Velvet Sicily

This is gorgeous! I can't believe how wearable Velvet Sicily has become. Years ago, when I was in college and the original Sicily came out, I found it overbearing and too much. My colleague wore this and this was a room filler (unless she was an oversprayer). Today, after 20 years of separation, I opened the latest version of Velvet Sicily. It arrived on one of the coldest days of the year, the bottle left outside overnight in sub zero temps. I refused to spray it after bringing it in, knowing it was not going to feature the notes the way it should. So I let it sit 24 hours. Was planning on a couple days but I was on pins and needles to get my nose on this. Now the scent: sun warmed, laundered sheets, drying in the breeze. (thank you to whoever painted that picture) Warmth. Rays of lights. Hints of warmed florals. Clean feeling (but not a 'clean' scent, if you will). Beautifully balanced. I'm not picking up on the banana note, and maybe it will pronounce itself after a few more days of sitting or when worn on a hot day. I also don't feel this is has big sillage. 3 sprays and moderate. I'll wear more and update. There is also a pronounced difference between the blotter and skin. The wood (I guess sandalwood) is much more pronounced on the blotter and the creaminess is subdued. However, this scent just shines on the skin. You know how there are some scents that do better in the air? Well, this is beautiful in the air but utterly divine when you get your nose close to your skin. Another observation. On the skin, this feels creamy. When sprayed on clothes, this feels more powdery. Others have mentioned how this feels retro. Maybe??? I understand there were loads of aldehydes in the original Sicily. Here, if they are still being used, I find them to be very friendly. I do feel that Velvet Sicily has been modernized a bit; it feel more airy than Sicily. I prefer it this way. Maybe since I've been testing some classics recently, I was expecting it to be more difficult to wear but I'm just finding this scent to encapsulate joy. I'm so lucky to have found this scent after years away. She will be a treasured gem in my collection.

I own the original Sicily and really like it a lot. It can be a bit overwhelming at times and I have to be in the right mood to wear it, but I do enjoy wearing it when the mood strikes me. Comparing Velvet Sicily to the Original and I think I like Velvet more. Velvet Sicily is a good name for this because while it keeps a lot of the same characteristics of the original, but it is softer, much smoother around the edges. The original is very high pitched. Velvet is like taking the original and putting it through a gentle filter. The banana note is missing here which I am sure many are not happy about that. From what I understand banana is highly volatile and probably makes shipping the perfume around the world a bit dangerous, I don't know. Another thing here is that the original has a strong 80's type of hairspray vibe going on, again I have to be in the right mood to wear it. With Velvet that is gone. I enjoy the soft heliotrope here, the aldehydes that are not as high pitched. This perfume is like a veil of the highest quality. It surrounds you in beauty giving you a mysterious allure. There is the smell of freshly laundered women's undergarments. This woman uses the highest quality soap that is gentle, clean but w/ a slight animalic quality. What good quality soap always has been, not like the horrid cheap smelling laundry detergent that is used by many today, and many perfume smell like, looking at you Narciso R. I am also getting a bit of an almond pastry smell as if in the distance a bakery has just pulled something delicious out of the oven and that smell combines w/ freshly washed silks and satins. I really miss perfumes like this, and I wish more designers would stop pulling beauties like these off of the store shelves. Velvet Sicily is womanly, sophisticated, sensual but wearable for every day. A signature perfume. Simply Beautiful.

Tried this one several times on skin, the impression was excellent. I don't remember the original version very well because it was long time ago, but I'd say it's very recognizable as Sicily. The aldehydes have been drastically toned down and they only last the very first minutes. It starts with a soapy note and although in the pyramid there is neither the banana nor the fig note I can smell both of them for a while, perhaps reconstructed mixing the heliotrope with something else. In the dry down, the creamy note takes over - probably jasmine and heliotrope and other white flowers - and only occasionally does the luxurious note of soap appears again. The scent has an interesting evolution, an olfactory journey that recalls that of the bathing experience, starting with lathering the skin with a creamy foam and then moisturizing it with a delicate and soft cream. It is a clean, absolutely not sweet, very feminine and sensual fragrance. I'm sure this perfume contains many more notes than what are in the pyramid. In fact the soapy notes to me vaguely smell of orange blossom and honeysuckle and the creaminess seems to come from much more than just jasmine It is a gorgeous fragrance and absolutely my taste, the only thing I really don't like is the extremely inflated price, not justified considering that it is not really a niche scent and that the longevity is quite average: after four full sprays on my neck, I could barely smell it after 4 hours. Someone said that it was introduced in the Velvet collection because it is a very particular fragrance, which only some people will appreciate, instead I believe that, as it is now, it is quite mainstream and therefore should have been introduced on the market in D&G's more commercial line at much lower price. In that case I would have definitely bought it.

