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.

EL PC: One of the GREATS of all time, place, & person. This juice is DIVINITY incarnate. This perfume is an absolute masterpiece! EL's webpage defines it as a "Lush Floral", & provides the following structure: TOP: Honeysuckle, Jasmine, Citrus MIDDLE (HEART): Orange Flower, Ylang-ylang, Coriander BASE: Sandalwood, Patchouli ? No mention in the description of the secret formula which yields the fresh-cut lawn, & earthy richness, that render this such a treasure of perfumery. Other reviewers report an indescribably true, perfectly balanced garden / floral- Meaning flowers, roots, dirt, earthy/earthworms & all. NO worries about cotton candy/ fruit punch / icky / sticky / gooey garbage here- PC is all old-school, world-class, REAL PERFUME !!! There is nothing quite like her- RICH, elegant, class. I notice reviewers lamenting that she's strong & lasts long, as if these are negative attributes! At $62 / 50 ml bottle, PC is neither super cheap, nor prohibitively costly. I wear perfume from toes to scalp... And, while she opens strong, PC very quickly (5-15 min's) settles into a rich, intoxicating, gentle frag, that lasts maybe 8-10 hours- And draws compliments every time I wear her! So, I'm humbled by El PC's cost / sillage & longevity ratio. I'm GLAD she goes on strong, & wears long! I applaud EL's continuation of this divine perfume. Also, she's year-round wearable- The warmth of a Sun-drenched Garden, yet the coolness of a stick digging in the dirt of a tree-canopied forest floor, lakeside- deep emerald green glacial lakeside in the Summer. I think this of this, as one of her (many) attributes that make her so "perfectly balanced". Although not inexpensive, she'd still be a bargain at half the size, & twice the price! This is a RICH perfume, that could easily be priced out of reach... Thank you to EL for offering her at a price-point, where many of us can find space in our budget for her- She's wearable wealth :) A true pleasure treasure! PC has a permanent place in my life-long frag. rotation. I'm that impossible to please b*tch, who rejects 99.9% of all sampled perfumes, men, & music (I am classic rock. It is my religion). Private Collection unexpectedly stunned me into a state of simple, indulged happiness- the art of perfumery, the reason we wear it. PC is to perfume, what Zep is to Rock. A religion. My religion. Yes, Led Zep & Private Collection are my religion, along with other Master's of the 'verse in their respective domains. If you haven't tried her, go to your local department store Lauder counter, & ask the SA to dig deep, & find the Private Collection. You may have to explain that "Private Collection" isn't a collection, but rather is the name of a revered perfume, among perfumista's in the know. If you can't find PC @ the Estee counter, small sample bottles are floating around eBay for $10 or so. I bought several fb's direct from Estee Lauder for $62, it was richly wrapped/packaged (along w/ a mini-sized Estee Lauder black mascara). This is one to stock up on, before she's changed or discontinued. (In my nightmares). I presently have only 6 or so bottles (which, btw, I could easily go through in a year)- I admit I do tend to spare / wear PC for special occasions. Yes, I keep her in the cool basement- I'm just SO afraid of discontinuation - Her primary market is aging. PC is ripe for re-discovery by a new generation of Women in their 20's, just starting careers and (finally!) having enough $$ to splurge on 1 or 2 must-have perfumes! (Remember when?) I was actually in my early 30's before I earned enough to spend this much on perfume. Sorry so long-winded! Private Collection is a divinely, earthy, green, floral, rich, elegant, perfectly balanced, wearable fragrance for Women of all ages, who love perfume!

