Theorema (1998)
by Fendi

Theorema is the most chic, sophisticated, almost restrained and yet sensual oriental. It is a gorgeous composition of orange, vanilla, spices and woods. I primarily get the rich and warm woods on my skin paired with the lighter and slightly sweet orange-vanilla accord. The opening is lush and warm, and the dry down is very sensual and stays close to the skin. Theorema is a very confident, intelligent oriental, absolutely wonderful stuff that is just as fitting to the board room as an elegant black tie affair. It speaks to the person wearing it very much. I say "person" as I think that a man could easily wear Theorema too - it is so well blended, classy and warm. There is nothing showy about Theorema - it is very self-possessed. There is nothing silly about this composition. Find it where you can and wear it with lots of pleasure. Anyone who enjoys the boisterous Badgley Mischka, the exuberant Mauboussin, the sensual orange of Fath de Fath, the woody-vanilla Organza Indecence, or the extreme drydown of the sensual DK Chaos would enjoy Theorema from top to bottom.

Discontinued? Has the perfume world gone mad? This is truly one of the most luxurious, well crafted fragrances ever to grace my pulse points. Theorema is a spicy oriental of classic composition possessing a sweet & creamy character in a "Luten-esque" sort of way. I smell nutmeg and cardamom for sure, along with cinnamon. Orange blossom and most likely some carnation - I get a 'clove' vibe here. Not too strong, but evident. Ambery woods and some patchouli in the base. This mixture is so rich and well crafted there are probably a dozen other notes living here that I cannot discern. It is my opinion that fans of Coco by Chanel, Opium by YSL, or even (possibly) Musc Ravageur under the Frederic Malle label would take kindly to this gorgeous perfume. Thumbs up, now I'm off to find a bottle...

Guess I'm one of the lone dissenters of Theorema. Smelled too much like pencil shavings for me - I just couldn't get past it. I wish I could get what everyone else does out of this fragrance. For a similar fragrance, I much prefer Just Me by Montana - it has all the things I like about Theorema minus the pencils!

Pow!! Candied oranges! Give it a few seconds...ahh. Warm, sweet ambery goodness to back it up. almost smells like a little raspberry dark chocolate in there, too. I wear it on cool summer nights. Not casual.

I am always a little skeptical of people who say “just smell perfume X because I say so”. This was the chief commentary on Theorema so you can imagine my mindset as I approached it. Well, I have been the one missing out all this time. Theorema is masterpiece of lush oranges with a touch of cream, amber and patchouli and has decent, but not great, sillage. Granted, Theorema does not have the zestiness of Bigarade Concentree (a fellow orange scent) but then again, it is not trying to be sporty. Rather it is trying to convey a sense of luxury, elegance and calm which it succeeds in doing. In case you are wondering how it compares to its Fendi sister, Palazzo, Theorema is much more subtle and has substantially less amber. In fact, Palazzo seems like a brash Theorema "wanna-be".

Per The Perfumed Court, here are the notes: California tangelo, sweet orange, jasmine, osmanthus, spices, cinnamon, pink pepper, cream, amber, macassar, Mysore sandalwood, gaiac wood, and musk.

The scent opens with a somewhat boozy almost masculine note that will quickly fade if you have the right skin, after a while all the notes become a bit more soapy and the true body of the scent becomes more apparent: right at this stage is where the “real” theorema begins and this is where i prefer to start with the notes: if anyone senses a bit of Shalimar in the top notes it wouldn’t be surprising because it has, like Shalimar, tons of bergamot at the top (and just a hint of oranges too) , something I really like. This is definitely a femenine scent in the EDP form, but it feels like if it were a professional woman that makes hard decisions while having a softer side to her and yet another one, a sexy one. The citrus opening tones down a bit and the surprinsingly soft vanilla appears in the mid notes –I know that it sits at the basenotes in the pyramid but to me the vanilla kicks in very early- along with the spices, the sexy but more assured part of the fragrance.The flowers come in at the mid notes as well, but these flowers are very soft and almost creamy, the jasmin is very pretty but won’t overpower the composition at all. Of the spices we find: cardamom, cinnamon,a bit of pepper and the softest, lightest cumin found in a scent, all of this makes the scent a bit more interesting than the regular floriental. Apparently it has a note of cream but thankfully this cream has no milk at all, and it won’t go sour on my skin. Very elegant and luxurious, this EDP can be used at all seasons because it’s not as concentrated as one might expect. It has a luminous quality to it too. The basenotes are a bit gourmand and the vanilla sits very soft but not very sweet and the amber and the woods are very welcomed to an almost unisex base that’s very comfortable and rich but never too opulent nor loud. The sillage is decent but the longevity has some issues. Very nice. I don’t know what is it with companies discontinuing good scents. At least bring it back in the amazing extrait form, wich I would be getting no matter the price.