Black Orchid

For the ladies: I'm not a big fan of Tom Ford. I was, when he was still art dirctor at YSL where he launched the amazing M7 frag for men and created the beautiful bottle. In 2005 he left and created his own brand (what else of a self proclaimed egomaniac) called: 'Tom Ford'. Cashing in on his supposed 'sex symbol' status for the ladies, he posed sedutively on a cover of Vanity Fair, where he sat clothed between an totally naked Scarlett Johansen and Keira Knightly. Although he is 100% and now openly gay. Sorry ladies. That misleading of people, I don't like with TF. I also don't like the excruciatingly overrated and overpriced 'Private Blends' by the man and his bigger than big ego. Those private blends are medicore frags dressed up in ridiculous expensive prices, so that when you bought one, you have to find it great or you would die of embarassement that you let yourself be fooled byt the TF marketing bulldozer. But I must confess, I find some of the first frags of his own house like 'Black Orchid' (2006) an unabasehdly and shmeless masterpiece on the same level as 'Opium', 'Chanel Coco' the first 'Lolita Lempicka'... I think he is a blown up poser who is capable of making the occasional great frag. 'Genius' I guess. And 'Black Orchid' is fabulous and gorgeous, make no mistake. As is the bottle. Praise where rightfully praise is due. How does 'Black Orhcid' tick and smell? It is a complex frag in the 'old school' style of the 'classics' mentioned here. Not 'Less is more', like the minimalist Bernard Ellena's for Hermès like 'Jardin après le Mousson', 'Toit', 'Nil'... but 'More is more'! Black Orchid is also like the Guerlains, the Diors... an intricate work with a symphony of notes. Top: jasmine, gardenia, ylang-ylang, bergamot, lemon, mandarin, blackcurrant, tuber; Middle: Spices, fruity notes, lotus, orchid; a very powerful base: vetiver, sandalwood, patchouli, incense, vanilla, dark chocolate, amber. With that much notes it can go two ways: a cacaphonous mess where all these strong notes fight each other to death or a soul caressing harmony, outerworld beauty and olfactory bliss where all those notes pull together to play a team match and score. To make the symphony sound better and more than all seperate notes together. The sign of a True Great. Black Orchid scores big time. You can maybe in the long and lively development sometimes detect some separate notes for a short time like the dark chocolate, the incense, the orchid, the vanilla, the amber... But you are literarlly blown away by this concentrated mass attact of awesome perfume power. Smell and awe. Incense, dark chocolate, orchid, vanilla, amber and gardenia are the most pronounced notes for me. This is an gorgeous tsunami of fragrance brilliancy. This fragrances rocks, like 'Chanel 5' rocks and 'Jicky' rocks and 'Joy' rocks. And will always be rocking. This is Timeless Quality. Here not the top notes lead the dance but the formidable base. They let the middle and top exist, but as a compliment to the power of that exceptional strong base. The middle of orchid, spices, and fruity notes, plus the top of flowers enforce and interact with each other and with the base. They deepen the scent and make it more intricate. The result is one of the most intoxicating frags I know. 'Le Baiser du Dragon' by Cartier is the one that really resemble it the most IMHO. If you think 'Hypnotic Poison' makes you dizzy and giddy with pure delirious pleasure, try this magic potion. It is that magic of your first full blown good wet kiss. It is deep, dark, mysterious, earthy, sex in a bottle, unashamedly powerful strong and sensual. I'm a man, but I can imagine this being a 'man magnet'. It is without a doubt a masterpiece. The only masterpiece perfume of his own house to date sadly, apart perhaps from 'Tobacco Vanilla'. When you put this on you feel like Christine Lagarde of the IMF, Scarlett Johanssen, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Jake and Mary Gyllenhall, Uma Thurman, Penelope Cruz all rolled into one. Glamourous, ageless, unisex, beautiful, eternal beauty. A fragrance for strong personalities, but also a fragrance that in applying makes you feel stronger. And let there be not doubt: totally unisex! After a period I didn't use that bottle, I spritzed again a few weeks ago and now I am lost and addicted, hopelessly in love like an alcoholic who starts to drink after a 10 year dry spell. The power of 'Black Orchid' is that awesome. I quiver, I shiver, I sigh, I sniff myself like crazy. Put me for 24 hours in an isolation cell without food and drink, but give me a bottle of 'Black Orchid', I won't hesitate. Black Orchid is a masterpiece. Despite the ballooned ego of TF anno 2011. So if you like the clasics 'Opium', 'Coco', 'Arpège'... but you also like more modern 'big personality' frags like Narciso, Addict, Midnight and Hypnotic Poison, YSL Cinema, Gaultiers Classique, you'll love 'Black Orchid'. Don't let yourself be persuaded by reviews like mine and other less favorable. Try it and you'll surrender to the magic of Black Orchid. It is a one of a kind tour de force. I don't like Tom Ford since his 'Private Blends', but I love Black Orchid.' To death.

