Armani Privé Pierre de Lune (2004)
by Giorgio Armani

This was the first Privé I tested for a review. If I thought all the Privé fragrances were like this, it would have been my last. Not that it’s terrible – it’s actually very nice, but I certainly don’t see it as belonging to a premium line. I think “premium” should stand for something more than “nice smelling” and “competent,” and this one doesn’t make the A grade: It is competent, nicely made, and uninspired. It is powdery and a little green and a little leathery. The notes in Armani Privé Pierre de Lune are attractive and refined, but still, all that I smell a very good non-premium iris fragrance. There are more than several iris fragrances that are better than this and sell for more reasonable prices. It IS nice, though.

4th December, 2010.

Despite being flat, as Iris-focused scents can be (Think of Hiris by Hermes), I do like this archaic scent. In this simple and decidedly unisex frag I find Violet Leaves, powdery Violet Flower and Iris (I note Iris only in the form of Orris, the aged root used as a fixative; I get no fresh Iris). Orris can create a soft powdery floral, as well as woodsy fixative notes. I do not classify this a a Floral scent in modern terms. The Armani site deems it "Sensual, Floral, & Woody". It is a little dreary, but very comforting, like a rainy day.

Interestingly, PdL's drydown is eerily similar to a bottle of vintage 40s Narcisse Noir pure parfum that came in a coffret I received as a gift, although the two bear few note similarities. I will do more research, but welcome any thoughts.

30th January, 2009.

Pierre de Lune is light, understated and kind of hard to get acquainted with, rather like when you have to make an effort to get a shy child to warm up to you but but once you do, it is very rewarding. There is no one dominant scent note. This is a perfume that evokes a sense of coziness and comfort. In a good way, it smelled like a cotton towel fresh from the dryer (without the involvement of Bounce or other fabric softeners) or my skin fresh from the shower, before putting any perfume on. I was quite suprised by the "warm" aspect of Pierre de Lune since normally iris is a cold scent to me. It would be a great perfume to give someone who likes light fragrances or who is kind of scared of perfume in general.

26th April, 2008.

of course it's natural that armani should produce a high end niche perfume product for less than mass consumption and not strange at all! Giorgio is a man of many moods, I'm sure!

what I get from this one with my rough descriptive powers to date is: ivory soap, incense, a tiny bit of spice. I love it and am glad I was able to buy a dinged bottle of it cheap on ebay!

wish the reference to Arnold Schönberg's seminal "Pierrot Lunaire" had been made even more explicit in the naming of this fragrance, but any reference to the great 1912 opus is gratifying!

8th April, 2007.

An old-fashioned floral, powdery and a little musty. Also cool, watery almost, some might call it fresh. I mostly get violets and there are other violet scents I'd rather wear.

20th March, 2007.