I have been craving Sicily since I dropped my bottle on the bathroom floor 5 years ago. The reasonably priced bottles on eBay get snapped up fast (a lesson I learned too late, unfortunately) and I was SO close to winning an auction on a lotion, shower gel, perfume set, but was outbid at the very last second. So when I found a reasonably priced bottle of Sicily 2.0 on eBay, I didn’t think, I just instantly added to cart. The two weeks delivery time from the UAE was agonising, but totally worth it when my prize finally arrived. I paid US$286 including postage (which was pretty pricey in itself) for the 150ml bottle and I have no regrets. I wondered how it would compare to my beloved original Sicily, but I’m pleased to say it’s pretty darn close. I bought some original Sicily minis online to hold me over until I could find a full bottle from a reasonable seller so I can do the side by side comparison and I’m pleased and relieved that D&G stayed faithful to the original magic of the fragrance. I don’t get lemon tarts or freshly dried laundry (my god, how I wish my laundry smelled like this!). What I do smell is the most heavenly clean, warm smelling scent. Creamy florals, mellow musk and a hint of nutmeg (which is one of my favourite fragrance notes). Sicily can be worn anytime, all seasons, all occasions. If I had to choose only one perfume to wear for the rest of my life, Sicily and Chanel No 5 would tie for top honours. I’m so glad I have the big bottle so I can apply liberally (even though projection is quite good!) and just relish the beauty of this magic elixir. Hopefully by the time I need to worry about replacing this bottle D&G might reintroduce Sicily to their mainstream collection so everyone can enjoy it again at a decent price.

I vaguely remember the original when it came out 20 years ago and when I saw the new Velvet version I was intrigued. I remember liking the banana custard-y uniqueness of the original so I decided to blind buy Velvet Sicily. Maybe not a true blind buy, but a one eye closed purchase. So this review can't be a true comparison of the two, but simply my opinion of Velvet Sicily. I do like a good bergamot, neroli, orange blossom type scent as I own Bottega Veneta Knot, the excellent Knot Absolu, Hermes 24 Fourbourg, Terry di Gunzberg Lumiere D'Espices and Hermes Dora Neroli. Sicily isn't a neroli based fragrance, but it does have a bright, lemony floral aspect to it. I detect no banana in this, which is a bummer, but the musk and sandalwood does give this a slight vanilla type spiciness that I really like, I only wished this part was a bit stronger. But I do detect a faint creamy custard in here somewhere. The heliotrope and rose gives this a slight flowery feel but it is not overly strong or sweet. All in all, a well rounded spicy floral that quite unisex on me, however the projection and longevity is about average. Due to the purpleness of the heilotrope and the hint of vanilla, this could be a distant cousin to Chloe, Love Intense which is almost impossible to find. Recently I have been seeing Velvet Sicily pop up at discounters so if anyone sees this for around $150 I'd say grab it. This is one of my new favorites.

Okay, this is Sicily all right! This was my signature for years and years, and I still have a few bottles that I use very sparingly, because no other perfume feels so perfectly 'me'. I was a bit worried that it would be too different, but it is not, it is definitely Sicily. I feel like the top notes are different though, the first 20 minutes feel a little soft, less sparkly, maybe even a little bit flat compared to the original. But after that, the scent starts to warm up and become rounder, sweeter, deeper - yes, this is Sicily. I still think it is strange that this would be sold for about 4-5x what it used to cost - but oh well, even the original one is now superexpensive...

Smell is ever so slightly different from the way I remember the original but still this is instantly recognizable. Yes ladies (and gents) this is the Sicily we loved. Beautiful, memorable, recognizable. Very long lasting, a bit sweeter and leaning feminine in the middle but the dry down to me is very unisex and reminiscent of gaultier’s Fleur du Male. Note that stood out mostly to me is the heliotrope. The people that loved the original Sicily, myself included, will be over the moon with this re issue. I probably will have to save some money and treat myself at some point. Now can we please have a re issue of the original red cap- pour femme version? thank you!

