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Tom Ford Private Blend: Are all of them so Linear and 2 Dimensional?

post #1 of 15
3/18/10 at 12:30pm
Thread Starter 
I've done extensive wearings of Tobacco Vanille, Tuscan Leather, Neroli Portofino and Noir de Noir and the one thing that they all seem to have in common is they have little or no evolution. On the one had, I love this about Neroli Portofino as it is a constant refreshing note, that stays fresh for hours and hours. But then you have Tuscan Leather, it goes on full blown and stays that way until I wash it off. I find the same thing with Tobacco Vanille and Noir de Noir. Are they all top notes or are they all base notes? Am I missing something here? I find this style off perfumery to be rather monotonous. I did test Arabian Wood, which I thought had more layers than the ones previously mentioned.
Any thoughts out there? Are there any others from the line that I should try with better evolutions? Thanks.
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post #2 of 15
3/18/10 at 12:52pm
I know what you mean but when its done so well like Tobacco Vanille and Tuscan leather I can forgive its shallow nature. It's like Jack Daniels whiskey which I find shallow compared to the complexities of a single malt scotch but I still appreciate it for what it is. Not every fragrance has to have a symphony of notes to be good though it could be argued that for the price it should. lol
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post #3 of 15
3/18/10 at 12:57pm
I agree with you for the most part besides Noir de Noir, which seems to be a little more complex but not by much. Yeah, they're linear but I don't mind that. Some of them are good scents. Perfumery seems to be releasing more and more scents recently that are quite linear so it's somewhat expected.
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post #4 of 15
3/18/10 at 1:01pm
I too agree with you, but still enjoy most of the TF Private Blends. I am tolerant of linear scents as long as the linear body is enjoyable, which TF's scents are.

I'd rather have a scent that is linear but consistently nice than a scent that evolves but ends up leaving its best characteristics behind. If a scent can quickly settle on a very pleasing accord, then maintain it indefinitely without sagging or dropping key notes, I think that's actually kind of an accomplishment.
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post #5 of 15
3/18/10 at 1:08pm
I'm perfectly happy with good linear scents myself!
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post #6 of 15
3/18/10 at 1:31pm
I wouldn't describe Italian Cypress as linear. That evolves from a fantastic fanfare of sparkling notes in the beginning to a wonderful rich warm scent in it's basenotes. I have to admit that I think it's the best of the Private Blend line, but hey, maybe that's just me.
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post #7 of 15
3/18/10 at 1:38pm
I find some to be, other not (agree with Italian Cypress and Noir de Noir). Moss Breches is another that I find does a good bit of changing on my skin.
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post #8 of 15
3/18/10 at 1:40pm
Maybe they evolve a lot later than your average fragrance? When I sampled Tobacco Vanille (amazing!) it lasted a couple of days and did seem to change a bit, although the vanilla stayed constant.
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post #9 of 15
3/18/10 at 1:47pm
You should give Purple Patchouli a go. I haven't tried all of the TF Private Blends, but quite a few. PP is quite unique and, in my novice opinion, goes through three distinct stages. Starts out sweet, sweet, sweet and LOUD and ultimately progresses into a very woody-oriental. Progresses through some spiciness somewhere in there too. Sorry, I'm terrible at describing fragrances. Anyway, I see where you're coming from with the linearity of the others, but PP is a trip - a journey. If you get a chance, I definitely recommend you try it. Cheers.
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post #10 of 15
3/18/10 at 5:18pm
They are very much sooo...but the exceptional high quality makes it soo..good. I look at them as the dark versions of Hermessence.
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post #11 of 15
3/18/10 at 5:28pm
Fairly linear, yes, but that's not always a bad thing as far as I'm concerned. The dry-downs for many of them tend to be similar too. NDN and MB both are a bit more pyramidical than others IMO, but over all it's really a matter of style in perfumery. A lot of the Ellana compositions can be somewhat linear too. Overall I'm fairly pleased with the quality in the TFPB collection.
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post #12 of 15
3/18/10 at 5:37pm
I was extremly dissapointed with Tuscan Leather, I was anticipating the smell of new leather shoes, what I got was a bland, plain leather. Oud Wood was fairly simple too. For 290 AUD a pop I can't see the point
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post #13 of 15
3/18/10 at 5:42pm
Thread Starter 
I'll give Italian Cypress and Purple Patchouli a try.
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post #14 of 15
3/18/10 at 5:53pm
Perhaps it's because the notes are long lasting. I know Tuscan Leather stays quite linear, but hours later, it has grown into a nice olibanum-suede base that's very soft and much different. NdN turns a bit earthier after a long while, and Oud Wood becomes quite smooth. They do change, but it's definitely more subtle than others.
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post #15 of 15
3/18/10 at 6:31pm
Thread Starter 
I was never questioning the quality of the production of this range, it's there in spades. But with so many of the them based on classic fragrance archetypes, take Tuscan Leather for instance, I would expect them to go deeper and expand on the genre. Wearing Tuscan Leather is very similar to riding a bicycle without any gears, OK for running short errands, but forget about a journey with hills and valleys. Well, for the price charged, I want to be taken a little further.
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