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Lorenzo Villoresi - Who?

post #1 of 18
8/20/05 at 6:51pm
Thread Starter 
I bought heaps of scents in Italy, mainly as presents.
When relatives invited us over for dinner, the lady of the house got a bottle of designer perfume from me (with the exception of my cousin, who got a bottle of Aqua di Parma Colonnia Assoluta).
Naturally enough, there was some discussion of scents.
What amazed me was how nobody I spoke to in such conversations had ever heard of Lorenzo Villoresi scents (and I mean it literally - nobody).
The women in the shop that sold every niche range imaginable (which I mentioned in a previous post) seemed quite surprised that I was familiar with the LV scents that they carried, and that shop was the only one that carried it out of the 5 or 6 high end niche shops I went into in my travels, whereas Aqua de Parma, Artisan, Floris etc. were in all of those shops.

Which makes me wonder.
There was a time some four years ago when LV was unheard of here at Basenotes.
Then someone here "discovered" him, and he's been part of our vocabulary ever since.
Does anybody remember who got the LV ball rolling?
Renato
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post #2 of 18
8/20/05 at 11:08pm
When i first arrived, i encountered Lorenzo's name as uttered by a certain rotund mod who loves to wear drags (during Helloween anyway). He was propounding the sublime qualities of a certain Piper Nigrum from the Villoresi stable. I present to you, the ever gorgeous - Mr Paul Gamboa!!!
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post #3 of 18
8/21/05 at 12:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Renato

What amazed me was how nobody I spoke to in such conversations had ever heard of Lorenzo Villoresi scents (and I mean it literally - nobody).
The women in the shop that sold every niche range imaginable (which I mentioned in a previous post) seemed quite surprised that I was familiar with the LV scents that they carried, and that shop was the only one that carried it out of the 5 or 6 high end niche shops I went into in my travels, whereas Aqua de Parma, Artisan, Floris etc. were in all of those shops.


Conversations in Australia or in Italy ? It does not really matter, I suppose. With few exceptions in Venezia, Milano and Roma, next to nobody knows LV in Italy, I am almost sure. And how should people really know? Nobody pushes him in movie houses, on TV, or in (many) magazines. He can be proud and happy to have gotten as far as he did, seemingly without paid-for appetizers and based on the quality of the perfumes instead, plus on his immense artistry and secure taste!
He can happily keep all those Dollars for himself which are normally spent on propaganda for many mediocre to average scents.
I learnt about LV h e r e, just as I first heard about HannesBs Cologne h e r e, and not in Zurich where I am presently at home. Basenotes is a scentmans hothouse for contageous bugs affecting those inside but harmless in the climate of the regular world. If I try to spread the bug in the outer spheres people show me that blank face of utter boredom. The bug then just freezes into a silent death.

Quite in contrast to LV, Acqua di Parma has become known at about the same time all over the world like a Hollywood movie. You wonder why? Ask LVMH! It is a nice little fairy tale about that old factory revived by three courageous men and good old friends. In fact we are dealing with another Ch. Dior here, kept on a more exclusive level, i.e. not in each Department store. Same shelves, same Deco, same time: London, Paris, New York. Cute little gem from Parma they said 'mixed together and stirred by hand'. Did I hear that properly? It doesnt matter, the juice is faultless and that's what we really care about!

p. s. I very much enjoyed your European trip tales, Renato, when I read them a few days ago. I feel quite with you for getting a bit fed up with Hotel refrigerator rip offs. An individual traveller pays way too much at most Hotels anyway. So the majority of Europeans travel in a group with next to everything preferably paid in advance, a fraction of what it costs you individually. In turn, everything you do is also pre-arranged and you get free afternoons or a morning here and there on your own simply a horror! (How would you like a bus trip through the town of Grasse with one stop at some obscure manufacturer, the one your guide has the best offer from. --- The Louvre visit and LArtisan were other fun episodes!