I have had a large bottle of the Private Collection EDP in my refrigerator for years. I don't wear it too often; my best friend associates it with a problematic late ex-mother-in-law, and now I have the association, too. But when I wear it, which is maybe once every two or three months, if even that often, I'm impressed anew by its sophisticated and distinctive blend of the characteristic EL accords, as well as by its projection and longevity. (No wonder Ms. Lauder hoarded this fragrance all to herself! I would have done the same.) This smells a little bit like White Linen, a little bit like Estee, even a little bit of Sensuous (or perhaps Cinnabar, which I haven't tried yet), but mostly it just smells like a classic, perhaps THE classic, Estee Lauder concoction: assertive, aldehylic florals with generous citrus splashes (the bergamot is noticeable for me in the beginning), interesting and unexpected midnotes (the chrysanthemum that's reputed to smell like insect spray but is pleasant on my skin), and lovely lasting slightly soapy chypres. I hope I can smell the linden lingering from the top notes. I don't know if I'm imagining it, though; the scent of linden blossom is so beautiful and so evanescent, not unlike verbena in that way. At any rate, thumb's up for Private Collection. I'll probably keep this large refrigerated bottle until I die. It's too strong to wear anywhere you're likely to encounter a captive audience (the symphony or opera or ballet or anywhere with assigned seating I suppose), but I think it's a wonderful fragrance to wear at home or in small gatherings of people who don't get scent-triggered headaches. It lasts and lasts and lasts. Update: I'm wearing this today, and I'm admiring the green notes and the linden even more. This isn't technically a fougere, I suppose, but it works that way for me. When I wear it, I feel clean and sylvan, like some elegant manicured park in a refined and gracious city. If it contains pyrethrin, all the better! As the mosquitoes evolve to become resistant to the standard killers, maybe it's time to bring back some of the older repellents. It doesn't remind me at all of roach spray, but I haven't smelled any of that in a very long time, thank goodness! I'm really grateful that my late father-in-law was such an Estee Lauder partisan. Over the years, he gave his wife, daughter, and me a truly remarkable collection of fragrances. I think his mother might have worn this one, so I will think of her (and of his generosity) whenever I wear it instead of my best friend's problematic former MIL.

Stunning! I love perfumes like this, it is a complex mix of oh so many notes that you can see on here so l wont waffle on about all of them. My take on this is a fresh mossy bitter garden smell. I can smell freshly cut grass in this, it's bitter and mossy and sophisticated. All the women in my family wore this when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s so it's a comforting familiar smell to me. Now I'm mature I've bought myself a bottle and everytime l smell the fragrance l fall in love all over again. It doesn't surprise me that Estee had this made for her own private perfume collection as its so grown up and classy. It's woody and bitter and sharp and green l smell many green plants in this too and leaves, you know when you were young and you were in the streets playing with friends you would rip leaves off trees and bushes and play with them and break them up in your fingers and your fingertips would be green where the juice inside the leaf rubbed off on them? It would smell green & bitter but fresh and leafy, thats in this too, and its also a bit powdery in the dry down 3rd stage, not creamy, smooth, iris, baby powder, but french perfumed designer talcum powder that only really posh people own. (Its giving images of a rich beautiful french woman at her fabulous dressing table with lots of expensive products delicately dabbing herself with a posh powder puff looking at herself in the mirror getting ready for a decadent night out). I can also smell slight traces of Youth Dew in this too. I love this and am not surprised as Chanel no 19 is a firm mossy favourite of mine. That fragrance drips class and sophistication. It's true what others have said its a confidence booster, l feel classy expensive and unique when l wear it. I can almost guarantee that no other person l come across in life will be wearing it. I don't think many people know of it, just the oldies like me and even older generations. It projects well too, it's not nuclear but strong enough to be a bit of a beast. It lasts the day too. It's a beautiful fragrance, but not for the young, sweet, syrupy, bubblegum perfume lovers or first time perfumers it would be too bitter and green for them. I love the soapy stage in this too, it's subtle because there's alot going on in this fragrance but it's there, and I'm here for it. Private Collection you are a thing of chic vintage beauty in an ugly filthy modern world, and l will always appreciate you. I give this fragrance a 10/10.

