Gianfranco Ferré 20 (1998)
by Gianfranco Ferré

Ferre 20 is a marvelously wonderful fragrance released by Gianfranco Ferre in ’98. This one is so nice, it’s hard to believe that Mr Ferre does nothing to market his fragrances. Okay, maybe he makes the effort in Europe. I don’t know that he does or doesn’t, but here in the States his frags are virtually unknown. Of the scents from his house, Ferre 20 and GFF Donna (also known as GFF F) are my favorites. Ferre 20 is elegant and sophisticated and versatile and is a scent I return to again and again. It’s not for girlies, but it’s not a scent that needs to cook on your skin, either. What you smell during the opening notes is what you get, and what you get is this—Ferre 20 opens with Calabrian bergamot, mandarin, and blackberry. Shortly thereafter the middle notes of Bulgarian rose, jasmine and iris of Florence emerge, while the base notes of vanilla, Mysore sandalwood, musk, and Virginia cedarwood round out the whole. Sound good? It is. It’s a smooth, seamless fragrance which strikes a delightfully happy medium between darkness and light and between sweetness and richness. Never cloying or overpowering, Ferre 20 goes from daytime to evening without a hitch. Well balanced, artful, and tantalizing. Elegance in a bottle. Always makes the top five in my favorites list.