Black Violet (2007)
by Tom Ford

Very dark mossy fragrance leaning on the womanly side, with a certain dosage of umidity and viscosity and full of floral sophistication. There is a touch of camphoraceous crudity in the perception of this smell but it is not definitely a drawback. The chord of strong initial hesperides, fruits, mysterious flowers and central violet produces an averagely dry femininity in the air but the following woodsy-mossy (woods and oakmoss) development balances a bit the scale towards the manly side. The powerful presence of oakmoss doesn't overstate the velvety and sensual trail of sophisticated flowers although its boise'  presence is a bit shadowed by an excess of artificial fruity-floral sweetness. A mysterious dark cypre a bit too minimalistic and stressed in some of its elements (florals, oakmoss, violet). Impressing longevity, powerful projection.

30th September, 2011.

l find this to be a very dark fragrance; very woody, with (l swear) a lot of oudh, & something wickedly sweet deep in it's heart. For me this smells much more "masculine" than Black Orchid, & therefore it's not for me, but l respect it for it's depth & tenacity nonetheless. l would love to smell this on a guy.

5th July, 2011.

I got a sample from the SA at Neiman Marcus. I had no idea what this scent was until I put it on. It seems to be a lighter version of Black Orchid. That is not a bad thing, but I already own Black Orchid. However, if you do not own Black Orchid this is worthy of a trial to see if you like it. It is sweet and the violet is not a pronounced part of the mix, but it is plesant. As with alot of Tom Ford Private Blend it lends itself well to layering. At times I think that Tom Ford expects his fans to purchase sevral Private Blends to wear by themselves and to mix and match with layering thus creating a multitude of various flavors.

2nd March, 2011.

A very interesting, dark floral unisex. This may well be the most mysterious frag in my collection, and that alone justifies its existence among exclusive company. The violet note is alluring and almost hypnotic. There is a definite feminine bent to this scent, which gives it a daring, sensual air on the confident male wearer. It's bold, but eminently more wearable and calm than it's chubby cousin, Black Orchid. For males (or females) seeking to cultivate an air of excitement and mystery, this is worth the price of purchase.

2nd February, 2011.

I as yet have not tried BV. was really looking for something similar to stephen jones by comme de garacon, which is quite deep and full of violet notes, I simply love sharp flowery violet fragrances, perhaps you could suggest?

6th April, 2010.

What I love about Black Violet is its bold claim in my collection as being the darkest of feminine perfumes. Sure it could be unisex, but Black Violet is more towards feminine than Tom Ford's Japon Noir, which I also own. After being charmed by Black Violet, I was curious about its more popular cousin, Black Orchid. I suppose, my tastes have gotten pretty skewed, but Black Orchid just comes off as noxious goo to me. I'm far more enchanted by the classic Opium Extrait than Black Orchid. If I wanted to layer Opium even darker, Black Violet is a clever potion to have in the bag of tricks, as it is focused enough to be nearly an accord, and can layer quite well.

With all that, what does it smell like? It's an uber dark luxuriously inky floral with some earthy bite from the oakmoss. Not for the timid, not for daytime, not for a summer dress or bright happy colors. Black Violet is mysteriously dark and deep, elegantly assertive, and potentially naughty in sophisticated ways.

23rd March, 2010.