Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum — The Python Princess Of Perfumes
How does one of the most revered luxury footwear brands translate its sleek, sophisticated aesthetic into an aromatic profile? That’s precisely the challenge Jimmy Choo Founder and CEO Tamara Mellon accepted when setting out to develop the brand’s first fragrance, a new frontier for the ever-expanding Choo franchise, which now also incorporates handbags and accessories.
Crafted out of an amber-tinged, mauve-ish rose glass, the orb-shaped bottle features concave circular indentations forming a ring along the center of the bottle, while fingerpad-shaped indentations adorn the top an bottom of the bottle. The faceted detailing, the luminosity of the glass, the sheer and gradient rose tint, and the bulbous shape are meant to celebrate the natural curves of a woman’s shape, the splendor of femininity. A black cube with silver edges, meanwhile, caps the bottle, adding an unexpected hint of modernity. Similarly, the fragrance’s box features a gorgeous dusty rose and mauve snakeskin pattern inspired by a python shoe in the Jimmy Choo Spring 2011 collection.
The packaging, then, is consistent with the look and feel of the Jimmy Choo brand, which consistently celebrates the female mystique. But what about the elixir inside the bottle?
Well, let’s use a footwear metaphor to describe the scent, shall we? If the Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum were a pair of shoes, it wouldn’t be a pair of sex kitten-ready leopard print stilettos with sky-high skinny heels or a pair of show-stopping, iridescent snakeskin booties with enticing cut-outs and rocker-flavored hardware details. It also wouldn’t be a ballroom-ready pair of evening sandals with a Cinderella-like crystal platform and jeweled details. Instead, the fragrance is the equivalent of the perfect pair of black pumps: versatile, elegant yet demure, timeless, and feminine without being overly ornate or demanding attention.
The Jimmy Choo EDP opens with green yet sweet notes of pear and Italian orange, humoring the “sugar and spice” construct of femininity. But, in a typical Jimmy Choo manner, it then challenges these simplistic interpretations of female grace with a heart that’s floral but exotic, creamy but slightly musk-y thanks to a blend centered on a Tiger Orchid note. Like that hidden platform on that classic black pump, this note adds a hint of the unexpected, reminding onlookers that a woman’s charms are never-ending, that she can’t ever be placed in a box or restricted to some cliché. The scent is then grounded with notes of sweet toffee and Indian patchouli that linger on the skin, like the embrace of a loved one well after they’ve disentangled themselves from that precious hug.
Initially, there’s a sparkling luminosity and vibrancy to the scent that makes it sing, but it quickly ebbs — not that it’s a drawback. After all, the most memorable statements are often made in hushed tones, in soft murmurs. That’s precisely what happens here, as the fragrance’s genius is its subtlety, its pheromone-like gentleness. Like that coveted pair of perfect black pumps, this scent makes you feel sexy and confident, and yet it won’t scream, “look at me!” If you want to have a standout scent that will loop others in like a lasso, then this scent may not be flamboyant enough for you. But, if you prefer an understated quality, you’ll be seduced by this Choo-fire hit.
Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum, $70 for 2 fl. oz. and $90 for 3.3 fl. oz. Available at SaksFifthAvenue.com and visit JimmyChoo.com for stockists.
