Dolce Vita (1995)
by Christian Dior

This was a particular favourite of one of my cousins for a couple of year. She absolutely adored this scent, and I always associate this fragrance with her whenever I smell it. However, there is a particular note in this fragrance that smells of body odour. To me this fragrance smells like someone who doesn't wear deoderant, but wears perfume! I thought the idea of wearing fragrance was to smell nice and appealing yourself and others, not of BO! Unless thats the type of thing you are into of course... Maybe the body odour smell is the whole "sexy" part of this fragrance that many people here have commented on, the smell of the human body in it's natural state. Not for me I'm afraid. This would have been a nice fragrance minus the BO note. Apologies to my cousin and all DV lovers!

Sophisticated, uplifting floral ,sandalwood ,vanilla combo that makes it irresistable to me. Sweet but not overly sweet, perfect for any occasion ... I just love this scent.
Ths fragrance is subtle,chic but lasting.
The bottle and packaging are wonderful, so Dior and I am a sucker for Christian Dior fragrances !

Bourdon's Dolce Vita is a close relative of the Serge Lutens 'bois series' (Bois Oriental, Musc, Violette) and a direct descendant of the unparalelled Feminite du Bois (Shiseido/Lutens). *FN1* Apply Dolce Vita to one hand and Bois Oriental to the other and the resemblence is totally unmistakable. Like Bois Oriental, DV's topnotes present a lush, rich collection of fruit notes supported by florals. The hints of apricot, cinnamon, and peach give it a distinctly oriental feel and distinguishes DV from the typical fruity/floral. Like Feminite du Bois, DV maintains a distinctly woody base, but it then adds a big dose of vanilla and heliotrope to sweeten and impart a powdery, almondy feel. Compared to Bois Oriental the Dior is more brash, less refined - but it's also more bold, more fun (and a hell of lot cheaper and easier to purchase).

For an EdT Dolce Vita packs a good punch of sillage and longevity (as is typical of many Dior EdTs). I'm surprised that I don't see more guys review it or mention wearing it. It's certainly not as unisex as something like Hypnotic Poison, but if you are male and enjoy Lutens' fragrances - Bois Oriental in particular - then Dolce Vita won't be much of a jump to make. The girls at my local coffee shop act as my sounding board for my various fragrances, and of everything I've worn in the last two years nothing has received such an overwhelmingly positive response as Dolce Vita (I was wearing EdT layered with parfum). It seems that DV is one of those chameleon scents that becomes very feminine on a woman but then works as a woody/oriental on a guy. A quick note on the hard-to-find parfum... it's an excellent choice if you want a focus on the woody base with less sillage but greater longevity.

Dior has cancelled Dolce Vita but ample stock remains at most online discounters... for now.

FN1 - Turin & Sanchez, Perfumes: The Guide p.101

More of my bottles were Dior. Two bottles of Dolce Vita have been finished, because it was my husband s favorite (Not mine).
Too woody for a mostly floral lover. I was against it.
But it has a magic. After a couple of hours it mutates on the skin and has completely another volume. Maybe this is why it is more attractive to men. I have had to convince my husband that I do not like it. I was not in love with it. And the first seconds it really disturbed me.

I would recommend it the same.

Bottle is perfect.
And yes, "the name" for us Italians has another lovely meaning...

Lush fruity-spicy combination which clearly stands out from most female scents. Fruit and spice, appearantly nothing could be more unusual, yet this one creates the feeling of space and light. At the same time addictive, quizzical and
multi-layered like Fellini's timeless film bearing the same title. A siren like Anita Ekberg luring men into the theatrical, elaborate, magnificent universe like baroque Rome- the perfect scent to wear for a midnight swim in the Fontana di Trevi.

Dolce Vita is one of the most optimistic, sunny and happy fragrances that I ever tried. It feels like someone is smiling at you, and it has the ability to make a dreary day more cheerful, it's also very warm and somewhat sweet, but not sugary. I get a lot of peach, apricot and sandalwood and vanilla out of it. I would not call it a sexy fragrance, but it is very comforting and uplifting.