[smiley=2vrolijk_08.gif]
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post #4 of 18
8/21/05 at 2:55pm
To many Italians (including my father) the name Villoresi rings a bell, but most people are more likely to recall Lorenzo's uncle Luigi, a well-known racing driver from the 1930's.

Quote:
The Villoresi family was well known in Milan. When Luigi was born in 1909 his father ran a company generating electricity for the city, but it was his grandfather who was the most famous member of the family. He built a large canal taking water from the river Ticino near Milan's present-day Malpensa airport to irrigate that part of Lombardia. In recognition it was called Canale Villoresi and the name is still marked on maps of the area.

http://8w.forix.com/villoresi.html
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post #5 of 18
8/21/05 at 10:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by narcus

[quote author=Renato link=1124589085/0#0 date=1124589085]
What amazed me was how nobody I spoke to in such conversations had ever heard of Lorenzo Villoresi scents (and I mean it literally - nobody).
The women in the shop that sold every niche range imaginable (which I mentioned in a previous post) seemed quite surprised that I was familiar with the LV scents that they carried, and that shop was the only one that carried it out of the 5 or 6 high end niche shops I went into in my travels, whereas Aqua de Parma, Artisan, Floris etc. were in all of those shops.


Conversations in Australia or in Italy ? Â* It Â*does not really matter, I suppose. With few exceptions in Venezia, Milano and Roma, next to nobody knows LV in Italy, I am almost sure.


p. s. I very much enjoyed your European trip tales, Renato, when I read them a few days ago. I feel quite with you for getting a bit fed up with Hotel Ârefrigerator rip offsÂ. An individual traveller pays way too much at most Hotels anyway. So the majority of Europeans travel in a group with next to everything preferably paid in advance, a fraction of what it costs you individually. In turn, everything you do is also pre-arranged and you get Âfree afternoons or a morning here and there on your own  simply a horror! (How would you like a bus trip through the town of Grasse with one stop at some obscure manufacturer, the one your guide has the best offer from. --- The Louvre visit and LÂArtisan were other fun episodes!

Â*[smiley=2vrolijk_08.gif]

[/quote]
The conversations were in Italy.

Glad you liked my travel tales. I must say that I had thought about the bus trip idea, and immediately rejected the notion - the thought of having to be ready with your luggage every morning at 7am, was too much to bear. To me a holiday has to be at a leisurely pace, which is what we did.

It concerns me that I've listed several hotel gripes, but left off the praises - services that I wasn't expecting, but actually got. Among them were,
a. The Hotel Torino in Rome arranging for a driver and car to take us and a young American couple to the airport - at a fixed reasonable rate - on the morning when a public transport strike suddenly came into effect.
b. The fabulous breakfasts at Hotel Torino, which I didn't know were included in the cost of the room.
c. The way the people at the Radisson Edwardian Heathrow let me extend my stay, at the cheaper internet rate, when I was unexpectedly stranded there due to the BA strike. They could easily have chosen to bump up the rate and take advantage of the situation, but they didn't.
d. The way those same people let us have a shower in there facilities, with towels provided, and freshen up before our flight - many hours after we had checked out and spent a day in London.
e. The Concorde Lafayette in Paris having Eau de Hadrian soap, shampoo and shower gell in their bathrooms - I've been a critic of Eau de Hadrian here, but a week's continual use of it made me like the stuff.
Renato
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post #6 of 18
8/22/05 at 7:52pm
The Bark and I were very vocal supporters of Piper Nigrum. I first got wind of him through Mr. Wormsley and because Marlen included a sample of it in a swap. From that point forward my checking account became a virtual black hole.
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post #7 of 18
8/22/05 at 8:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul G.

The Bark and I were very vocal supporters of Piper Nigrum. Â*I first got wind of him through Mr. Wormsley and because Marlen included a sample of it in a swap. Â* From that point forward my checking account became a virtual black hole. Â*

Yes, it was Paul's gushing reviews that had me lemming. Of course at the time it wasn't available anywhere and on back-order. I even called some little shop in Ohio that I never heard of before and they didn't have it. Unfortunately, this lead to my ordering it from Lafco and THAT infamous delivery debacle. At least I can say I have a back-up on tap ready to go...

