Teatro Alla Scala

I have the miniature dab on bottle that looks like the photo on this Fragrantica page; about 5 of them and have only used up one of them. This month and next January and February in cold weather in winter time is good for wearing this absolutely gorgeous fragrance. The initial top note that reaches my nose are the aldehydes. Like with so many classic vintage aldehyde perfumes, it feels like a very nice luxury soap. It's unisex soap so it's more a warm spicy woody soap than a floral soap. As for the florals, they are tucked away somewhere. To my nose this is a jasmine floral scent but it's a shy jasmine that is shrouded in oak moss, patchouli, sandalwood, amber, woods and honey. The perfume is quite strong but I am guessing the spray version is stronger than the dab on. With a dab on you can just put it on specific parts of your skin/body like wrist or neck and one or two dabs won't project much. It's a close to the skin intimate scent so only you can smell it. I'm smelling musk by the time we reach the dry down. Not leather but a soft dark animalic musk, like civet. There is still plenty of spice notes floating around in there. This is also only a touch sweet but mainly a dark wood scent. This does smell very 'Italian Baroque' as many have pointed out. Smells like being in a palazzo (palace) or cathedral that is open to the public and has velvet red rope around so you can't touch the antique furniture i.e. thrones, canopied beds, chandeliers, classic writing desks, etc. It's a distinctly European scent with honey booze (beeswax or candle wax) faint florals of jasmine, carnation, tuberose, and it's smoky. There is a warm soft incense that persists for a long time. This is also clearly a dressy or formal wear scent and must be worn at night/evening. You can't just wear this with a T shirt and jeans. Has to be like as good as Sunday church clothing. Duration on the dab on is not as long as I'd like it to be. On me the most it ever lasts is 3 hours. But it's a warm and musky scent at the end. It's good for fall and winter and to wear with warm clothing layers of clothing like coats fur coats and gloves. Luxurious, elegant, dark, mysterious, Gothic, sexy, sensual, hypnotic, and beautiful in a classy unisex way. If you are gonna buy blind this one, make sure you have experience with vintage scents that are more or less along this vein like original Coco (Chanel) Opium by YSL, Passion by Elizabeth Taylor, Dana Tabu, Ciara by Revlon, and Cinnabar by Estee Lauder. Teatro is a wonderful aroma that I can't get enough of.

Opulent and dramatic; two adjectives that define Teatro Alla Scala to the bone. Released in the mighty 80's, Teatro, like many Italian fragrances of the era, came to compete with orientals such as Coco and Opium, the blockbusters that defined spices, debauchery and shoulder pads. But Teatro has more drama going for it. Amidst the spices, incense and resins, there's hot blooded temperament a la Italiana. A magnificent beeswax note that hasn't been replicated and a very animalic base. It's not just an oriental; the flowers, carnation primarily, are on fire. There's a deep winey tonality and an amazingly potent civet note that dirties up the base notes suggesting what will be revealed as soon as the furs and lamé dress come off. Smoke, deep red roses, carnation, honeyed beeswax, incense, civet! A syrupy nectar, a spicy ménage a trois; If Coco goes to the theatre and Opium to Studio54, Teatro goes to the opera and then to a slinky hotel room to have wild sex. Unapologetically potent and languid, it made sure that Krizia was on the map along with K, a beautiful aldehydic floral launched earlier. No doubt woman, it is a mighty oriental for men as well; no sugar, no fruity frou frou. Evocative, sensual, and sexual, the animal that growls inside the slightly kitsch faux tortoiseshell splash bottle is one of the most beautiful perfumes of the decade. Forgotten but very easy to come by, and much cheaper than Coco or Opium, it is a must try for fans of vintage orientals. Both edt and edp (very similar and equally strong btw) offer humongous sillage and longevity. Do seek it out before it's all gone. Review based on 1985 bottles of edt and edp.

The opening of Teatro Alla Scala is a flourish of soapy, fatty aldehydes and beeswax, a baroque affair, as it were, ushering in another age and time where monocles and opera glasses were part of the repertoire, a panoply of velvet and mahogany made up one's interior surroundings, and roses still smelled of roses, carnations still smelled of carnations, and civets had come hither looks rather than just giving coy winks. The heart is a meaty, robust bouquet of the most gregarious florals floating in prune compote, stewed fruits, and spiced wine. This is a grand crescendo, albeit it is all somehow smooth and supple. Incense billows with increasing intensity as Teatro continues to heat up on one's skin; this, combined with the beeswax and almost a chewy and resinous propolis scent, renders an almost tobacco-like effect, which undulates into the dry-down. The unctuousness subsides into a honeyed animalic apparition of antiquity, a civet's essence encased in amber, lived in musks are the coda of this journey. This concise summary doesn't nearly do Teatra enough justice. It must be experienced to be truly understood, to truly understand in a more visceral manner, the nuances and textures of this fragrance. Yes, it's that good. Yes, it's unisex, pay no mind to any other tropes regarding shoulder pads, big hair, over-the-top fruit flies, this transcends all of the cultural associations and if this were to be released today by indie darlings Papillon or Bogue, it would receive much hype and numerous accolades.

Teatro Alla Scala by Krizia was one of my favorite perfumes in the 1980s. I think all of the oldies shared that velvety feline heritage. Teatro Alla Scala by Krizia is another gorgeous animalic powerhouse. Sexy and reminiscent of the period, sharing DNA with Coco by Chanel, Fendi by Fendi, and her distant cousin, Opium. Years ago, when I wore Krizia, I had a Maine Coon cat who would rub herself all over my clothing each time I wore this scent. There's a reason why many posters here describe Krizia as a perfume with a flair for the dramatic of Wagnerian porportions. Sexy, smooth, feline and velvety, this is definitely a third-date perfume. I think a person of any age can wear Teatro Alla Scala, it is transcendent, reaching across the decades. What's important here is not to over apply, one spritz is enough, allowing the notes to open and breathe. Too many spritzes and it's trying too hard to be noticed. Discretion is the way to go here. I could see a young art student wearing this just as I could anyone who is older like myself (54). It certainly would be sexy if worn by a man. The leather, beeswax, civet, and musk would be an overt come-hither invitation.

stephen.bozer SouthernBlonde Gigithefashionista lucia.lawson eliza.gelman carolyn.parker auroramcandless brian.fitzgerald marina.zubov sasha.talan shauna.parra etc etc etc These reviewers are all the same person - same writing style, same LOOOOONG personal reveries about the fragrance - same tendency to say "Thank you" to the perfume house and to eBay. Southernblonde, eliza, aurora, lucia, carolyn, brian and Gigi have all reviewed this fragrance. This needs to stop. I wouldn't mind betting they don't have the vast perfume wardrobes that some of their characters claim to have - or that they've even smelled some of them. You want to practice writing? Start a blog. This isn't helpful to genuine users of Fragrantica. Another thing about this duplicity which annoys me is that they can enter competitions to win something multiple times and - potentially - win multiple prizes. They can also "thumbs-up" their own reviews. Clearly this person needs external validation, but I don't see why we should be the people to provide it for them. Thanks to Lizardbreath for confirming my suspicions.