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Getting To Grips With Victorian Posy by Penhalgon's

post #1 of 16
3/10/09 at 4:20pm
Thread Starter 
This is probably one of the great enigmas of the Penhaligon's line.

Overshadowed by the Blenheims and Hammams and Malabahs, this is actually a rather wonderful fragrance.

It's not a female fragrance. Let's get that straight from the get go.

It's unisex.

On male skin this is a deeply woody floral chypre.

It's also quite a lovely deep rose scent on the top. Sure, the rose is supported by jasmine and violet, but don't expect the violet violence of Grey Flannel.

The jasmine adds sweet florals to the rose, but the underpinnings of Sandalwood, Amber and Patchouli ensure that this is a very eminently wearable fragrance for men. Male skin projects the woods with a hint of rose, it's actually a very lovely combination. If you like the deep woods of Quorum, but would like a lighter aura around it, but done in the beautifully balanced way Penhaligon's do things, Victorian Posy is for you.

If you dismissed this first time around because other gaudy nosegays whored themselves to your olfactory decadence, give it another try. It really is quite lovely. And lasts forever - how many Bond No9s can claim that?
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post #2 of 16
3/10/09 at 4:43pm
I'm glad you brought this up. I bought this blind and it was not what I was expecting. I was thinking more- Edwardian Bouquet. But it is dry violet? Kind of like Hamman only drier. I don't think it works for me. But I only tried it once.
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post #3 of 16
3/10/09 at 4:50pm
Thread Starter 
Try it again. On a woman's skin the florals are heightened. It is less sweet than Hammam which is more rose and powder on the drydown. I am a big lover of male florals and, since they are coming back into fashion this one to consider.
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post #4 of 16
3/10/09 at 5:15pm
I will give it another try. It was just so different from the 'bouquet' effect I imagined. It has the shave cream dri-down similar to Hamman, I guess. I thought Hamman would be good on a young man like my 13 yr old nephew. I doubt he would be caught dead with the bottle with a bouquet of roses on the front, however. I could really imagine this light fresh smell on him. He is fair (red head) and teen age boys won't wash their clothes or wear deodorant, and when you are around them, you really wish they would. I have a feeling my sister would appreciate a change for the better scent-wise, but I don't know if a rose scent will ever be accepted on principle by an adolescent. It's too bad because I've heard from grade school teachers that there is so much Axe in the air-vents it's unbearable. That combined with unwashed gym clothes is not a pretty picture. Maybe I'll send him a decant in a plain vial.
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post #5 of 16
3/11/09 at 12:15am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kumquat View Post

I will give it another try. It was just so different from the 'bouquet' effect I imagined. It has the shave cream dri-down similar to Hamman, I guess. I thought Hamman would be good on a young man like my 13 yr old nephew. I doubt he would be caught dead with the bottle with a bouquet of roses on the front, however. I could really imagine this light fresh smell on him. He is fair (red head) and teen age boys won't wash their clothes or wear deodorant, and when you are around them, you really wish they would. I have a feeling my sister would appreciate a change for the better scent-wise, but I don't know if a rose scent will ever be accepted on principle by an adolescent. It's too bad because I've heard from grade school teachers that there is so much Axe in the air-vents it's unbearable. That combined with unwashed gym clothes is not a pretty picture. Maybe I'll send him a decant in a plain vial.


I'm not sure Edwardian Posy would be right for a young lad. It's darker and more woodsy on male skin than it is on female. Possibly more mature than his years I think. I still don't think it's like Hammam which has a lighter rosy powder to it than Edwardian Posy, which has a much deeper, darker rose to it than Hammam which is sweet Turkish Rose.
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post #6 of 16
3/11/09 at 1:27am
My first (and so far only) Penhaligon's. Sniffed it first time at the Basenotes Lunch in 2007 and was instantly smitten. I rarely go for Florals but this is incredible! It has a nice dose of my favourite green note: galbanum.
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post #7 of 16
3/11/09 at 8:37am
Is it less powdery than Hammam Bouquet?
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post #8 of 16
3/11/09 at 10:39am
HDS1963, this is a most interesting thread. This is the only one of Penhaligon's line that I have not tried. As you have pricked my curiosity, I shall pop into the Covent Garden shop tomorrow and sample this myself. The notes you have described sound very attractive, and it is time to complete my Penhaligon's experience.
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post #9 of 16
3/11/09 at 11:19am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

Is it less powdery than Hammam Bouquet?

