Reviews of Organza (1996)
by Givenchy

This is not the first time I've had to eat my words regarding a perfume I tried years ago. I wasn't into it then. Today it is beautiful; soft and powdery, sweet, spicy, and floral, refined, elegant, and assertive. This one is special. I don't see this as an everyday scent, either. It is also very strong, something that out me off it those years ago, but that I love about it now, that I have learned to fear no sillage!

The bottle of this givenchy gem is quite elegant, as is the perfume itself. Honeysuckle and gardenia gently sweeten its smoldering sultry base of nutmeg vanilla and amber. I find Organza to be absolutely an evening fragrance. Rich and very different. I have noticed people occasionally wearing this as a daytime/casual scent which totally puts me off! There is a time and place for everything ~ including Organza!

This is my signature scent and why is that ? It is because its the one perfume i wear that i regulary get compliments on. It is a powdery jasmine infusion and it is covertly sexy.
Organza is a warm floral explosion and i love it.

Givenchy Organza EDP

Notes: Honeysuckle, Rosewood, Gardenia, Ylang-Ylang, Peony, Cedar, Vanilla (from Sephora)

I have read that some people find Organza to be "gourmand", even though my memory of it is more as an oriental, and somewhat reminiscent of Chanel Coco. I used to wear Organza daily when it first came out. In a way, it was my replacement for Coco, which was my signature scent. I love Organza, but never really went head over heels for it. These days, compared to the other woody orientals on offer (Armani Mania, for example), I feel that Organza outdoes most of the newer fragrances in the same genre. It is interesting that I seem to appreciate it more today than I did when I wore it more frequently!

On first spray, Organza is floral and powdery, with a hint of peppery spice. There is no particular flower that comes forward for me, but the bouquet tends more toward the "white" side of floral, and has some kind of synergistic effect that recalls spicy carnation. As the top notes settle, I smell creamy wood and sweet vanilla, although the floral notes are really much louder than the base at this point. Regardless, the base seems to deepen the brightness of the floral notes--heady flower nectar meets soothing woody amber. This is one of those fragrances that smells different depending on what distance I take. If I sniff very close to my arm, the florals become intoxicating. If I sniff a bit further away, I smell more of the powder, vanilla and spice. Either way the fragrance is STRONG...not quite the powerhouse that Coco is, but very close.

Eventually the floral notes mellow, and the powder retains a sort of astringent, biting quality that gives the composition some sharpness. The vanilla comes out more at this stage and is soft and sweet. I hesitate to say it is an edible vanilla, but it seems to walk the line--probably a little more vanilla and the fragrance would fall onto the spiced cookie side of the fence. The creamy wood I smelled earlier is not so apparent, although my experience with some orientals is that the woods become so much part of the amber base that they almost can't be distinguished. I actually like when this happens, as I really don't enjoy cedar fragrances that smell like pencil shavings or a hamster cage. In Organza, the wood is smooth and subtle, and probably has some sandalwood sweetening the cedar. I also wonder if there is patchouli in the fragrance, even though it is not listed as one of the notes. Sometimes patchouli has a peppery quality to it that is almost-but-not-quite spice. I keep smelling this peppery note, but it really does not smell like pepper spice.

As I move around, I catch whiffs from a distance, and the vanilla is so lovely--in the drydown it is the central attraction but does not become syrupy or go toward vanilla extract. Since my skin really dries things out, it is possible this could go very sweet on some. As for me, the sweetness is muted, and the vanilla has a fluffy cloud-like quality. The woods continue to be creamy and also a bit sweet. This is where the family resemblance to Organza Indecence comes out, and I love this part of the fragrance development.

In the late drydown, the floral notes are mostly faded, leaving behind a sweet vanilla amber that is soft and a touch powdery. The development went faster than I expected--about 2 hours to get to the base notes, and 6 hours later, the fragrance is mostly a skin scent. I think this is what Estee Lauder Amber Ylang Ylang really wants to be--a soft floral over sweet vanilla amber. To me, Organza does this far more successfully, although the top notes are rather penetrating at first. It is also at this late stage that I can say the vanilla becomes slightly more edible and custard-like, but still keeps arms length from being foody because of the light powder.

I would expect honeysuckle which is weak and transparent in nature would be shadowed by gardenia. But some how it stay there equally. These two are parallel notes and the scent is balanced with two other focuses; jasmine and amber. The result is a very feminine wonderful classic.

