Savannah Gardens (1984)
by Crabtree & Evelyn

This and Crabtree's Nantucket Briar are probably two of the first fragrances I ever actually purchased on my own as a teenager, most likely from the Crabtree shop in Newport, RI, where we used to spend many summer vacations. Savannah Gardens is a white floral, more or less, and an incredibly sweet and spicy one given the way that the jasmine and hyacinth interplay with the orange blossom, vanilla and amber. It's so thick and weighty that it almost has a drawl to it, and applying it feels liek drizzling yourself with some decadent syrup. Definitely a slow down, take it easy scent, something to be fully savored and appreciated. It's perhaps too sweet and drippy for some but I really love it, mainly for the associations of (my own!) youth that it carries but also for its unique character. It's quite original and feels very natural and guileless, as do all Crabtree and Evelyn products to me. The very sweet, fresh packaging always makes me smile, too; very charmingly innocent and gentle.

28th September, 2005.