The origin story is the argument. Private Collection was not created for the market. Estée Lauder wore it herself and kept it private — a fragrance made for the founder’s personal use that was only released publicly in 1973 when enough people asked what she was wearing that it became commercially irresistible. The name is therefore literal rather than aspirational. This was the woman’s private collection of a self, distilled into scent, and the decision to release it is itself a kind of vulnerability — an admission that what she wore when nobody was supposed to be paying attention was more interesting than anything she had put into production. The opening is galbanum and green — sharp, slightly resinous, the specific brightness of a leaf torn open rather than a flower held up for admiration. Honeysuckle, linden and orange blossom soften it in the top notes without eliminating the green character that defines the fragrance’s personality. The heart is Bulgarian rose, chrysanthemum, reseda, ylang-ylang and coriander — a floral complex that is simultaneously abundant and contained, the rose present without being romantic, the chrysanthemum adding a slightly austere, almost Japanese quality. The base is sandalwood, heliotrope, amber and musk — warm and rooted, the green sharpness of the opening having descended into something quieter by the time it settles. The community comparison is consistently to Chanel No. 19 — which arrived in 1970 and is the decade’s other great green chypre — and the comparison is structurally accurate. Both are green, both are serious, both wear in the register of a woman who does not explain herself. Private Collection is warmer than No. 19, slightly less austere in its green quality, less challenging to modern noses. Where No. 19 has the architectural coldness of a Karajan conductor, Private Collection has the warmth of a woman who knows the music by heart and plays it for herself. This is the fragrance Estée Lauder wore when she wasn’t performing. The performance was everything else she made. Private Collection is what she smelled like when she was only herself, which is why it belongs in a collection that wants to understand what the house was actually built on.

WoW, WoW, Wow! This is one Gorgeous, Fresh, and Well Blended Fragrance. I received this as a gift (for absolutely no reason) from my hubby last summer. He said, as soon as he smelled it, that it had my name written all over it. He nailed it. I couldn't ever pinpoint what notes were in it. It just smells Fantastic. However, there was this one slightly prominent intoxicating scent that I just couldn't figure out. Chrysanthemum.... Wow. Why isn't this used more often in perfüme? It's such a gorgeous, clean, green, and floral smell. I have to say, it works well all year but, in the Spring, Summer and Early Fall is best time to wear this. This is not over powering, but it isn't shy. This perfüme says "I Have Arrived", I'm strong, Educated, and Powerful, Classy woman! I can understand why many female executives and professional women wore this back in the day. Estée Laûder Private Collection was created by Estée for Estée Lauder Herself for personal use in 1972. She received so many compliments and requests for her private fragrance. Estée eventually made it for public production. So generous of her to share her personal favourite with the women of the world. Interestingly enough, it's such a classique scent that it doesn't smell dated/outdated. The really great thing, Like most Estée Lauder perfumes, it has some height in the Silage. It does last. The initial spray and first half hour is strong.. but gloriously so. After about two hours, the Chrysanthemum scent tones down, and the perfüme becomes softer even more well blended. Pretty much stays like that for the duration of the wear. I like to "touch up" every four hours or so. Because, I just love the first few hours of this perfüme.{Its the Chrysanthemum} So, I can't really give an accurate comment on the longevity. I can say, I get at least four-five good hours. I literally cannot stop sniffing my wrists when I wear this. I get a lot of "Wows", "Smells great", "Smells expensive" & "Clean" "Classy" comments when I wear this. *P.S. After not smelling for a while, when I take a whiff of the perfüme, It's so Devine that it makes my toes tingle.

I have for a long time particularly loved green scents - the best ones being lush, verdant scents that are almost tangible, evoking images of gardens and forests. Uplifting and whimsical, as well as being somehow grounding, such perfumes make me feel almost like a dryad or a forest fairy, and their notes tend to be realistic, so closely resembling nature that they almost feel alive. Private Collection is one such scent. I have a vintage miniature of the parfum, so the green effect is turned up - extra heady and wild, yet wearing fairly close to the skin. It reminds me of both 1940s and 90s Vent Vert - the gold standard of green perfume - and it is just as good. The green opening of PC is rich and symphonic. The green notes are dewy and sap-like, with lustrous galbanum adding texture. Damp and somewhat herbal greens emerge after a little while. Soft citrus notes complement the greens in the background, adding bright freshness. The overall effect is of a lush forest in early summer. The florals emerge as it develops, perfectly illustrating springtime growth. Wonderfully heady hyacinth leads the way, while powdery rose and jasmine form the backbone. Polleny honeysuckle, heliotrope and narcissus add countryside-esque interest, and the more unusual mignonette rounds it out, which, along with the ylang ylang, adds sweetness. Juicy pear is detectable, and is an inspired and unexpected addition here. The greenery remains, complementing the florals perfectly. PC moves to chypre territory as it dries down, with beautiful oakmoss and woody notes rounding it out. Patchouli adds earthiness, and the overall effect is of the forest floor, with twigs and moss underfoot. Despite its verdant richness, PC manages to remain bright and wonderfully soapy throughout. Sillage is moderate, and longevity is long-lasting. Feminine-leaning, but could today be worn by a man. Full bottle worthy if the current version measures up. Exceptional green floral chypre. No wonder Estée Lauder wanted to keep this one to herself. The Garden of Eden in full bloom. 5/5.

