Eau de Private Collection

(Comparison of the Parfum Cologne Spray (EdP), referred to as PC below, and Parfum Spray (extrait), referred to as PS below, both c. 1990) Something about Vincent Marcello has always intrigued me more than any other perfumer. It’s certainly to do with him being an enigma in his time almost as much as he is now (presumably he’s long passed). Incredible talent, rakish good looks, and, as far as we are aware - which must be emphasized, he only signed three perfumes, but they are three legends, and all three sit very highly on my list of all time favorites. (Four if you count the Halston twins separately, but even his involvement in both is dubious). One of them was Private Collection, but we the masses very nearly didn’t get the chance to experience it. This incredible nose signed a perfume that was intended to be solely for Estee Lauder’s personal use, for her private collection, and thusly its name when she was finally persuaded to release it commercially, if the story is to be believed. Imagine that? - Being a perfumer of his talent that only publicly signed three perfumes, one of which wasn’t going to be public at all? - Was this actually his career? - How could you make a career of three perfumes? - Or was he just an absurdly gifted hobbyist? Color me intrigued, very intrigued, by this character. One day I’ll put in some real investigative effort to reach out to those who know better, but for today I am enjoying the company of “two different concentrations” of Private Collection. Estee Lauder’s penchant for odd concentration-naming conventions considered, there is not much of a difference between both of these and it shows. There are a couple marked differences but that’s it. PC’s opening is super green galbanum and sharp hyacinth made a pale green color rather than neon green; the cold white floral facet of hyacinth adding white to the green of galbanum. PS is full-on neon electric green. The hyacinth and galbanum are sharp and vivid, fully leaning into the green character, and notably richer and saturated compared to the PC. Rather quickly in both a very delicate and sweet narcissus and rose combo slowly blooms from underneath, which is more apparent in the PS. This combo lying just underneath the vivid greens and whites is a bit fruity-floral-honeyed, and heart-wrenchingly gorgeous. The heart layer shifts the focus solely on the hyacinth, narcissus, and rose, with PS being noticeably headier, and a touch sweeter by really pushing the narcissus. The floral hearts of both don’t shy away from the muskiness of any of the floral notes. After this layer dispenses in both, which very nearly happens in the same timeframe, they both swell with oakmoss and musks, and are gently touched with sandalwood. There they stay for the rest of their very long lives on skin. PS goes slightly darker and deeper by emphasizing the balsams a bit more but this could be forgivably missed. Allow me a moment to nerd-out on a little detail: the PS, Parfum (Extrait) Spray, has one of the best atomizers I have ever used. A very gentle and very tiny push releases the perfume for nearly two full seconds, creating an ultra fine mist that superiorly and evenly coats my skin. This is one of the little things that made Estee Lauder great in these days. With their mandate of making beautiful perfumes affordable to all, they knew that the working class was not going to put up with dodgy atomizers, like the bourgeoise-buying-French would, when they are spending their hard earned dollars on a luxury item, especially a more expensive one like an extrait, so they made sure it worked flawlessly. Ok, thank you for that, now back to the Parfum Cologne and the Parfum. Well, actually, what more do I want to say? I don’t know. Flawless, perhaps? Maybe the best perfume to come out of the 70s? As far as the classic greens of the 70s go, I am a No. 19 devotee; she will have my unconditional and enduring love for the entirety of my life, but Private Collection tempts adultery. I can see why Estee Lauder didn’t want to share this with anyone. I can easily be the jealous type too.

I'm wearing the original Private Collection on my left wrist and Eau de Private Collection on my right wrist. The top notes and middle notes are exactly the same to my untrained nose, but the new one, the Eau de Private Collection, has had the base notes changed, they are very faint and cold. The old discontinued Private Collection is warm, sexy and delightful, while staying true to its floral greenness. The new Eau de Private Collection is very pretty, and I will be wearing it to the office and out and about. I needed more day fragrances so I don't regret buying it, but I'm going to try to get my hands on a full bottle of the old stuff (I just have a small sample bottle with a push plug). edited to add, the new version the top notes last much longer, a long-lasting floral green with the citrus still present, while the old version mellows down to a well-blended perfume. last edit, the old version is barely there, after a few hours. Maybe that's the nature of vintage perfume? The new version's drydown is finally here, and while the base notes are fainter than the old version in proportion, they are there. Or maybe the old version had lost more of its top notes due to age? The new version's base notes are a just a tiny bit patchouli, where I could not detect any separate patchouli in the old version. Probably had to reformulate those due to restrictions. Still nice though, better than I was expecting, and still fine for the office. Also I'm realizing my old version was the perfume, not the "Pure Fragrance Spray". I probably should just delete this post, but leaving it up in case others are as confused as I am about the different versions.

Eau de Private Collection Spray is a bold, vintage floral that really makes an entrance. The opening is strong and dense—very floral with a green and citrusy sharpness that screams old-school elegance. It has that unmistakable “perfume of the past” vibe, the kind you’d imagine women from the ’70s or ’80s wearing with confidence. At first, it can feel overpowering—even dizzying—but once it starts to settle, it becomes smoother, softer, and surprisingly comforting. The richness fades into something more refined, and the floral notes mellow out beautifully. As it dries down, there’s this spicy kick from coriander, blending seamlessly with earthy patchouli, giving it more dimension and even a bit of a unisex vibe. It’s bold, classy, and has that vintage luxury feel that’s so rare in today’s modern perfumes. It honestly smells like something you’d find in your elegant grandmother’s vanity, but in the best possible way—nostalgic, opulent, and totally unique. This isn’t your daily spray-and-go kind of scent. It’s for moments when you want to stand out, leave a strong impression, and wrap yourself in something that feels like a statement from a different era.

I've compared the vintage Private Collection to this and layered them both together and can safely say that the differences really aren't huge. This one is definitely more citrusy, and also has way less mossiness but apart from that you have a very similar scent. Both have that Spring magic that's impossible to shake. I must also add that Eau de Private Collection has spectacular longevity... 20 hours longevity, on my skin, to be exact. The corriander in this is absolutely bonkers and I love it, it really goes well with the citrus rinds (I'm guessing bergamot and lime). The drydown has the blend of green notes and citruses and a little bit of sandalwood. I don't really detect much patchouli, but it is there. The jasmine and honeysuckle really even it out. There's something insane about this fragrance that makes it absolutely perfect. However, there is one downside... if you spray it in the wrong conditions, it can smell a tiny bit like rusty metal and that's pretty unpleasant. I sold the first bottle of the modern formulation because I thought it would always smell like that but have since realised that's not the case.

For a looong time this languished on my to try list and finally last summer I stopped by a local shop. My then 4 year old exclaimed “YUM! Salad!” It smelled lovely, but I had a small flacon of vintage Silences I was working on and this didn’t feel like a priority. After an intensive year of sniffs, samples, travelers, fbs, declutters, impulse and well-researched buys, falling in love with No. 19 and Silences, feeling meh about Scherrer, and so on, suddenly I needed to have this. Every time I spray it I think “YUM! Salad!” and it IS so deliciously vegetal, a gorgeously elegant, all natural beauty with a stunning floral top — all right from your very own organic garden. Beautiful projection, still learning the longevity. No one flower outshines the other; this is old school perfumery blending. But it’s just what I needed right now as the weather is pushing toward longer, lighter days and the full bloom of late spring. The whole “private collection” business? It’s fun to play along! And I can just envision Estée glamming it up with this scent trailing behind her.