Diane Von Furstenberg Diane

Last fall, famed dress designer Diane Von Furstenberg released her first fragrance.  I constantly see her vintage wrap dressed on celebrities and all over the pages of Vogue but I wondered if any other of her designs were are famous as her signature wrap dress.  A bit of research showed me that her wrap dresses were her claim to fame and nothing else has ever replaced them in her product line.  The Sephora website actually provided a fantastic background on the designer and how her famed wrap dresses led to the creation of her first fragrance. 

"Diane Von Furstenberg first arrived in the world of fashion in 1972 when she launched her iconic wrap dress.  By 1976, Diane had sold millions of her dresses, which symbolized female power and freedom to an entire generation.  After a hiatus from the fashion industry, Diane reemerged in 1997 with the re-launch of her iconic dress that started it all - and transformed her company into the global luxury lifestyle brand that it is today.  Close to the skin, fluid and enveloping, Diane's new fragrance is built like one of her designs: it wraps up a woman's body and leaves her feeling sexy with a touch of mystery."

"Close to the skin, fluid and enveloping.  Created for all and unique for everyone, Diane's fragrance is built like one of her dresses: it wraps up a woman's body and stays with her all day long.  Be the woman you want to be.  The eau de parfum elevates this fragrance concentration, amplifying the uniqueness and the character of the scent while highlighting the distinctive ingredients such as patchouli, frangipani flower, and violet."  The florals and patchouli notes are very evident in this fragrance and it is not the easiest one to wear.

The notes of Diane are: Frangipani, Violet, Patchouli, Musks, Myrrh.  As I stated above, this fragrance is very heavy on the patchouli and florals and will not appeal to a lady who likes lighter fragrances.  I have heard this fragrance described as being "old lady" however it is just a heavy floral oriental and appeals only to those who love strong, heavy fragrances.  As it so happens, I love heavy floral woody fragrances so this one really worked on me.  When I first tried it, I almost rejected it after the first spray.  The first spray is all strong frangipani and was very off-putting, I was not expecting such a strong oriental, this is a fragrance that is best experienced after the dry down.

I received several samples of this fragrance with a bunch of Sephora orders, I made a few in row and somehow ended up with several sample vials of this fragrance.  The second and third times that I used this fragrance were much better.  I let the fragrance dry for about five to ten minutes each time before I smelled it and after the initial burst of frangpani, it evolved into a deep beautiful floral oriental.  This fragrance reminds me of both Chanel No 5 and Coco Mademoiselle, if you like either of those two fragrances then this one will be right up your alley.  This fragrance has been going strong for over six hours now and hasn't lessened in intensity, this one will go all day and into the night. 

This fragrance is best for the fall and winter months so I will use up the samples that I have of it this season and I plan to buy the full bottle at the end of next summer.  I find that this fragrance could be worn at the office and then will work equally well at a nice restaurant or bar.  I would not pair tis fragrance with casual clothing, it is a more formal fragrance.  I can see where this fragrance may not have the mass appeal that others on the market have, it is not light and can only be worn in certain circumstances.  This is not a fragrance that can be your only perfume, it has a certain time and place but is perfect for the times that I get more dressed up at work or going out. 

One last thought - I will not be pairing this fragrance with a Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress.  Overkill!

photo courtesy of Sephora