Organza isn't a bad fragrance by any means, but I found it to be a little overbearing even with one spray. Very floral with a base of amber and vanilla. Wouldn't consider it for everyday use, but great for a night out. My wife likes vanilla fragrances and she thought this one was much like Shalimar...except not as deep.
I didn't care for it one way or another...I personally prefer more citrusy fragrances for my wife to wear. But as far as quality goes, this is up there.

I am so glad I tried this on me today. Beautiful scent. It smells light and delicious and seems to suit me (a DARK complexioned 33 year old) nicely. I wish it wasn't so common; I'm pretty sure I smell this scent on someone almost everywhere I go.

This is like the Christmas pudding.We all love it once a year but not for everyday.Too sweet and beautiful , but who wants cakes for breakfast , lunch and dinner?.

Organza is the fragrance that my husband loves. This is the one he would always buy for me and ask me to wear. I also love it, so unique, so romantic and so joyous in the same time. If Amarige is Mariage, then Organza is the honeymoon. The flower and the wood, so nicely combined: honeysuckle and sandalwood. Absolute success from my point of view!

This is a gloriously light and lovely fragrance that smells quite nice on me, but doesn't make me swoon. I like heavier perfumes. Having said that, this is a fragrance that everyone should go and test. It is easily available and often on sale. In general I have found that it suits younger people, up to 35, and those with a fair complexion. Definitely worth a sniff.

This one’s a beauty. Delicate, floral, with a modicum of spice kept discreet. I think the secret of Organza is the base that quietly provides a rich but translucent wood / amber background from the beginning to end: It provides more of a texture rather than an olfactory accord, and this grounds the fragrance in a natural and comfortable ambiance while the remainder of the accords flirt with the elegance of florals and discreet spices. The opening florals – gardenia taking prominence to my nose – are rich and are balanced with touches of bergamot, green, nutmeg, and wood. Nutmeg is a tricky spice to use in a fragrance, and I believe the parsimonious yet adequate use of nutmeg here is an important key to the success of Organza. The heart florals are led by ylang-ylang and Jasmine, to my nose, and continue their full spectrumed exposure in a discreet and elegant way with the assistance of the nutmeg from the top and the vanilla from the base. The base is a beautifully rounded classic vanilla and amber joined with an elegant wood combination. This is a very warm floral that is both ethereal AND grounded.

I ordered it online after seeing all the thumbs-up given to it.
It has just arrived and it's as scrumptious as I'd hoped, I can't stop sniffing myself ... yum yum yum. So fresh and light, not at all overpowering.
I love it!!!

Oh, I get the sandalwood in the drydown too! It is my current favorite -even edging out Rush... Sexy... makes me drool.

one of my all time sexual fav.
this smells like sex to me, just plain seduction in a bottle

This one is to me (the EDP i mean) the female version of Givenchy's own PI (the EDT that is).
We know how it goes like: vanilla cake, amber, jasmine and gardenia. You might encounter also some honeysuckle, ylang, sandalwood, cedar, tuberose and orange blossom, see, the thing is, i think this one was reformulated as well over the years and we now get only gardenia, jasmine and vanilla, according to Givenchy. This is a wonderful gourmand, creamy, elegant and not crazy sweet(or spicy) like its sister O.Indécence or lightlike the very bland, lame O.First light.
cheers!

I asked on the starting out forum if there was a wonderful oriental fragrance that had lots of Vanilla and Nutmeg. Sandalwood and Jasmine would be a plus. Several mentioned that I should try Organza. Well I bought a bottle and wow!!! When I found out Givenchy was pronounced Shee von Shee, I felt like a nitwit having asked where the geeveenchy was. Oh well. The smell just melds together so magnificently and smells so expensive. Just love it.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this one. Its the only perfume thats gone straight from the magazine strip to my perfume collection in less than a day. It is my favorite perfume for winter nights out. Heck, its my facorite perfume for anytime period. Just picking up the bottle and taking a whiff makes me smile.

Elegant and sultry and seductive. Never let it be said that the house that Hubert built is faltering.

A wonderfully dressed up in evening gown smell. Very delicious and definitely for the evening. It's warm, elegant, and very well made, and the bottle design clearly depicts what's inside.