F
rench perfume houses have long ruled the game when it comes to haute couture fragrances. With the recent resurgence of high-end classic scents (like, for example, the standout success of Balmain Les Éternels upon its launch), there is an obvious desire for high-end glamour in the 2024 fragrance landscape.
And the latest couturier to enter the world of luxury fragrance is causing a shift. Amongst a sea of effortlessly chic French aromas, Valentino has delivered Anatomy of Dreams—a collection of seven parfums that deliver a hearty dose of pure Italian glamour.
With the launch of its new collection, the house has taken its couture roots into the realms of fragrance to create a line-up of truly unique scents. Just as a couturier artfully pieces together custom creations, each parfum in Anatomy of Dreams is complex, unique and intricately crafted with surprising compositions. Above all, though, this collection marks a move towards unashamed opulence in perfumery. It waves goodbye to the soft skin scents and throw-it-on amber concoctions that have come to define the past decade and welcomes a new, high-fashion approach to olfactory indulgence.
Behind The Seen
Hazelnut accord
Somewhat sweet, somewhat creamy, this scent is deliciously moreish
Vetiver
A green, earthy, soil-like aroma that delivers a woody depth
There is no doubt that Private Talk is a marmite sort of scent, dividing almost everyone who encounters it. If you don’t lean towards punchy, coffee-like scents, then steer clear. However, if you find deep comfort in velvety, creamy florals then good grief is it spectacular. It is akin to stepping out onto a flower-flooded balcony in the late morning sun, as you cradle a steaming cappuccino. The intense white floral scent hits you straight in the face, while the wispy aroma of freshly brewed coffee wraps you up in a welcome hug of pure delight.
Mood
NOTES
Mood
Tuberose
Like a big, expensive-smelling, luxurious bouquet of velvety white florals
Cappuccino accord
Akin to hovering your nose over the crema of a freshly poured coffee
Italian couture
The essence of
the
SCENT
PRIVATE TALK
One thing is for certain: you will have never smelled a fragrance quite as unique as Behind The Seen. Just like its colouring, its aroma is green, woody and earthy, but there is a dusty, nutty, chocolate-like warmth that envelops you with every spritz. It is as though you are about to snuggle up with a book on a cool autumn day—the smell of surrounding fields floods through the window, the sunshine is reflecting off the glass and you have prepped yourself a tray of sweet, milky praline chocolates to tuck into with every turn of the page.
WORDS: SHANNON LAWLOR
L’Innocence De L’Air
If light-on-the-nose, beaming, fresh perfumes are up your alley, it is probably essential you have L’Innocence De l’Air on your radar. It mentally transports you to a dewy flower garden. It is like walking barefoot around a historic, stoned-walled garden at sunrise, while the crisp, cooling waters of a fountain trickle in the background. Fresh rose petals float in the water and green, crunchy stems snap under foot.
Mood
It is impossible to not fall head over heels for Club Couture. It is like walking down an Italian cobbled street that is lined with designer boutiques with totally guilt-free shopping on your agenda. The sun is shining, the air is cool and crisp and the aroma of the green leaves on surrounding trees fills your nose. It is bright, sparkling and full of care-free opportunity. Whenever you want to feel your very best and most upbeat, one spritz is all you need to totally reinvigorate your senses.
Club Couture
Mood
Punk Romantic
When Valentino does a creamy skin scent, you better believe it comes with a twist.
On first inhale, Punk Romantic is a comforting cloak of creamy calmness. But as it dries down, a mineral freshness comes beaming through that makes it feel more real and less contrived. It is as though you have stepped straight out onto a stone balcony upon rising from bed, wearing nothing but an oversized shirt, perched yourself down on a chair to overlook the skies of Rome, and as the sun rises high over the horizon, its light begins to warm your post-slumber skin.
