Antonia's Flowers (1985)
by Antonia's Flowers

Imagine the smell of yellow freesia's....strong, spicy, fresh and clean. Those are the opening notes of Antonia's flowers. After the initial dry off, it settles down to a fine fresh freesia, with a hint of carnation and bergamot to my nose....good longevity, just the right amount of sillage, and fun to wear. My nose does not detect the soapy. I don't care whether I am a male wearing a feminine fragrance. It is one of my favorites.

22nd June, 2011.

For the first fifteen minutes or so it's difficult to pick out individual notes here, it's just a bunch of fresh, sweet flowers. Then suddenly the most beautiful freesia note throws itself forward with lots of sillage, it's very true to the real flower & just keeps on going. lt's quite a retro scent, but perfect if you want to smell like a spring flower, & very good quality. Nice!

13rd September, 2010.

This is available in EDP, EDT and pure parfum, (which sells as Absoluto).
I prefer the EDP over the EDT, which is a very pleasant, non-jarring floral.

however, i was WOWED by Absoluto, so I"ll focus on htat one. Absoluto is a luscious, sharp, gloriously crafted floral green. Picture yourself stepping out into a verdant valley in springtime, blanketed by wild flowers and saturated with warm sunshine.

it opens a little dry, as there is no rose here to add that dewy touch. All of the notes are on the raspy side, which is why the verdant valley is in the rockies and not in a tropical paradise. What i love, though, is how clean, crisp and vibrant this wears.

I'll even say, quietly, that I'm debating between Chamade and Absoluto. Will most likely get both - This one is irresistible.

4th April, 2010.

I found this fragrance when I was 21. It set the bar for me. Although the freesia is what attracted me, I kept feeling as if I was smelling a hint of Earl Grey tea, only to later learn that that was Bergamot, not tea. Like my screen name says, I'm a newbie to the nuances of the world of fragrance. I was surprised to read that Bergamot is not one of the "scents", overtone, undertone, base scent, whatever it's called (sorry for those who are offended by ignorance, but feel free to enlighten me) in this fragrance. I still smell it, though, as though it were similar to Earl Grey tea in some way. When I ran out years ago, the store I bought it from no longer carried it, and I had not been able to find it locally. I searched in vain for a fragrance similar to Antonia's Flowers. Last week I finally found it again-- online-- and I felt as if a close friend had come home from a long absence.

25th January, 2010.

I sniffed this on another woman first. I felt a flashback to licking the ends of honeysuckles as a child, and I simultaneously felt the euphoric rush of falling in love in spring. It's glorious!!!

17th December, 2008.

From the beginning, notes of lemon, bergamot and freesia burst forth! Yes, it does remind me of opening the door and walking into a florist's shop! Fresh, bright and a touch soapy - in a good way! I don't detect any anise here, as others have mentioned. The drying phase brings the most lovely muguet fragrance I've ever smelled...not too sweet, definitely not cloying...the green notes presented here are along the lines of Sheldrake's greens in his wonderful floral creation (for Serge Lutens) A La Nuit. The tenderness of Antonia's Flowers reminds me too of L'Artisan's La Chasse Aux Papillons, extremely polite in it's floral presence. I cannot imagine this scent offending anyone...even those who don't love flowery fragrances! In the category of "fresh/floral" this one ranks right at the top!

21st September, 2008.