A girl I had over last week kept mentioning how my couch pillows smelled awesome, and asked if I sprayed something on them. Nope. Later on, I asked her if the pillows smelled like my shirt... yep! One thing lead to another, and well, she finished by saying that the scent should be banned.

What was I wearing? Kouros! Uh-hem... Just kidding. It was Piper Nigrum.
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post #8 of 18
8/22/05 at 9:12pm
Ahhhhhhhhh... I just went to the old Yahoo! group and did some reading.

Paul, remember the ole Aedes/Villoresi Axis of Evil thread? Hahaha. I found this post I had written, which proves with my latest shipping troubles that the more things change, the more they stay the same. I do have to say that Aedes has been much better... of course, I only order from them but maybe once a year now.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __
Andrew,

There was nothing personal intended towards you in my post. You'd
have to read back through some of my posts stating my frustration
with AEDES over the last several months to understand why I posted
what I did. Just to give you a quick run-down of events:

Ordered Nostalgia from AEDES in April, paying 3 day delivery
charges. It was sent regular ground, and arrived with a leak--
approx. 75% full. I called them and had it shipped back.

A couple of weeks go by, and I inquire about the replacement. They
respond the order should be in the next few days.

I wait a week to follow up, now it's next week.

I give them two weeks, follow up again. Now they're not expecting
it for another week.

I give them two more weeks, follow up again. At this point, I
decide to mention that I had also paid 3 day shipping and had it
arrive ground--huge difference when you live on the other end of the
country. They said they would ship it once it arrived in at 3 day,
with no additional charges.

I wait another week, and they say it's now going to be three more
weeks, and that they're disappointed at this point as well. I
inquire about getting Piper Nigrum, they tell me they're expecting a
shipment in from LV the Monday after Memorial Day.

I follow up the Wednesday after. Nope, it's not in yet, and they're
expecting it in two weeks because the warehouse is being moved. I
ask WHAT do they have in stock, and decide on MUSK. They agree to
charge my account the difference and ship it three day at no
additional expense.

I get the tracking number via e-mail, and look it up--it's been sent
ground--5 days. Which means 5 business days, which means I won't
get it in time to send of with a package I had hoped to send back
east for Father's day.

You're posting, saying how surprised you were to have received the
package the next day, is what had me fall out of my chair and onto
the floor, laughing so hard I was almost in tears. Don't get me
wrong, I'm happy you didn't have to go through what I have.

I'm sure the guys at AEDES are doing the best under the
circumstances, but I just wish for a little more honesty and
competence. Like I mentioned in a recent post, I grow impatient
pretty quick, and felt like I've done all I could on this one. I'm
not sure if I'll be using them again or not at this point, but to
say I've been less than pleased with the service to date on this
particular order is an understatement.
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post #9 of 18
8/23/05 at 10:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Bark

[quote author=Paul G. link=1124589085/0#5 date=1124765547]The Bark and I were very vocal supporters of Piper Nigrum. Â*I first got wind of him through Mr. Wormsley and because Marlen included a sample of it in a swap. Â* From that point forward my checking account became a virtual black hole. Â*

Yes, it was Paul's gushing reviews that had me lemming. Â*Of course at the time it wasn't available anywhere and on back-order. Â*I even called some little shop in Ohio that I never heard of before and they didn't have it. Â*Unfortunately, this lead to my ordering it from Lafco and THAT infamous delivery debacle. Â*At least I can say I have a back-up on tap ready to go...

A girl I had over last week kept mentioning how my couch pillows smelled awesome, and asked if I sprayed something on them. Â*Nope. Â*Later on, I asked her if the pillows smelled like my shirt... yep! Â*One thing lead to another, and well, she finished by saying that the scent should be banned.