I had the stupid feeling that it is no longer found in retail stores, but today, surprise I have seen it in a duty free shop. Well, the big surprise was that I entered a duty free actually, because I don't usually do that, so can we call it destiny. For me it's the same as I remember it, maybe slightly more powdery and creamy, but the total felling it's the same. A beautiful beautiful fragrances, clearly the signature of the American mogul back when she was alive. It's a costume scent, green and powerful, slightly floral, but more a petals water feeling, citrus fruits feel but are not dominant even at the beginning, the green notes are the ones that open the composition, and then continue it together with the narcissus which is predominant among the flowers, and base with oakmoss, coriander and musk come in equation even until the middle notes fade. It's a smell hard to describe in words, but it reminds me of the European-style fountains at the mountain resorts, not those of white marble artificially lit and with chlorine as in the American way, those we find in front of mountain resorts in Germany for example, made of broken mountain stone, with very little treated water, with muscles grown on the edges, with white lotus flowers and tall hanging plants on the stones surfaces. That combination of wet flowers, rain green water, moss, and wet stones in cold mountain breeze, that what P C reminds me of. I don't see this perfume worn other than in an impeccable suite, blazer, pants, oxford or kitten heel and a long suede coat over it, and even like this I can't view this perfume in a city like New York or Tokyo or LA, no, it's a scent of central London on a rainy day, on the boulevard in front of the German Parliament in spring time, in front of the royal palace in Oslo, things like that. To me it's the perfect scent for someone who's a diplomat, a chancellor of a royal house, protocol officer, a secretary of state maybe. It's not a perfume who let you play with, shouts sobriety and respect.

Review for "Parfum Cologne Spray" of unknown manufacture date... Smelling perfumes like this make me wish I'd grown up in the 70's instead of being a Gen X'er that only got to be born in the 70's. Perfumes like Private Collection will never come back in style, partly because of tastes (I simply cannot see us going from sugary sweet fragrances that remind us of our favorite fresh-scented shampoo to this) and partly because the ingredients can no longer be sourced or used legally, and partly because I know that the quality of perfume has simply become cheapened over the years. Anyway, this bottle of Private Collection is green, resinous, and bitter, a green stampede of moss and soil and earth found deep in a forest. Yes it is floral, in a tangential way that is buried under the green notes, and the flowers only come out slowly as the perfume wears, mostly a rosey hyacinth type to my nose. This smells so layered and complex, it gives the wearer an untouchable shroud of mystery that the current Chanel no 19 wishes it had. The bottom is a green powdery herbal dusting with lots of woods. You have to like galbanum, green notes, and bittersweet perfumes to like this. I love the sweetness of the flowers blended with the bitterness of the resins and green notes here. After the initial topnotes wear down, PC wears very politely--it's not really an in-your-face type of perfume, but it has good longevity. The perfect combination for me.

Crisp Green Garden Florals with Vintage Vibes... Opens with a burst of crisp & slightly crunchy green garden florals with clean, citrus, bitter, fresh & powdery facets, that meld into the floral heart with velvety, sweet, soapy, mossy & powdery facets, all resting on musky mossy-woody base. There's a lot going on, but overall I get a vintage garden floral vibe of crisp greens over powdery sweet soap. Well above average performance. Overall: well above average performance, and a beautiful crispy-green, vintage garden-floral. What would you wear for a 'glam-garden' vibe? It's a love for me. 10/10 for a vintage green-floral. Enjoy! Update 07/18/24: I confess I was a little scared to spray this on today, not being sure how it would be in the heat, but one spray to the back of my right hand and I'm so glad I did. It's gotten sweeter with honeysuckle more forward than before, and so deliciously crisp & green. The green herbal bitter mossiness reads for me like cool & crisp early morning garden greenery. The accidental snap of a wayward stalk beneath your feet, the hiss of leaves too taut to bend into each other in the cool early morning mist. And after the opening, the soft & gentle sanctuary of a dappled garden screened from the heat. Delightful. Still a love.

