Private Collection (1973)
by Estée Lauder

I am testing Private Collection side-by-side with Alliage. PC seems to me to be a sweeter, wetter, more floral Alliage. PC is quite likable and very wearable. However, for me, the white florals & spring flowers make PC a little too common, too girly to join my collection. Pretty nonetheless, albeit a bit "mature." (Slap me with a wet noodle - I can't believe I just said that.)

17th June, 2011.

I wanted to try this scent because I liked the sound of the notes and thought that perhaps it would be a little similar to my all-time favourite Burberry Weekend.

Well, similar it is not. This fragrance goes on very strong, it almost knocked me out. It has a very distinctive, mature and old-fashioned type scent.

It was very difficult for me to sniff my wrist to get a proper description for reviewing this scent because the fragrance was so heavy and overpowering. I can sense the greeness in this fragrance, however, like Chanel No.19, all I could smell was wet grass.

From a distance I didn't mind the scent. It was a rather intense, powdery and likable blend of floral notes. However, up close it smelt like rotten vegetables, dangerous chemicals and spicy herbs.

This fragrance is certainly not my cup of tea, however I am reviewing this fragrance from a younger perspective. Perhaps when I am older I will appreciate this scent more, but I doubt I will ever be adding this to my collection.

I have concluded that this is either a love it or hate it type of scent. To me this fragrance is far too potent and unpleasant for my liking.

EDIT:
I am re-visiting this fragrance nearly two years on, and I must say my opinions and tastes have differed. While I don't love Private Collection just yet, it is surprisingly soapier than when I last tested it. That rotten smell has vanished and what is left is a rather mature and clean floral green.

27th April, 2011.

This fragrance is beautifully balanced. Green florals, grass, woods, powder, moss. It’s funny the way we rewrite gender over time. I’m sure this was prissily feminine at the time it was released, but if a niche house released this today as a masculine and used all the synonyms for fresh (too down-market to use the word itself) to describe it, this would sell like mad. I can hear it. “A new type of masculine scent. Tonic and Brisk, with just enough Sass and Daring to be powdery.”

I shouldn’t make fun. This really is a brilliant masculine. Feminine, too, for that matter. I love green chypres and usually lean toward the leather variety. This one has not a trace of leather, and in fact is pretty light on moss to my nose. What appeals to me is the balance of its ingredients that overall gives an impression of flowers, leaves, and mostly, grass. This is what the lawns in utopia smell like. Just plan ahead; this stuff is powerfully strong and lasts days.

29th November, 2010. (Last Edited: 5th December, 2010.)

This has similarities to Chanel no 19, if you are looking for a stronger version of chanel no19, this would be a good one to sample

27th March, 2010.

An enjoyably bitter opening - citrus peels, galbanum, and sharp pine. There's a dissonant vibration between the pine and galbanum, like a minor chord, that keeps things interesting. With lemon AND pine, there's some danger of Private Collection straying into household-cleaner territory, but it never gets too close for my comfort. In the heart, lily of the valley and polleny hyacinth emerge, surrounding and softening the top notes, but the weird central accord hangs on a good long time, giving the scent a bracing briskness. The bottom is warm and powdery, comfortable without losing the scent's freshness -- a lovely transition from sharp, green top to golden, resinous base.

A bit too strange for everyday, but I give it points for being like nothing else I've smelled so far.

17th February, 2010.

Private Collection is one of those few fragrances that I can honestly describe as timeless. It smells as if it could have just as well been done in 1923 or 1953 as in 1973. It’s not merely a classic, but a classical structure: a soapy, green aldehydic floral on a dry chypre platform. It’s stately and reserved, yet just short of stuffy, perhaps because of the keen, bitter edge lent by its prominent galbanum note. The opening burst of powdery greens and aldehydes peels back partway to reveal a clean jasmine and narcissus accord as crisp as a starched, pressed collar. Private Collection runs a linear course once the green floral chypre heart coalesces, the major developmental event being the emergence of a dry, yet rounded rose from among the other floral notes.

Like many of Estée Lauder’s offerings, Private Collection is potent and enduring. It projects well off the skin for several hours before settling down into its moss, white musk, and wood foundations. Cool, clean, and almost entirely bereft of sweetness, Private Collection is utterly genderless, and used in moderation it would make a great alternative to conventional “fresh” men’s scents.

12nd December, 2009.