Ferré (2005)
by Gianfranco Ferré

Smelling Ferré is like visualizing imaginary pale purple ribbons trailing from your wrists as you carry this scent into the world. It finds the common angle of iris, woods, berries, aldehydes, musks. It shows a textbook evolution with the tight yet extravagant range of its topnotes moving to a compressed woody-floral drydown with a surprising resemblance of construction, if not scent, to the drydown of Patou's 1000. Throughout the evolution from top to base, Ferré continues to suggest its purple hue, but because of its tight focus feels like a stripe rather than a large swath of color.

For those who love the pretty-boy aspect of Dior Homme, Ferré is one assured step further in that direction.

8th September, 2011. (Last Edited: 24th September, 2011.)

This is a fruity little iris fragrance that is lush, rich and very wearable.
The opening is thick and luscious fruit, with the pineapple standing out to me. But this fruit is rich and well blended into the theme of the fragrance - the iris.
The iris is introduced as a soft powder, supported by a floral blend that highlights magnolia and jasmine. The magnolia creaminess offsets the powder for a delightful soft scent.
The drydown gets a little Kenzo-ish with the basmati rice note popping up, but it rights itself with some faint wood and vetiver. Never crisp, but instead, blended softness.
Possibly a very distant cousin, at best, to Malle's Iris Poudre, but a nice iris based fragrance in it's own right. It is certainly worth a sniff for those that might struggle with earthy iris, as this is as smooth as it gets for an iris-centric fragrance. Beautiful use of fruit notes, well blended soft florals with an easy and smooth drydown.
Worth the very reasonable cost of admission!

8th April, 2011. (Last Edited: 14th April, 2011.)

This is a totally gorgeous scent!
I adore this way it uses iris as the main player -
utilising the roots, leaves and flowers to make sure
it is not overlooked! I feel so pampered and confident
when I wear this gem by Pierre Boudon.

13rd June, 2010.

I really love this. It's fabulously summery and somehow... salubrious. The golden-fruitiness reminds me of the smell of the skin of a really ripe melon - as well as being sweet and juicy there is something dusty and slightly earthy going on there too. There is also a touch of the sort of high quality, collagen-enriched shampoo I was subject to at hair salons in the eighties.

After the fruit wears off there is a comforting, sweet starchy smell, which I guess is some sort of sweet floral, and is appealing without being too obviously culinary. This fits in with what mbanderson61 has said about basmati rice. This fragrance doesn't last very long on me, but could be usefully worn to work to feel like you've just got back from your holidays.

5th May, 2010.

Gorgeous! I agree with mbanderson that this scent is well blended. Everything compliments everything, and I really have no complaints with this one. I love the fruit notes which are smoother and more realistic than most I've smelled and not at all syrupy/sugary. Artificial but tastefully so- not obnoxiously, cheaply, sloppily artificial but more refined than other scents. It also doesn't burn my nose which is a plus. A feel good scent which makes me feel young and happy and carefree. Though it was made in 2005, Ferre reminds me of scents I smelled as an early adolescent in the 90s. Maybe the Calgon spray that's supposed to smell like rain? Except this one is so much better. Makes me feel innocent- and reminds me of long lost adventures with long lost friends. Which is pretty impressive since I'm sure I've never smelled it before!

23rd August, 2009.

Much confusion surrounds the various Ferre fragrances, whose names all contain the name "Ferre" and seemingly little else. The fragrance reviewed by the previous reviewer actually appears to be the 2005 Ferre Eau de Cologne (Bergamotto Marino), also by Bourdon. Ferre by Gianfranco Ferre should also not be confused with Ferre by Ferre (a floral aldehyde from 1991) or with Gianfranco Ferre (a floral from 1984).

Ferre by Gianfranco Ferre (Bourdon 2005) is a rich, warm fragrance with nectar-laden top notes that remind us of the reason why fruit notes really do belong in perfumes. Yes, pineapple and melon can be gorgeous if they are not amped-up with an artificial sweetness. Combined with the lightness of iris leaves, they float away and reveal a heart of iris petals, ylang ylang, jasmine and other florals. The notes are extraordinarilly well blended, with only the iris and perhaps magnolia asserting dominance. Iris appears again in the base, along with basmati rice, amber, sandalwood, vanilla and musk. The base is soft and warm, sweet, but not cloying.

Ferre is rightly compared to Iris Poudre, also by Bourdon, however, where Iris Poudre is sparkling and translucent from the aldehydes, Ferre is opaque. I love to compare them, one on each arm. I have a preference for IP, however the Ferre is growing on me each time I wear it.

Top Notes: Calabrian bergamot, melon, pineapple, iris leaves
Heart Notes: Ylang, magnolia, freesia, lily-of-the-valley, rose, jasmine, iris flower
Base Notes: Iris root, sandalwood, basmati rice, vanilla, amber, musk

24th August, 2008.