Reserve Collection: Black Violet

I read that this was being pushed by the brand as unisex, and, if anything, leaning masculine. So, with a name like Black Violet I was assuming something deep and dark, inflected with a good amount of the fuel-like accords you get from violet leaf. If this perfume were a color, I pictured royal purple swirled with jet black ink (or black petroleum, more appropriately). That's not what you get. On the opening you are pounded with fleshy and sweet fruits, like black currants or black grapes, and other fruity accords. Tinges of citrus and bergamot add sourness and bitterness. The violet heart explodes with a powdery floral quality. It was not what I anticipated at all, and I was certainly very intrigued. Then, after about two hours, after the fruity top dried down and the violet heart began to calm down, the mossy and sandalwood base is allowed to speak. The perfume totally transforms. It's not royal purple inflected with black ink or oil, but perhaps more of a dark navy blue: it is the violet flower showing it's darker and more mysterious side without losing its floral feminine beauty. The dry down is, without a doubt, the most interesting part of this perfume; it is evocative, provocative, and highly addictive. The powdery and slightly fruity floral violet is still there, but in a femme fatale way that is helped along by the chypre-like base. Black Violet is like a noir film. I cannot help but think of Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, Black Dahlia, or L.A. Confidential when smelling this perfume - it smells like those films look. Maybe a touch light-hearted and fun at the beginning, but immediately goes dark and brooding, sleek and mysterious, feminine and dangerous. This perfume has its own very confident yet understated personality that is not likely going to fit many people, but it has pulled me right in. It's one of the best perfumes I think Tom Ford has made.

I found this a few years ago (mid 2022, from memory) and I was so happy to grab it, given how CHEAP it was (150 or 160 or something, I actually met someone somewhere, picked it up and went home, all on my lunch break when WFH), and I didn't give it much of a shot until recently. It is undeniably purple, violet and iris at the same time, and even though it doesn't demonstrate the parma violet candy elements I originally hoped for, it has a more 'barber shop' element, which works JUST as well, I feel. The oakmoss is so thick and apparent, I immediately felt like it took the scent off into a new direction, one I didn't ever expect! It blends well with the purple florals, and totally offsets the usual sugary-sweetness, and the slight, but noticeable woods in the base boosts this scent up perfectly. This might not be a regular use scent, but it is certainly one that I am happy to have hunted out, purchased and added to my collection...

Batch - A98 (2018) Black Violet is a super classic smelling fragrance definitely smells like violets and also smells "black" which translates into dark and mysterious, you get the oakmoss and woody notes at the base, and you get the super clean bergamont note on top. smells a bit like bubblegum to me and a little powdery. Average performance 6+ hours longevity and 2 hours of projection. A classy masculine fragrance smells very old-school but not outdated. 6.5/10