Victorian Posy (1979)
by Penhaligon's

This most definitely a floral chypre. A glorious English garden erupts in the top notes, a panoply of flowers, with a wonderful sweet rose note topping out all of them. It dries down into a more woodsy coniferous blend with a still luscious floral flirtation eeking through. I bought this for myself to wear because it has something compulsive about it. It smells like a traditional male chypre on male skin, but retains a luscious floral edge to it even in the far drydown. The florals become almost illusive. If you wear this on the back of your hand it will surprise you because you will smell this sweet aura around you evocative of gardenias but when you press nose to flesh you will get thick woods akin to Quorum almost. It is, as is common with Penhaligon's a wonderfully complex fragrance, opulent in its blending. I disagree that it's not unisex, I think it is as unisex as they come. Personally? I love it.

Sharp floral opening, rose and hyacinth, certainly not unisex, seems old fashioned to me

I really enjoyed this scent on paper, an interesting floral chypre among Penhaligon's rather bland concoctions! Unfortunately, it was horrid on skin. Absolutely vile, the worst kind of musty, stale, sickening, cheap 70ies chypre.

Old fashioned, but not musty. Rosy but not drugstore cheap. And dry, dry, dry. I have worn this fragrance for about six years and enjoy it because it is nostalgia in a bottle. It is the fragrance of a favorite great aunt, the one who gave you the really exquisite handmade Barbie doll clothes from those 1950's patterns. She's the one who gave you tea parties and you felt oh so grownup as you sat with her.

On me, it stays a true, dry rose with a distinct powder note like a rose talcum. It is an interesting hot weather fragrance for a nice change when the citruses are too predictable to wear.

It's also a near perfect marriage of fragrance to the image its bottle invokes. That simple (Victorian!) label and blue grosgrain ribbon. What comes out of the bottle onto your skin is just what should.

Victorian Posy is a floral chypre, with a touch of green. It is aromatic, heady and rich; but not cloyingly sweet. It has violets, and pure violet can be sharp, even piercing (in my experience). Here that is softened by jasmine and roses. Amber and patchouli in the drydown give a touch of vanilla and power, with an aromatic pungent note. Everything is in balance, and elegant in an innocently charming sort of way. Evokes a romantic image of English gardens. Feminine, not unisex... something I can appreciate but not wear.

This begins with a dry floral potpourri aroma, dependent on dried roses. There is a fast drydown to patchouli and oakmoss. It was not stunning but I suppose it has its place in the scent world. One would expect to experience this on elderly women and most especially sprayed on their linen hankies.

13 notes:
Top: Lemon, Orange, Hyacinth, Galbanum, Chamomile
Middle: Violet, Jasmine, Rose
Base: Amber, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Oakmoss, Vetiver