I wouldn't describe it as powdery at all really, it's really woodsy at the base but with floral notes projecting off the skin.

It's one of those where if you catch a whiff of yourself you wonder where the floral notes are coming from (predominantly rose with jasmine as a backing singer) but the closer you place nose to skin the more the florals disappear. It's quite a trick really and I don't quite know how it's done.
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post #10 of 16
3/11/09 at 11:21am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Inselaffe View Post

HDS1963, this is a most interesting thread. This is the only one of Penhaligon's line that I have not tried. As you have pricked my curiosity, I shall pop into the Covent Garden shop tomorrow and sample this myself. The notes you have described sound very attractive, and it is time to complete my Penhaligon's experience.

Ask for Richard if you go in and tell him Andy B sent you who was in with his friend on Monday tell him you belong to Basenotes.
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post #11 of 16
3/11/09 at 5:36pm
Hmmm. I have noticed that it feels more unisex than the frilly packaging suggests but it doesn't really "butch up" on my skin enough to want to wear it alone. I'l give it a go here at home and see if I feel differently now that I've read through the thread.
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post #12 of 16
3/11/09 at 6:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HDS1963 View Post

I wouldn't describe it as powdery at all really, it's really woodsy at the base but with floral notes projecting off the skin.

It's one of those where if you catch a whiff of yourself you wonder where the floral notes are coming from (predominantly rose with jasmine as a backing singer) but the closer you place nose to skin the more the florals disappear. It's quite a trick really and I don't quite know how it's done.

Sounds wonderful.

I thought Elixir by Penhaligon's was going to be such a favorite of mine, yet the more I wear it (I got a decant to play with it before I bought a full bottle) the aldehyde in it really rubs me the wrong way. Cinnamon, eucalyptus steam, roses and Giacobetti sounded like a winning combo, but I wish it didn't smell so 'angular' and glossy.

Maybe Victorian Posy will catch my fancy? I must say the name makes me giggle a little.
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post #13 of 16
3/11/09 at 6:32pm
Okay, I've had it on for twenty minutes or so... Definitely more unisex than I remember. However, in terms of what I get out of it: the florals aren't as nice and complex as Ormolu. (Ormolu's composition was more interesting with a stronger and more masculine friendly violet accord.) Now, Ormolu is discontinued so,I can see where Victorian Posy could serve as a replacement for it in a fraicheur or light version sort of way. Further, the woody drydown is not as strong or recognizable as English Fern. Since, English Fern still delivers what I want from it in a stellar way, I'd stick with it for my classic, barber shop, fougere drydown days. But yes...Victorian Posy is, like Ormolu and many other frags, much more unisex than its marketing suggests.
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post #14 of 16
3/12/09 at 9:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by HDS1963 View Post

Ask for Richard if you go in and tell him Andy B sent you who was in with his friend on Monday tell him you belong to Basenotes.

A lack of time prevented me getting to Covent Garden today, but I did manage to try it in the store in the City. I had the pleasure of Victorian Posy's company for the rest of the afternoon.

It seems far more accessible than I had first imagined, and the heady opening doesn't intrude too much. This felt green and earthy, and had that typical Penhaligon's dryness that I so like. This will undoubtedly be one of those fragrances that will grow on me, there seems to be a lot going on that I perhaps did not take in the first time. Whether people will like it or not, I doubt anyone will say that it is boring. I think this will be a purchase and then be one of my long term projects.

Thanks again for the insightful thread.
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post #15 of 16
3/12/09 at 10:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

Cinnamon, eucalyptus steam, roses and Giacobetti sounded like a winning combo, but I wish it didn't smell so 'angular' and glossy.

Very descriptive. You're speaking my language. I tend to describe fragrances as though they were some sort of shapen object or mass coming into contact with my face/head.

I just toured my "female" Penhaligons samples. I didn't find Victorian Posy to be particularly unisex, but maybe more so than some of the others. I think a guy could more easily pull off Lavandula or Violetta, but VP might be doable.

My favorite female Penhaligons scents are: Ellenesia, Bluebell, and Lily of the Valley. Oh how I wish I had a girlfriend for whom I'd buy these beautiful creations to spray upon! Ellenesia in particular, has to be one of the most beautiful things I've ever smelled.
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post #16 of 16
3/12/09 at 6:24pm
Hey scentronic, Did you try wearing a little VP? If you think Lavandula is unisex, you might be surprised at VP. IMHO Violetta is way more feminine than VP. Give it another go.

I was thinking pretty much the same as you until I put some on and walked away from everything else.
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