it. Neither made much of an impression, very lightweight fragrances, not much silliage or thrilling notes. I thought Dior carried both a "regular" version and a "Les Creations" versions, but these were all I saw. I'll have to search for the vintage versions, if I can find them, they must better than these.

Cumin is dominating the fragrance the more I use it. People tell me it is very spicy. So if you like to smell cumin this is the fragrance for you.

In between Diorella and Le Parfum de Thérèse with Femme de Rochas' spicy cumin note. It's like a retrospective of all Roudnitska's creations.

This is impossible to find. I wonder how many bottles were issued.