Mood
Perfumer:CarLOS Benaim and Andrew Everett
Perfumer: NatHalie Lorson
Perfumer: Fanny Bal
Perfumer: Delphine Lebeau and Anne Flipo
Perfumer: Nicolas Bonneville
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anybody else, with every Diptyque perfume delivering a heavy hit of mental escapism that takes you to a place or moment in time that feels emotionally familiar. Long gone are the days of perfumes fitting into simple woody, floral and citrus categories—Diptyque fragrances know how to make you feel. But having carved out its specialism as a house, there was one particular emotional facet that Diptyque was yet to have a go at. What, after all, engages our senses more powerfully than nature itself?
In a bold move, the brand has launched an entirely new line of fragrances, sitting separately from its core collection, in Les Essences De Diptyque—and it is nothing short of a feat. Comprising five eau de parfums, each crafted by the world’s most celebrated perfumers, the collection champions nature’s raw materials and some of its most evocative treasures. But don’t expect your typical elemental scents here, either—Les Essences De Diptyque captures the sort of poetic, emotional connection that exists between mankind and nature, delivering what is one of the most beautifully transformative collections of fragrances to ever exist. If Mother Nature ever really goes to sleep, Les Essences De Diptyque has bottled her dreams…
Valentino Anatomy of Dreams embodies the unashamedly elegant and thoughtfully considered nature of Italy’s sartorial grace.
PHOTOGRAPHER: OLLY CURTIS
EXECUTIVE BEAUTY EDITOR: SHANNON LAWLOR
SENIOR ART EDITOR: ANA OSPINA
Supporting imagery & video: Getty Images & Adobe stock
LOCATION: OLD ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH CAMPUS, GREENWICH
Sogno In Rosso
Perfumer: Fabrice Pellegrin
Mood
Notte D’Oro
This is not your typical oud perfume. Set in a grand banquet hall, Notte D’Oro is the most opulent dinner party in history. It is all things gold, luxurious and excessive. The table is filled with hundreds of burning candles, puffing out plumes of black smoke. And nestled amongst the candles? Trays upon trays of marzipan sweet treats dusted in sugar. It is deep, dark and sexy, but with a moreish, gourmand creaminess that makes it totally moreish.
Mood
Perfumer: Paul Guerlain
NOTES
Patchouli
An all-encompassing earthy, rich and somewhat spicy addition
Fig accord
Pulpy, juicy and sticky, like the inside of a ripe fig fruit
NOTES
Green tangerine
A crunchy, green and sparkling sort of citrus
rose
A delicate, fresh, flower-garden take on the classic note
NOTES
Olivewood
A light, mineral, savoury sort of scent that delivers unique freshness
VANILLA
Warming, sweet, skin-like and creamy in a way that keeps you going back
NOTES
Black pepper
Bold, sparkling and spicy on the nose
Milk foam accord
A sweet, creamy and smooth element that comforts instantly
NOTES
Oud
A rich, spicy, smoky burning wood with deep intensity
ALMOND
A sweet, creamy, nutty sort of aroma binds with the skin
NOTES
£295
Notte d'Oro
Parfum 100ml
Buy now
ANATOMY OF DREAMS
£295
Sogno in Rosso
Parfum 100ml
ANATOMY OF DREAMS
Buy now
£295
Punk Romantic
Parfum 100ml
ANATOMY OF DREAMS
Buy now
£295
L'innocence de l'air
Parfum 100ml
ANATOMY OF DREAMS
Buy now
£295
Club Couture
Parfum 100ml
ANATOMY OF DREAMS
Buy now
£295
Behind the seen
Parfum 100ml
ANATOMY OF DREAMS
Buy now
£295
Private Talk
Parfum 100ml
ANATOMY OF DREAMS
Buy now
Behind The Seen
Perfumer: Delphine Lebeau and Anne Flipo
If light-on-the-nose, fresh and beaming perfumes are up your alley, it is probably essential you have L’Innocence de l’Air on your radar. It mentally transports you to a fresh, dewy flower garden. It is like walking barefoot around a historic, stoned-walled garden at sunrise, while the crisp, cooling waters of a fountain trickle in the background. Fresh rose petals float in the water and green, crunchy stems snap under foot.
