Diorella (1972)
by Christian Dior

Dior Diorella and Eau Sauvage Comparison Review

Left Arm: Dior Diorella
Right Arm: Dior Eau Sauvage

Eau Sauvage Notes: Lemon, Rosemary, Petitgrain, Basil, Vetiver

On first application, I smell lemon fruit, almost edible, definitely not like lemon household products. It smells like it may have bergamot or some other bitter note to blend with the lemon, maybe even a hint of neroli since there is a bit of floral sweetness. ES is developing quickly, and the lemon is beginning to fade after only a few minutes. It settles in a place that is fresh and light, but a little bit indolic. This could be neroli, or perhaps another indolic floral such as jasmine. Either way, it is a white indolic floral, but is quite faint and it does not detract from the clean sense I get.

After 15 minutes, ES starts to develop into more of a green scent. There is still a hint of citrus, but now it also smells herbal and grassy. The notes list rosemary, basil and vetiver--and I think it is the basil that gives this fragrance its masculine edge. The vetiver provides the dry, almost bitter and grassy quality. The floral note I smelled earlier is really not discernible now, but this green stage does not completely lack in sweetness. In fact, it is quite balanced--sweet, aromatic and a touch bitter.

Diorella Notes: Sicilian Lemon, Peach, Asil, Italian Bergamot, Melon, Green Notes, Honeysuckle, Jasmine, Violet, Rose Bud, Carnation, Cyclamen, Oakmoss, Vanilla, Clove, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Musk, Patchouli.

On first application, I also smell citrus, but it is more of a woody, resinous citrus. It is very mellow and deep. When I inhale, it goes straight to the center of my heart, a sensation I do not get with very many fragrances. I am not sure it is a fair comparison to Eau Sauvage, because I am pretty certain the Diorella is a stronger concentration. Diorella is surpassing Eau Sauvage as far as strength, longevity and interesting progression of notes. The indolic floral in Diorella is much more prominent than in ES. However, it doesn't seem like a floral fragrance, but is rather more like a floral chypre--the sweet fruit and floral is offset by dry, nutty, slightly spicy, woody basenotes.

Now that it has developed a bit, I can smell a boozy overripe or fermented fruit. Could be the melon, but it does seem a bit peachy also. Rose also can get this boozy quality. Either way, it is an "on the verge of going bad" kind of fruit and flower smell that reminds me of Chanel Coco's central rose accord. It also reminds me a little bit of Coco Mademoiselle, although the melon in CM is much cleaner than this. I love this kind of accord as long as it stays slightly edible-drinkable, like how grapes with botrytis fungus make a delicious, syrupy, raisiny, sweet and tart wine.

In "Perfumes the Guide", Turin states that Diorella is a "perfected Eau Sauvage". From the two samples I have, I am not sure I see this, except for a sort of family resemblance. I don't get the "vietnamese beef" accord in either one. To me, Eau Sauvage is a well mannered citrus-floral-herbal cologne. Diorella is a gorgeous, almost edible dessert wine of a fragrance. There is a bit of overlap in the drydown, and it seems that the herbal part of Eau Sauvage combines with a light powdery floral. This tendency is also showing in the drydown of Diorella. But up to this point, they smell like distinctly different, although artistically related, fragrances.

Thoughts about the late drydown...Eau Sauvage is a soft skin scent with a hint of something herbal, probably a light vetiver. Diorella is also a skin scent now, but is fruity and raisiny with a touch of tart melon and a tiny bit of powdery oakmoss. Wearing Diorella all day makes me think that this was the inspiration for Chanel 31 Rue Cambon.

Chandler Burr's infamous retelling of Diorella as "fur rubbed with mint toothpaste" is yeah! That! Bright, refreshing with an uninhibited, feral-but sophisticated and comforting-undercurrent.

Oh, I’ve smelled this so many times without realizing which fragrance it was. It is so familiar and so recognizable. Its bright and lively citrus / fruity opening is quickly supported by the peach and mixed floral middle, creating an accord that is hard to mistake, hard to ignore: Fruity, round, full, and classic… with a delicate touch of the eerie and the disreputable. It is such a fulfilling and comfortable entity, but there are loose ends of intrigue hidden beneath its surface. It has substance… it has personality. One sniff and there’s no doubt… this one’s a classic.

In a search for the perfect summer fragrance, I bought Diorella without even trying it. Upon my first whiff, I thought...nice, but I probably won't buy this one again. As the day progressed, I was amazed at the beautiful drydown. Every note of the EDP is given an opportunity to take center stage until the earthy, patchouli finish. (I never guessed that I would like patchouli in the oppresive summer heat!) And Diorella has good staying power without giving me or anyone else a headache. When I don't know which perfume to wear, I reach for this. Just the fact that there is not one negative review should make anyone thinking about trying this one to run to the department store.

Diorella is often thought of as the feminine version of Eau Sauvage, but Edmond Roudnitska (the perfumer of both) said it wasn’t the case. Diorella was his most satisfying creation, and he made it clear that it was descended from an earlier chypre he made in 1953 called Eau Fraiche (Dior) - Chanel pour Monsieur (1955) was also based heavily on Eau Fraiche.

Standing outside early evening mid-July, there’s nothing much better to have wafting up into my nostrils than Diorella, especially when it’s mixed with the sublime breeze coming in around me via my lush green environs in the Oregon Coastal Range. Eau Sauvage is an excellent fragrance, but it’s loud, and feels dated. Diorella is a significant improvement all around. Among other things, it’s just a lot clearer, smells better overall, and is always intensely wearable. But far more importantly than that is the fact that Diorella is strange. It’s sublime and strange and pulls you into deep waters. The florals are dirtier than most of what came before it, and it was the first fragrance to break free from the notion that flowers were wholesome. It also has a plump, decadant melon accord that begs to be satiated. Others have mentioned Cristalle and Le Parfum de Therese (both excellent), but Diorella is far more interesting (and strange) than either of those. It’s probably the best thing Roudnitska ever did, and it’s one of the best fragrances ever made. It also fulfills all aspects of Roudnitska's fundamental qualities of a great perfume: character, strength, diffusing capacity, delicacy, clearness, volume, and persistence. Give it time before you think you’ve figured it out, because this stuff is so beautiful it figures you out. For its type - a crisp-green-woody-citrus chypre - it's about as close to perfection as it gets.

Top notes: Lemon, basil, bergamot, melon, galbanum
Middle notes: Peach, honeysuckle, jasmine, rose, cyclamen
Base notes: Oakmoss, vetiver, patchouli, musk

Here’s a big, fully erect thumb coming at you.

Lime, lime, lime and slightly old-fashioned (in the BEST way) white flowers. In the drydown, which arrives pretty quickly, it reminds me strongly of a drier, slightly softer Femme de Rochas. Lovely and old-world, to my nose, but not something I need: I have other citrusey things, and Femme.