By Katie Martlew
Tom Ford has managed to achieve more in his 48 years on earth than most of us do in an entire lifetime- and then some.
Not only did he shoot up the corporate ladder at Gucci back in 1994 quicker than one could say ’Creative Director’ but he also took on responsibility for creating the design and conception of all product lines within the company from clothing to perfume and more, and inturn, saved the company from near bankruptcy.
In 2000, Ford was appointed Creative Director of YSL on top of his role at Gucci.
After Gucci, Ford’s first independent branding initiative was a collaboration deal with cosmetics giant Estee Lauder, which then lead to a range of coveted limited beauty products and eventually, a permanent fragrance collection.
Seemingly still not satisfied with all this aforementioned success, Ford recently added ‘director’ to his lengthy list of lifetime achievements. Seriously, is there anything this gorgeous man can’t do?
The film and fashion worlds collided last week at the premiere of his debut film A Single Man, with a flurry of famous faces showing up in support of their friend and mentor. It’s true- everybody loves Tom.
“I am a perfectionist”, says Tom. “This job is a total ego thing in a way. To be a designer and say, ‘This is the way people should dress, this is the way their homes should look, this is the way the world should be.’ But then, that’s the goal: world domination through style”
Rescu. Review. Scents of style: Tom Ford’s Private Blend fragrance collection.
Tom Ford’s fashion is synonymous with sophisticated, grown-up glamour- and the Tom Ford Private Blend fragrance collection is no different.
The Private Blend collection was launched with twelve unisex fragrances, all packaged in the same modestly chic dark brown glass bottles, inspired by the apothecary bottles used in perfumer’s work rooms.
However don’t let the simplicity of the packages fool you, the scents themselves are all made up of key unique and sophisticated ingredients, designed to inspire the true fragrance connoisseur to discover their perfect signature scent.
The fragrances all begin with an extraction of a single note, such as amber, tobacco, black violet, leather, gardenia and oud wood. Unique and extraordinary ingredients have then been wrapped around each note to create a completely ‘developed and complex’ eau de parfum.
The result is a series of fascinating, unique and sophisticated scents, which allow the wearer to identify the perfect fragrance that suits their personality and moods, and over time- help them become the ‘curator’ of their very own fragrance collection.
“Private Blend is my own scent laboratory; it’s where I have the ability to create very special, original fragrances that are unconstrained by the conventions of mainstream scent-making. Private Blend is designed with the true fragrance connoisseur in mind.” Says the mastermind himself, Mr. Tom Ford.
Private Blend is made up of oriental, floral, tobacco, wood, and leather scents and two Eau de Colognes.
The oriental scents consist of Amber Absolute– a warm honey and vanilla bean scent, Noir de Noir-a dark sensual floral scent, and Champaca Absolute– featuring an intoxicating top note of Tokaji Wine.
The floral scents include Velvet Gardenia– featuring a heady floral blend of ripened black gardenia and succulent orange, and Black Violet– a crisp citrus scent infused with black violets.
Designed as a modern take on an old world men’s club, Tobacco Vanille is the collections signature tobacco scent, which is also infused with vanilla and sweet wood sap.
Fronting the woods category is Oud Wood-, which is infused with exotic rose wood, cardamom and Chinese pepper. Moss Breches is a dark and complex scent featuring fresh wood and spice notes combined with the delicate essence of beeswax, and Italian Cypress features vibrant top notes of mandarin and calabrian bergamot, and is enriched with Moroccan spearmint.
The collections leather scent, Tuscan Leather features saffron, raspberry and thyme notes, combined with leather, black suede and amberwood to add an intricate richness.
And finally, the Eau de Colognes consist of Neroli Portofino– featuring luminous citrus oils and floral notes which are intended to awaken the senses, and Japon Noir– a contemporary fragrance enriched with a spice bouquet and purple patchouli combined with night blooming jasmine, leather and amber for a sleeker finish.
Suggested retail prices
Private Blend EDP Spray 50ml $290.00
EDP Decanter 250ml & 50ml refillable spray $750.00
Private Blend is available in David Jones City stores only. For more stockist information call: 1800 061 326.
www.tomford.com
Image courtesy of PRphotos.com
