Tom Ford Jardin Noir Collection

By Deborah Fulsang

Perversity and chastity were the inspirations behind the Tom Ford Spring 2013 ready-to-wear collection.

Where these two worlds collide just as readily describes the designer’s new Jardin Noir fragrance collection.
The trendsetter begins with a quartet of perfumery’s most beloved blooms: the rose, narcissus, lily and hyacinth. He centres on the single flowers but then reimagines each, whipping them together in unexpected combinations: rose with coffee; lily with turmeric, nutmeg and rum.

It’s pure Ford form. Beauty but rendered more compelling with a sexy, mysterious edge. This is the garden at night: flowers beautiful but dark. “Their beauty can be so extreme that it has a narcotic effect on the senses and a decadence that feels almost illicit,” Ford says.

THE GARDEN AT NIGHT
Jonquille de Nuit: Ford mixes narcissus with unusual top notes of wild Alpine cyclamen, acacia and angelica seeds, balanced with Egyptian violet leaf and bitter orange leaf absolute. At the base: a sensual, hypnotic base of orris and warm amber.

Ombre de Hyacinth: Hyacinth marries with earthy galbanum, verdant violet leaf and Magnolia leaf Orpur and “incense-inflected Olibanum,”pink peppercorn, jasmine absolute, and resonant Persian galbanum, benzoin and musk.

Café Rose: A trio of rose essences combine with dark coffee, saffron and black pepper, making way to a deeper, creamy base of incense resin, amber, sandalwood and patchouli.

Lyse Fume: We can’t resist the brand’s description: “Lys Fume captures the decadence of tropical intoxication as liquor-soaked dreams float in a garden of pure, white lilies.” (Extra points awarded to the copywriter.) That would be nutmeg, turmeric and ylang-ylang stirred together with night-blooming tropical white lilies. The heady mix then soaks in warm balsamic and West Indian Demerara rum essence, Madagascar vanilla, labdanum, styrax and oakwood.

Each of the Jardin Noir fragrances come in a glossy-black Private Label glass flask with luxurious gold lettering and lilac label. For fans of Tom Ford and fragrance lovers alike, this is pure indulgence.

Tom Ford Le Jardin Noir, $225 (50 ml) each, www.tomford.com, www.holtrenfrew.com