Sable Fume

Evoking the delicate whispers of sand blowing in a trade wind, 'Sable Fumé' relies upon the mysterious qualities of iris concrete. Here it is the smokier qualities of the orris which are the focus of the fragrance. Radiant pink pepper expertly counterbalances the earthy iris with its spicy facets and begins things brightly. What follows is a generous blending of incense and resins (most notably frankincense) which are paired with a beautiful suede note, perfectly amplifying iris's deeper more leathery tones. Benzoin and white resins offer a slight mineral accord which is sparkling and reminded me of shimmering grains of sand. Ambroxan grounds the fragrance in a warm inner glow of ambergris-like scent. As an "eau de parfum" concentration, both sillage and longevity are above average. Of the two fragrances included in this collection by Armani /Privé, I believe 'Sable Fumé' leans more masculine although may still be easily considered unisex. Although perfect for year round wearing, I find it to be especially elegant for use in autumn and winter. Given its considerable price tag, one may want to reserve its use for special occasions only. It is sure to leave an indelible footprint in anyone's mind who has a chance to smell it. Luxurious, mysterious, and highly sensual, there are only 1,000 bottles in existence, making it the height of couture perfumery. One should expect nothing less of Armani / Privé. Mine is 750/1000 Read my complete review at my personal fragrance blog

It's silly to write about Or but not Fume, so here's the deal: If you are one of the lucky ones where Van Cleef & Arpels's Bois d'Iris doesn't dry down stickily vanillic on your skin you can assume you have a bottle of Sable Fume. Fume opens very fresh with a hint of pepper leaning masculine. Shortly onwards the orris root and incense apper, giving away the "sour" (not in a bad way) incense note my nose registered as the signature of Bois d'Iris. And there's even that driftwood smell! Fume however doesn't contain vanilla, and its sweetness mostly come from amber and ambroxan mixed with a dash of salt, hence its similarity to the driftwood note in Bois d'Iris. I didn't feel much suede at all, and was quite surprised that Fume lists it as a note but Or doesn't. Or smells much more leathery to me. Like Or this is a quiet perfume. Decent longevity but projection is subdued. Given the line of Armani Prive's image I'm not surprised about this at all. Fume is a decent perfume, but still too overpriced compared to the VC&A alternative.

Very different from Sable Or, Fume' is a relatively simple and modern ambroxan and orris combo with none of the treacly sweet vanilla and tonka that I dread and do my best to avoid. In fact, this immediately reminded me of Escentric 02 with less of the synthetic extra-ness of iso E super. Just like E2, Sable Fume' is understated and reveals a handful of notes in the earliest stages only to drop off to straight, soft ambroxan for many, many hours. It's a shame that Sable Fume' was such a limited edition, pricey perfume because it is very much my taste and I like it alot. It has rekindled my interest in Escentric 02 and Molecule 02 which I tried a long time ago and liked but forgot about them over time and thankfully, they are both much cheaper and still readily available.

I tried this today in Brown Thomas, Dublin....wow!...I'm more into the scent of wood but I would gladly wear this for the rest of my natural life...which is how long I would need to work to pay for a bottle...I thought of pocketing the tester bottle and running from the store giggling like a lunatic...seriously.... Scent 10/10....so calming and deep...the smell of your favourite hidding spot Projection 7/10....stays around you and trails away as you walk Fortitude...11/10...well it's been...6 hours since I gave myself a decent dousing and it's still going strong. Ok, that lasted for 12 hours and beyond...sprayed at noon and could still smell it in the air around my head at midnight...such quality Amazing scent at a blue blooded price...I need a better job

I wish Armani would re-release Fume and Or just in different collectors bottles. Even new fragrances that share strong similarities. I would have bought both for sure but the limited bottles at $600-700 is tough :/ However, I'm willing to do it now.