I remember sampling Sicily years ago but never owned it so can't really compare it to the original. This version opens with a beautiful bergamot which is isn't zingy and fresh but like a lemon cream pie. It's then followed by a mix of sunny smelling florals which are given a soapy quality from the aldehydes. It's not overly powdery but has a classic, vintage feel which manages to still feel current and quintessentially Italian in style. It's got good tenacity but stays quite close to the skin, all drying down to eventually leave you smelling like you washed in a lovely citrus and sandalwood soap. Beautiful. Timeless.

This is definitely Sicily but a more polished version...they went easy on the banana custard note obviously but it’s still classy and unique comparing with all the other generic D&G current fragrances. It’s not as long lasting as the old version to be totally honest but it’s pretty good, though the bottle and the velvet case is definitely an upgrade, hint the high price tag. Though to get a vintage bottle from eBay it’s even more. Here in UK it can be purchased from lookfantastic’s website and they always have at least 15-20% off discount on the brand. Also they accept clearpay so will be more reasonable.

I used to have the original one several years ago. I gave it to a colleague who after smelling it was raving about it. Now that I know it is available I will be purchasing it. It is a little bit expensive, I know where to find it for less. I cannot wait to wear this again. 09/04/19 I just ordered this, I can't wait to try it to see if it is the same lovely fragrance I had a few years ago. Stay tune! Edit - I received this today along with all the other seven bottles of fragrances I ordered. I am on cloud 9 tonight.

This must be how paradise smells like. I should not have tried this on...so expensive and hard to find but definitely worth the price tag compared to so many niche perfumes in the same price range. Edit: Unfortunately within two hours the scent is just barely noticeable. For the first hour and a half though, the banana and honeysuckle are pure bliss. Maybe it projects better in warm weather. For now, at around 4-5 °C, it cannot bloom. New Edit: I’ve bought and tested it in Mediterranean climate zone : pure bliss!

I finally smelled this today here in Milan. I used to own the original Sicily and really missed that beautiful clean, soapy, banana smell of it. It just brings so many memories to me, and I lived in Italy my whole life. To me, the new version of it is just unfortunately veeeery expensive, but really identical (based on my memories) to the original. But, the million bucks question is... how on Earth can two fragrances be identical to each other but the notes are completely different on this website?

Confirmed by the girl assistant from my Dolce&Gabbana, She went to a training and they explained that is exactly the same. Is a fragrance very important for the designers, they contribuited with all their heart in all first Sicily proyect, so they wanted to bring it back. It couldn’t be commercial wideable as marketing is more strict and needs higher sales objectives and Sicily is not a mass appeal... that’s why owns into Velvet collection.

It is exactly the same 2003 Sicily, despite notes as Banana or Aldehyde are not mentioned, I think (the same) because merchandising purpose, are very noticeable. A great and clever idea by Dolce&Gabbana to create it again. One of the few relaunch truly identical as the original. Marvellous fragrance, unique combination, real womanly and assertive. Bravo!, really thanks for bringing us this masterpiece back!!.

Yes, it is, as I mentioned before some notes are not revealed in many cases just because marketing strategies. For example in lately creations, aldehydes is a note which is often not showed in public pyramid notes to us... Maybe is because some are scared with only reading the word and “out of sight, out of mind”.

One of my favorites in my collection--I had to track down a bottle on eBay a couple of years ago, and it was expensive. My jaw just hit the ground when I spotted tester bottles on Jomashop last night (4-4-24) for $69.99! Run, don't walk, to take advantage of that deal!

It's a very sexy and mature scent. The two words I would use to describe it are: banana oud. I have my eye on it for when I get older and want a more mature scent. I've never smelled the original but the velvet is rich, sexy, and mature.

This is my new signature scent! Velvet Sicily smells absolutely divine - it's soft and powdery, but with a beautiful floral sweetness from the jasmine and black rose. It lasts all day and I get so many compliments whenever I wear it.

The OG Sicily was my favourite of all time, and this one comes pretty close based on memory. I miss the banana opening and a warmer undertone (the nutmeg?), but Velvet Sicily scratches the itch.

You’re reclined in a gorgeous bath, in an Italian villa with the smell of lemon trees, hang-drying linens and the local pasticceria wafting in through your open terrace doors. I adore it.