I'm in my 30's and this fragrance was a blind buy after reading some reviews. I was a bit nervous because it is a classic scent from the 1970's and the notion of smelling like my grandmother was a little disconcerting. My fears were completely unfounded. This is a rich scent; one or two sprays are sufficient. The initial notes are a very crisp but wholly natural green, much like fresh cut flowers or a recently mowed law. Very clean and just beautiful. This mellowed out into more of a gentle green floral with hints of sandalwood. It did not smell dated or grandmotherly on me. It smelled confident and sumptuous. I would call this a career fragrance, less a date fragrance but it can be used day and night. It is also long lasting without being obtrusive (if applied delicately). The most surprising aspect to this scent is the quality. I've worn a lot of high end fragrances and this one has the feel of luxury. Wearing it makes me feel like I'm getting an enormous bargain. I imagine this works differently on different people and it is very much a personality fragrance. It's not something light that works on almost everyone. Your personality needs to jive with this scent otherwise it will smell (and likely feel) awkward.

Very beautiful, lush, soapy scent, full on floral and it won't disappoint you! Complex yet linear but with an excellent blend. It's one of those perfumes (along with 24 Hermes Fauburg) that smell expensive. I must admit that I had a little hard time understanding the majority of the notes. Chrysanthemum is a new note to my nose, and if that is how it smells, then the mainstream perfumery must be ashamed for not using it more. I cannot elaborate on hyacinth and narcissus, but I can tell you that the floral notes variate, so the perfume is not monotonous. The green is quite prevalent and the oakmoss too. Surprisingly though it is a very balanced green scent and not only green-herbal, from which young women stay away from nowadays. So if you had "bad experiences" with sharp green scents, do give a chance to Private Collection. To my nose it's a perfect balanced blend between florals and green notes with a chypre base. Very creative and distinct. Rather springy and summery. Long lasting and projects very well A yes from me

OH My Private Collection what fond memories together we have had all through the 80s til now. My Floral green chypre spicy full of joy and happiness! I'm so happy for all you've given to me. I prayed that they never discontinue this glorious perfume. Ms Lauder had wore this beauty before releasing to public it was her secret perfume after 30 years of wearing it now I wonder why and I'm grateful she decided to release it to the public. But now after all these years they've discontinued the original. Private Collection will always be my most intimate and memorable fragrance I've had the pleasure of wearing and not to mention I'm a Guy! It only came in 3 forms the pure parfum, parfum cologne and pure fragrance. The Parfum Cologne and The Pure Fragrance were practically the same concentration and believe me I went through several bottles over the years. The Notes were simply gorgeous Chrysanthemum Reseda Honeysuckle and green notes with Oakmoss, Linden blossom. #Heaven #Ethereal

A scent of solitary sorrow, Estee Lauder's Private Collection is perfume of private grief and almost immeasurable melancholy. It takes a green note and makes of it a chord of pure blue. Marrying nettles and lawn grass with oak moss and earth to achieve a cool, reserved opening of remarkable detached intensity. What follows is a wall of floral sound. Most distinct within it the voice of the greenest flower: chrysanthemum. And whilst this is mellowed in time with roses and hyacinth and perhaps a little jasmine, one is never too far away from stalks and leaves and thorns. As though the scent senses that all might be about to topple over into melodrama, it seems quite suddenly to steady itself. Well into dry down it dabs the tears from its eyes and composes a dignified departure of wood, spice and a little musk that feels like dust. A forbidding but inevitable and immense journey that will ultimately be taken by men and women alike.