What was I wearing? Â*Kouros! Â*Uh-hem... Just kidding. Â*It was Piper Nigrum. Â*[/quote]


So Piper Nigrum is a knicker loosener?
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post #10 of 18
1/18/06 at 1:47pm
Where can I purchase Lorenzo Villoresi perfumes (piper nigrum in oil base, musk in oil base) in Venice, Trieste, Bologna, or Turin?
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post #11 of 18
1/19/06 at 12:47pm
it's currently under construction but there will be a website soon www.lorenzovilloresi.it where hopefully everyone who wants something from the company will be able to order what they want ,unless they do a serge lutens on you non eec types but i cant see that happening myself
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post #12 of 18
1/19/06 at 1:27pm
Thank you.
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post #13 of 18
1/19/06 at 1:42pm
Hi all,

Ah ha! So...tis PAUL, BARK, MIL and MARLEN (and I am sure a host of other long time BN members) I have to thank for turning me onto LORENZO VILLORESI fragrances! Some (almost) three years later, PIPER NIGRUM remains in my TOP FIVE favorite fragrances! I recall a thread I posted over two years ago seeking advice about what fragrance I should wear to my (dear God) 30th. High School reunion (I think it was my JAMES BOND thread). Anyway...PIPER NIGRUM was my SOTE and it was a big hit! LV VETIVER is also EXCELLENT! Thanks again all for your help.

Regards,
SixCats!
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post #14 of 18
6/26/09 at 5:13am
Loved reading about your travel, Renato -- I share your opinion that holidays have to be leisurely. But the real reason of this bump : I have Piper Nigrum on my arm and I cannot get over how sublime it smells. The exquisitely effervescent mentholated opening serves as a prologue to the most realistic spiced black pepper accord I've smelled, ever. Very charismatic "trademark Villoresi" handling -- the same of which I've observed in his other scents like Incensi, Sandalo and Spezie too, to name just a few.

I want to lick my arm where I've sprayed this, but I don't think it'll taste as good as it smells
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post #15 of 18
6/26/09 at 7:33am
Renato: There are top of the line Oudhs and Attars available locally here..saying so, i only have Montales from paris and none of the good, affordable stuff which is avaible right here, in our town, where i live...so, does that make me smarter and the oudh market ignorant or the other way round...?
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post #16 of 18
6/26/09 at 8:09am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amit View Post

Loved reading about your travel, Renato -- I share your opinion that holidays have to be leisurely. But the real reason of this bump : I have Piper Nigrum on my arm and I cannot get over how sublime it smells. The exquisitely effervescent mentholated opening serves as a prologue to the most realistic spiced black pepper accord I've smelled, ever. Very charismatic "trademark Villoresi" handling -- the same of which I've observed in his other scents like Incensi, Sandalo and Spezie too, to name just a few.

I want to lick my arm where I've sprayed this, but I don't think it'll taste as good as it smells

This was a surprise trip down memory lane.

I like Piper Nigrum but never bought it - as any scent with a bit of pepper in it sends my wife into sneezing fits when she's around me. I'm a bit like you though, Piper Nigrum, Incensi, Sandalo and Spezie are very sniffable on my wrist, but I thought only Sandalo really projected. But to me, LV Vetiver is the absolute stand out.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, my subsequent trip to Italy two years later was a different story altogether with respect to Lorenzo Villoresi scents. Someone over there must have read Basenotes, because in sharp contrast to the earlier visit, it was in just about every high end store we went into.
Renato
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post #17 of 18
6/26/09 at 8:17am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jenson View Post

Renato: There are top of the line Oudhs and Attars available locally here..saying so, i only have Montales from paris and none of the good, affordable stuff which is avaible right here, in our town, where i live...so, does that make me smarter and the oudh market ignorant or the other way round...?

I can't answer that, but at least you know they are there.

Imagine if after reading about them here, I'd bought an Oudh and sampled a few Attars. And then I went on a trip to your country, and when I asked about them, found that no one I spoke to knew about them.
Renato
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post #18 of 18
6/26/09 at 9:14am
Where can i obtain LV samples ? it's Adelaide here .
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