New Oscar Velvet Eau de Parfum by Oscar de la Renta
How do you interpret the smooth feel but textural density of velvet or, for that matter, the fabric’s regal history, its association with lushness, exclusivity, and elegance, all through fragrance? That’s what perfumer Jean-Claude Deville of fragrance house Drom vowed to accomplish when creating the latest Oscar de la Renta scent: the Oscar Velvet Eau de Parfum ($78 at Macy’s stores and Macys.com). Inspired by the season’s most ubiquitous fabric, this decadent perfume swathes the body, creating an aromatic cloak that’s as timeless and sophisticated as a velvet robe. From the very first spritz, the scent invites and intrigues, but its genius doesn’t revolve around any enigmatic elements or unusual and gimmick-y note — if anything, there’s a classicality and familiarity to the aromatic composition, and yet the notes are hard to pinpoint individually, so that the olfactory impression created is that of tradition being honored yet updated for modern times.
The Oscar Velvet EDP opens with top notes of dewberry, red lotus, and litchi nectar, so that the sweetness of black currant and the subtle honey tinge of the litchi nectar are subdued by the aqueous floral overtones of the red lotus note (a blossom associated with the heart and, hence, with love). There’s a berry sweetness that immediately greets you, but the watery notes make the fruity elements seem more elusive and diaphanous.
Once you’re hooked by those addictive top notes, you begin to detect the perfume’s floral heart, a combination of amethyst calla lily, blue iris, and black orchid. The fact that amethyst calla lily was used for the fragrance heart seems to serve as more of a symbolic gesture as opposed to having a functional purpose – after all, trumpet-shaped calla lilies have, at best, a light fragrance (most are odorless) but amethyst callas are said to represent passion while the color purple itself is associated with royalty. Blue iris, meanwhile, has a sweet, woody, powdery quality that’s ethereal and fantasy-like, while black orchid (also known as Prosthechea cochleata, the national flower of Belize) has a honey-dipped aroma. Interestingly enough, then, the floral heart isn’t too heady or delicate. If anything, the most assertive floral note stems from one of the base notes: the double purple datura. There’s a sweet and seductive quality to the double purple datura’s scent and, if you’re well-versed in flowers, then you’ll probably know that it’s shaped like a trumpet (much like the calla lily but the Datura blossom opens up at night, the petals along its tip folding down ever so slightly) and that its aroma is particularly strong at dusk. When combined with the creaminess of the tonka bean base note and the mysterious allure of white amber, the trio of dry-down notes guarantees a long-lasting aromatic experience that’s tender, romantic, seductive but gentle, and almost mystical.
Everything about this fragrance feels luxurious and majestic without being forceful. Bold but not brash, feminine but not fragile, classical but somehow contemporary, the Oscar Velvet EDP manages to accomplish what so many fashion designers have tried to achieve with velvet itself: to make it appear weightless and fluid without sacrificing its inherent elegance.
Since a fragrance so sublime deserves some royal treatment, the Oscar Velvet EDP bottle is packaged in a Bordeaux-colored, velvet-covered box with gold lettering. It’s a jewel in the crown for any fragrance aficionado!