£295
L'innocence de l'air
Parfum 100ml
ANATOMY OF DREAMS
Buy now
Club Couture
Perfumer: CarLOS Benaim and Andrew Everett
One thing is for certain: you will have never smelled a fragrance quite as unique as Behind The Seen. Just like its colouring, its aroma is green, woody and earthy, but there is a dusty, nutty, chocolate-like warmth that envelops you with every spritz. It is as though you are about to snuggle up with a book on a cool autumn day—the smell of surrounding fields floods through the window, the sunshine is reflecting off the glass and you have prepped yourself a tray of sweet, milky praline chocolates to tuck into with every turn of the page.
Mood
£295
L'innocence de l'air
Parfum 100ml
ANATOMY OF DREAMS
Buy now
Private Talk
Perfumer: Nicolas Bonneville
If light-on-the-nose, fresh and beaming perfumes are up your alley, it is probably essential you have L’Innocence de l’Air on your radar. It mentally transports you to a fresh, dewy flower garden. It is like walking barefoot around a historic, stoned-walled garden at sunrise, while the crisp, cooling waters of a fountain trickle in the background. Fresh rose petals float in the water and green, crunchy stems snap under foot.
Mood
£295
L'innocence de l'air
Parfum 100ml
ANATOMY OF DREAMS
Buy now
Punk Romantic
Perfumer: Fanny Bal
There is no doubt that Private Talk is a marmite sort of scent, dividing almost everyone who encounters it. If you don’t lean towards punchy, coffee-like scents, then steer clear. However, if you find deep comfort in velvety, creamy florals then good grief is it spectacular. It is akin to stepping out onto a flower-flooded balcony in the late morning sun, as you cradle a steaming cappuccino. The intense white floral scent hits you straight in the face, while the wispy aroma of freshly brewed coffee wraps you up in a welcome hug of pure delight.
MOOD
£295
L'innocence de l'air
Parfum 100ml
ANATOMY OF DREAMS
Buy now
Sogno In Rosso
Perfumer: Fabrice Pellegrin
When Valentino does a creamy skin scent, you better believe it comes with a twist. On first inhale, Punk Romantic is a comforting cloak of creamy calmness. But as it dries down, a mineral freshness comes beaming through that makes it feel more real and less contrived. It is as though you have stepped straight out onto a stone balcony upon rising from bed, wearing nothing but an oversized shirt, perched yourself down on a chair to overlook the skies of Rome, and as the sun rises high over the horizon, its light begins to warm your post-slumber skin.
Mood
£295
L'innocence de l'air
Parfum 100ml
ANATOMY OF DREAMS
Buy now
Notte D’Oro
Perfumer: Paul Guerlain
Set against the backdrop of a Roman palazzo as the private theatre doors open for the evening, Sogno In Rosso is the aroma of a very luxurious night out. It is reminiscent of unboxing a pair of newly purchased Valentino Rockstud stilettos—opening up that crimson red box, wrapping your hands around the patent leather shoes and slipping your toes into them before you head out with the girls. It is sweet and deliciously creamy, like a rich fondant on top of a red velvet cake, but there is an alluring spicy kick that gives it a serious edge.
MOOD
£295
L'innocence de l'air
Parfum 100ml
ANATOMY OF DREAMS
Buy now
PHOTOGRAPHER: OLLY CURTIS
EXECUTIVE BEAUTY EDITOR: SHANNON LAWLOR
SENIOR ART EDITOR: ANA OSPINA
Supporting imagery & video: Getty Images & Adobe stock
LOCATION: OLD ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE, GREENWICH
Valentino Anatomy of Dreams embodies the unashamedly elegant and thoughtfully considered nature of Italy’s sartorial grace.
Set against the backdrop of a Roman palazzo as the private theatre doors open for the evening, Sogno In Rosso is the aroma of a very luxurious night out. It is reminiscent of unboxing a pair of newly purchased Valentino Rockstud stilettos—opening up that crimson red box, wrapping your hands around the patent leather shoes and slipping your toes into them before you head out with the girls. It is sweet and deliciously creamy, like a rich fondant on top of a red velvet cake, but there is an alluring spicy kick that gives it a serious edge.