The "Black Orchid"... Where to start? Where does it start? With an immediate enigmatic whirl of olfactory notes that amaze, confuse and enrapture. I feel Amalfi lemon, Gardenia and what is I guess supposed to be the truffle, but it does not have the stench (as you can guess I am NOT a lover of truffles in their any shape or form), somehow it has the spicy and animalic facet, that is blended so brilliantly with the rest. There are a lot of fruits and spices, so the heart is somewhat tropical, but not as in beach cocktail or edible/gourmand fruits style, but a wonderous discovery of a new world of luscious flowers and unexplored forests with hidden treasures of pleasures unknown. I cannot discern the orchid or the lotus in the composition (I do personally believe that they never had a chance due to their gentle and etherial qualities), but ylang-ylang - oh yes!, - it is given a whole new role to play and it is re-discovered and opened up like never before. This exotic fruity freshness, with tart spiciness and unexpected and mysterious notes which keep teasing and drawing everyone in, with questions, guesses and complements, is then followed and masterfully concluded with the smoky bitterness of chocolate, streaked with golden amber, and soft delicacy of vanilla. I view the "Black Orchid" as not the perfume about a flower, but as a signature of Tom Ford's vision, his another black tuxedo that can be worn by both men and women, his understanding and appreciation of the human nature and its expression, his undoubted vision and unrestrained and fearless sexuality, that he taught us all to embrace and enjoy. The "Black Orchid" is an ode to freedom of being oneself and loving oneself just the way we are, it is the metaphysical bloom of each and every one's soul that is never the same or alike, and always, ALWAYS, absolutely irresistible!

I’ve been catching whiffs of this scent for years—it’s so unique, so recognizable, it practically announces itself before the wearer walks into a room. I adore it, and I know exactly what fragrance it is, but I always thought of it as a lady fragrance. Last year, though, fate (and a mall sale) brought me face-to-face with Tom Ford’s Black Orchid again. I sniffed it, and boom, my olfactory senses were instantly captivated. This fragrance on the test strip is dark, mysterious, and sensual; a creamy, flowery-sweet scent with just the right touch of earthy depth. I loved it so much, but I hesitated. I mean, I’m a guy (a gay guy, for sure, but still not usually rocking women’s fragrances). Then I thought: whatever, let's try it. So I tried it. Four sprays. Hung out with my friends at the mall. And let me tell you—it was strong AF. Like, people three escalators away could probably smell me. Hours later, it was still going strong, hanging on like glitter after a night out. But after 1–2 hours, it settled beautifully on my skin, revealing creamy truffle and dark chocolate notes. It is so yummy and enticing to my senses. Naturally, I bought the super cute 30 ml bottle right then and there. Throughout 2025, I wore it constantly, from traveling to hanging out, I always had good reactions and compliments from my friends and from other people. This winter, I crave it so much that I wear it to bed. I feel so cozy with this scent. The scent is potent, so I stick to one or two sprays depending on the occasion. That little bottle is surprisingly affordable to use, considering how long it lasts. Honestly, it’s climbed into my Top 5 favorite fragrances of all time. Iconic, addictive, and polarizing, you either love it or hate it. And me? I’m obsessed.

I can't believe I found a few drops in a sample spray vial while going through some of my perfumes that were stuck in storage. It must be at least 10 years old. No joke. I still remember when a woman gave it to me for free as she didn't like it and it was a half full vial years ago. I had moved houses several times since. Now I found this random vial which I thought would've been all dried up. I spritzed one tiny spray on my wrist and wow! It was the same as all those years ago, perhaps even more macerated. I'd never buy a full bottle of BO because I wouldn't use it up in my entire lifetime. One or two sprays on my skin and this sticks like crazy. I'm not going to comment on the notes because I can never quite tell what I'm smelling with this. Do not wear this in warm weather unless you want to suffocate yourself and perhaps people around you, though some say it blooms in the heat. This is strictly a cool weather perfume for me personally. It's my "bad bitch", wearing all black, black sunnies, black boots, wanting to be left alone by random people perfume. You could layer it with something a bit sweeter to make it more public friendly if you wanted to. It's sweet in a poisonous, stay away from me way on it's own. Though I did have one older lady working at the pharmacy compliment me on it, so perhaps she smelt something else, one of the fruity, floral, sweet notes. I have no clue if this has been reformulated now or they've just made so many other flankers. Once again, I'd only ever buy travel sized versions of anything TF. I love this though. It can definitely be glamourous on the right person too.

Wow... this perfume is so beautiful. It's truly special, and I agree with people saying that if you usually wear light, more standard perfumes, perhaps avoid trying this one too soon. The initial notes are truly explosive: mushroom, earth, and spice. It's strong and quite impressive the first time you smell it. But it develops beautifully. A slightly soapy scent emerges, undoubtedly the gardenia and ylang-ylang. Then come fresh, tangy, slightly green, and, yes, chocolatey notes. But a very dark and full-bodied chocolate (probably the patchouli) with a touch of smoky incense. Everything softens, with amber, ripe fruit, and those initial notes that create a distant yet ever-present memory. It's not the kind of perfume I usually wear, but since I first experienced it, I've wanted nothing more than to add it to my collection. It transports me in a way that very few perfumes have before. In a comments someone imagined Morticia Addams wearing it, and that's exactly right. Here's the image that comes to my mind... We enter a Victorian house, decorated entirely in black and purple. Morticia leads us to her orchid greenhouse, and all the scents hit us as soon as we enter. The slightly prickly damp earth, the smell of mushrooms, the green stems she's just cut from her precious black orchids. That sweet, amber floral scent. It's just so beautiful... Truly a masterpiece. So, at Tom Ford, they say the notes are as follows (which seem a little different here): Black Truffle Ylang-ylang Black Orchid Black Plum Rum Absolute Patchouli