Antonia's Flowers
Eau de Toilette, Antonia's Flowers (1985)

Occasionally I come across perfumes that smell vastly different depending on whether one is just going for what is wafting up or whether smelling closer to the skin, and Antonia's Flowers is one of them. If one sprays it on and doesn't pay much attention to it, the reward is an enticing freesia, a difficult flower to get right as it has tart accents which are, however, not citrusy, and a light spiciness that is of itself – nothing from the spice box will render it correctly. Here we have an olfactory holograph of a freesia, which gets these things right while not losing sight of the dew-laden freshness that is typical of the freesia's scent.
But if I try to amp up the perfume (I am an inveterate front of t-shirt flapper) and smell it closer to the skin, I get mostly the pretty off-putting synthetics that are probably there to prolong its life: these smell of plastics, milk on the point of going off, floor cleaning gunk. Gah!
Over time the freesia impression morphs into a more weighty white floral with a magnolia note quite prominent. By now the synthetics are much more a part of the perfume's personality and it's time for me to head to the shower.
(Review is for the EDP.)

When I was a child, my mother sold flowers to Antonia for her flower shop for a short time. She was making the perfume in small, unlabeled bottles... I fell in love with it; it was the first perfume that truly resonated with me. Very sweet but airy and light, nothing powdery or stifling about it. Very unique and thus recognizable, one of those fragrances that is simply too flowery for some but very true to the blowsy, dewy scent of flowers (mostly freesia, for sure) growing in a garden.

I didn't enjoy this at all. It was very strong and the freesia was too much to take.

Imagine the smell of yellow freesia's....strong, spicy, fresh and clean. Those are the opening notes of Antonia's flowers. After the initial dry off, it settles down to a fine fresh freesia, with a hint of carnation and bergamot to my nose....good longevity, just the right amount of sillage, and fun to wear. My nose does not detect the soapy. I don't care whether I am a male wearing a feminine fragrance. It is one of my favorites.

For the first fifteen minutes or so it's difficult to pick out individual notes here, it's just a bunch of fresh, sweet flowers. Then suddenly the most beautiful freesia note throws itself forward with lots of sillage, it's very true to the real flower & just keeps on going. lt's quite a retro scent, but perfect if you want to smell like a spring flower, & very good quality. Nice!

This is available in EDP, EDT and pure parfum, (which sells as Absoluto).I prefer the EDP over the EDT, which is a very pleasant, non-jarring floral.however, i was WOWED by Absoluto, so I"ll focus on htat one. Absoluto is a luscious, sharp, gloriously crafted floral green. Picture yourself stepping out into a verdant valley in springtime, blanketed by wild flowers and saturated with warm sunshine. it opens a little dry, as there is no rose here to add that dewy touch. All of the notes are on the raspy side, which is why the verdant valley is in the rockies and not in a tropical paradise. What i love, though, is how clean, crisp and vibrant this wears. I'll even say, quietly, that I'm debating between Chamade and Absoluto. Will most likely get both - This one is irresistible.