TOM FORD
Velvet Gardenia

2007

PERFUMER
David Apel

orange
lily-of-the-valley
jasmine

tuberose
gardenia
plum
rose

beeswax
frankincense
labdanum
honey

Velvet Gardenia is one of the original Private Blend releases (later re-released into the Reserve Collection in 2019). My first impression is from a sample of the original.

This is not your average, soft, airy or easy going floral scent. As far as gardenia goes, this goes way more in a yellow floral (frangipani, tiare, monoi) direction than in a white floral one that gardenia is also often paired with. It also doesn’t have the sort of dry, band-aid vanilla combination that I’ve noticed in gardenia fragrances. Texture wise this is the opposite of that.

It’s dense, creamy, sweet, but there’s a distinct medicinal tinge, probably from the beeswax/honey. Quite animalic in a sense. The combination of the creaminess, sweetness and medicinal qualities give off an almost boozy vibe to my nose, perhaps a creamy sweet coffee liqueur. For me personally, Velvet Gardenia borders on being too much at times, but at the same time, it feels high quality and rather beautiful.

I have smelled fragrances very similar to this, but I can’t pinpoint exactly what it reminds me of. The heavy sweet florals have a hint of The Harmonist Moon Glory and the sort of smoky edge made me think of my Ensar Oud Tonkin Musk for a moment. Maybe I’m thinking of the Zoologist Civet drydown, but I could be wrong.

Either way, Velvet Gardenia is a fragrance that I found simultaneously interesting to sample and hard to wear. The quality is there and this feels better constructed than most contemporary Tom Ford releases without a doubt, but it’s medicinal sweet tinge keeps it from being a comforting wear at any time for me.