I just received a mini of vintage PC today. The opening is so incredibly green and has a gorgeous linden note. It smells like a florist shop. This is what I imagined Antonia's Flowers to smell like. The heart is all daffodil and crysanthemum, two unconventionally beautiful smelling flowers that I love the smell of. After about an hour and a half there is a slight spiciness from the coriander. The drydown on my skin has a hint of smoky vetiver in it but it's not listed in the notes. Maybe what I'm smelling is actually oakmoss. The perfume at 2 hours on reminds me very much of Ivoire de Balmain with it's asafoetida and artemesia. By the 5th hour it's a very close skin scent on me. Such an strangely beautiful perfume and appropriate for all seasons. edit: Whatever strength my little mini is becomes a skin scent at about 5 hours. Last week I received a bottle of Pure Fragrance Spray which is much richer and lasts much longer.

Private Collection was my mom's signature throughout the 80's. She was a serious and respected professional in her field, but the kindest most soft spoken personality one could ever imagine. I see this miraculously harmonious dichotomy in Private Collection. It has no-nonsense classic green herbal/flowers crowned by cut grass, but the whole composition is shaded and enveloped by mysterious sunlight pouring through tinted glass, which warms it and gives it the most relaxing and reassuring sensibility. The texture is velvet. It's like looking out onto a verdant field from the window of an airplane. It's a kiss on the cheek as your gorgeous mother leaves you with the babysitter for the evening. It is so well blended that it defies description. The green and the warmth don't mix, but they do intertwine in the most elegant embrace. It's the heart-felt gesture which signals, "goodbye."

While Private Collection has been one of my favourite fragrances for a long time now, I have never felt compelled to review it... Until now. Just like a garment you reserve for special occasions and those rare moments of majesty when time stands still and everything is precisely as it should be. Private Collection is just my moment of majesty. Much has been said about the masterful composition of PV; the sharp green opening that transports you to a freshly mowed lawn or a dusky field in the throes of a storm. But it is the soft, powdery heart and delicious floral drydown that wields the magic for me. Bluebellinthewoods’s advice to “wear it and imagine the view from your yacht” is spot on. I smell this and think of class, wit and elegance. This is a very intelligent perfume that transcends modern notions of trend, beauty or fashion. It is timeless.

Another of the timeless floral classics. It's such a classy scent. It reminds me of my grandmother who was the classiest woman I ever knew. I don't even think she wore perfume. She was very poor and for most of her life lived in a hut with a dirt floor and cracks in the walls. But this woman exuded class. She might have one dress, but that dress was always pressed and clean and tidy. Most important, this tiny lady walked like she was 6 foot tall! That's what this scent reminds me of. Class without any need to flaunt or be excessive. Class from the inside. To me, there's definitely a leather note in this that isn't listed, but that's normal with these classic scents which often. Smelled leathery with the oakmoss and floral combinations. No need to list leather, because everyone knew that's how those combinations smelled! :) Positively perfect.

All roads led back to Private Collection on my search for the perfect green floral. I like vintage Aliage and modern Azuree, so I figured it deserved a shot. I couldn’t have predicted that I’d like it this much! Sharp green opening settles into the prettiest powdery spring bouquet. I don’t yet have the expertise or the vocabulary to describe what I’m smelling here, but it’s gorgeous - a very well-blended fragrance. You know it’s good when you can’t stop smushing your nose against your wrist and inhaling as deeply as your lungs will let you. When people discuss the idea of perfume as art, this had better be included in the conversation... it’s a masterpiece! A solid blind buy for any vintage chypre lover, I believe, though I’d recommend a sample to anyone and everyone willing to give it a chance. It’s that good!

ChristopherB:I could not agree with you more. Private Collection was my mother's signature for decades, and when she finally ran out of the last of her supply, she purchased it from Macy's only to discover that it had been horribly reformulated. She told me she was pretty sure that Macy's had been infiltrated by fakes, but I eventually convinced her that a horrid reformulation was a much more likely scenario. Either way, she refuses to wear it now, and gave her reformulated bottle to me. People frequently complain about Shalimar and Mitsouko being reformulated, but Private Collection often gets overlooked when discussions of this phenomenon arise. Like the other classics, Private Collection too has fallen victim to the fate of a ghastly reformulation. So it goes...