Tweed

First of all, hats off for a top-notch inclusion of Stiffy Byng in the review below by Lindley – as a fellow P.G. Wodehouse aficionado, I cannot think of anything more perfect than mentioning this sprightliest and brightest of Bright Young Things as a Tweed-sporting heroine. Because: wearing Tweed makes you feel equal to handling any occasion – it will wear well doing anything, anytime, anywhere, and often does (including a comforting spritzy spray before bedtime). A complete bargain and full of joie de vivre juxtaposed with the calming influence of lavender and beeswax. I’m surprised it doesn’t come with a complimentary bottle of fizz and a handy glass, such is its boundless can-do and willingness to Do the Right Thing. The notes contain everything too – from the lavender and beeswax already mentioned, there is much woody goodness here, rose and cacao, with that added honey sweetness. It pulls you together, just like a well-cut and dashing tweed suit should, yet it’s enthusiastic at the same time; if Tweed were a pooch, it would be a Labrador, full of walkies and fetching; yet if it were a feline, it would be draping itself nonchalantly and elegantly over the drawing-room chaise-longue. P.S. Please do try to disregard the monstrosity of a bottle. Not quite sure what the marketing team thought of there. It does, however, with its fetching moss-green and dusky orange combo rather match my outfit today – tweed skirt included! Wahey!

Ah, so THIS is my version! Mine is Taylor of London, parent company Milton Lloyd, in the hideous bottle as pictured. However, the notes seem all wrong for what is essentially a chypre. My review for the Fine Fragrances one, copy-pasted: (Taylor of London current version). This is perfectly named. It is the kind of scent Stiffy Byng would wear along with her tweeds on a lovely Spring morning as she walked her dog, pausing to impulsively push a policeman into the village pond. It has that kind of air to it: wealthy, well bred, confident but fresh and playful. No stuffy London drawing rooms or parties, but riding and long walks and tea in the garden. Expensive soap and face powder and a light breeze carrying woods, rich earth and garden flowers. I can't compare it to its Lentheric vintage, but the dull looking boxes in the chemists, exiled from the locked glass cabinets to the shelf under the "If you like, you'll love..." bottles, conceal a treasure. Mild sillage, great longevity, beautiful scent.

I have not long re-aquainted myself with Tweed. My Mum used to wear it when she was young, smart and vivacious. She is sadly gone now, but I remember this perfume well. When I first sprayed it, it was very herby, but the other notes gradually tamp this down, and after around an hour, on me, it transforms into a floral chypre in the true sense and all the while the basil keeps it green. The drydown gets more floral, deeper and the basil ebbs away, leaving a delicious scent. Quite a journey for such an inexpensive perfume. I have since got the body spray and the talc to co-ordinate. It was quite a challenge in the first place, but I gradually learned to love this old friend. If you like this perfume, but hate the opening, try applying a little J'adore or Al Rehab Sofia (J'Adore-alike) - it softens and sweetens it somewhat and makes it more bearable, but doesn't last long enough to impinge on the heart of Tweed.

Tweed must be one of the best kept secrets in the perfume world! The weird thing is, it's still available and it costs next to nothing. And it's utterly gorgeous! If you have taste for the old fashioned, sporty, country living lifestyle, you should give Tweed a go. Think of antique furniture polished with beeswax, a soft breeze from a window open to a herbal garden and a worn leather bridle thrown on the back of a chair. As mentioned in the earlier reviews, Tweed is somewhere in the blissful sphere of P.G. Wodehouse's novels or say, Ruby Ferguson's pony books.

Interesting. Classic that on clothes smells literally like tweed, with mixture of powder, lanolin and eau de cologne, on skin it evaporates to something very gentle, faint and completely different, floral and sweet. I’m very surprised by classification as a woody floral musk, as judging from ingredients it is a super classic chypre, with formulary combination of citrus, florals and woods. Overall, bargain price, good old English craftsmanship and a reminder that things used to be really good 50 years ago :). Love it here and now, it smells of pure nostalgia :)