Tom Ford Fucking Fabulous: The Name, The Story, The Scent

Source: Pinterest.

There is an 800-pound scented gorilla in the room, and its name begins with an expletive. Fucking Fabulous is the latest release from Tom Ford, a limited-edition eau de parfum in the Private Collection that has people in a tizzy, half of them thinking it’s the coolest thing ever as they rush to buy the scent, half of them decrying the name as being too vulgar for their tastes. I’m not a prude and I don’t care enormously about the name, per se, but I am immensely annoyed by the blatant manipulation underlying it. I’m not keen on the insulting implication from Tom Ford himself (as well as from some fans) that you’ll only find the name to be offensive if you’re a prude, but what really sets me off is the sheer brazenness of their marketing manipulation and the underlying assumption that either you’re too stupid to see it or so “cool” that you don’t care. Amidst the dollar signs in Estee Lauder and Tom Ford’s eyes, layered between their own quoted words, there are loaded assumptions, cynical calculations, dismissals, glibness, generational differences and, worst of all, obnoxiously blatant disingenuousness.

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Review En Bref: Tom Ford Oud Minerale

Oud Minerale via Luckyscent.

Today, a quick look at Oud Minerale, an eau de parfum which Tom Ford released several months ago as part of his Private Blend Collection and a further continuation of his oud series. Tom Ford says it merges “rare and precious Oud with the fresh exuberance of the ocean, capturing the refreshing play of surf and sea against the burning flame of smoked wood.” While he does not list the specific notes, if you combine the elements provided by Luckyscent and Fragrantica together, the note list looks like this:

Sea salt, aquatic notes, oud, pink pepper, styrax, seaweed, balsam fir, pepperwood or hercules club and ambergris.

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Tom Ford Vert d’Encens

Source: feelgrafix.com

Source: feelgrafix.com

Tom Ford explores new territory with his Vert d’Encens, transporting you to forest landscapes where mighty pines and fragrant fir trees drop their aromatic pine needles and sweet sap over a leafy greenness. Yet, there is a twist: smoky incense, heliotrope vanilla, and dusty, dark chocolate are layered within, resulting in one of the more interesting and appealing Tom Ford releases in a while. In fact, I found its opening to be so appealing that I pondered buying Vert d’Encens for myself. It’s the first time that a Tom Ford fragrance has tempted me in a number of years.

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Tom Ford Vert Boheme: The Return of the ’70s

1977 Pierre Cardin Haute Couture in L'officiel magazine. Source: Pinterest.

1977 Pierre Cardin Haute Couture in L’officiel magazine. Source: Pinterest.

Vert Boheme is one of four new Tom Ford fragrances called Les Extraits Verts which were released in September as part of the Private Blend Collection. Vert Boheme is a clean, fresh, green and feminine (not unisex) floral eau de parfum that follows a classical 1970s style. It reminded me a lot of a mix of YSL‘s vintage Rive Gauche, Diorissimo, and Chanel‘s Cristalle, given a modern touch through a heavy dose of clean musk. Having said that, I have major issues with its development, structure, and quality, and I don’t find it to be particularly distinctive. Be that as it may, I think Vert Boheme will be a very popular fragrance with women who like extremely fresh, clean, crisp, green florals as well as the vintage style of perfumery.

On his website, Tom Ford describes Vert Boheme as follows:

Sparkling and infallible like a jewel gleaming in the Sun, Private Blend Vert Bohéme is TOM FORD’s interpretation of green at its most free-spirited. Sicilian, Mandarin and Magnolia exude Bohemian femininity, exquisitely enhanced with gustavia, also known as “The Tree of Heaven”, known for its spectacular single blossoms that last for just one day. The fresh vibrancy awakens a divine first bloom, crystal-clear and exposed.

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