Bellodgia
Caron (1927)

Bellodgia is a comforting embrace of a fragrance during uncertain times. The Parfum de Toilette I have in my possession, dating from no later than the mid 80s, opens with a bloom of violet talc, green rose, a lurking ground cover of lily of valley, but most of all, its centerpiece: the carnation. What a fabled floral accord, at once seeming clove or even nutmeg like, but then again, ethereal and floral-verdant, with soft chalk undertones.

When I put my nose close to my skin, I recall leaning in to smell Dianthus barbatus, also known as Sweet William, at the botanical garden in the spring time. That same prickly yet soft sensation, much like the frilled margins of the flowers. There is that signature Daltroff dry down as well: a plangent vanilla and sandalwood, propped by these rotund musks, emulsifying and thickening, rendering all into a softer focus in the late stages.

To appreciate Bellodgia you must: disassociate yourself from gender and scent preconceptions, notions of what is modern and what is dated, have an appreciation for cottage garden and florist shop florals and all that is powdery and Victorian. Fans of Guerlain Apres L'Ondee, Oriza L. Legrand, Grossmith, take note. It's a top three carnation for me, along with Lorenzo Villoresi Garofano and SMN Garofano.

I'm testing vintage EDT, so the topnotes have turned. They shook me the first time I tried Bellodgia, but if I hold off for a few minutes, I quite enjoy it. It's a very pretty rose sweetened with violets and darkened by Caron's signature carnation/clove note, sort of chalky and hinting musk, soap, and incense. I appreciate Darvant's description of this as “talcy” - that's a good way of describing how this is simultaneously powdery and mineralic. Smelled up close, the talc is prominent, but walking outside, I smell beautiful spiced rose.

Given time, the oakmoss becomes prominent, round and nonspecifically fruity, lending a red hue to the powdery rose as the clove fades away. This leads to the expected chypre base, lightly sweetened and enriched with vanilla. This moss/vanilla combo seems to last forever and turns out to be the real star of Bellodgia. Thumbs up, but I personally wouldn't bother seeking this out at collectable prices. But for the oak moss junkies, this is legitimately the most prominent oak moss I've smelled in a perfume ever.

This review is for the vintage (parfum) extrait.There is nothing "soapy" about this...those who sense soapiness must have a badly aged or reformulated version.
Top note of carnation with slight vanilla blended in that comes thru after an hour or two of wear. Some other floral notes; the carnation remains all the way through; there is a slight spiciness, but I do not detect any patchouli or amber in this. This is not an oriental but a floral blend, and it is very nicely done.
Moderate sillage; good longevity of about 8 hours

Vintage sample:
The opening blast is an intriguing mix of bergamot with clove and carnation, lots of carnation, and carnation remains he core notes of this fragrance throughout all stages. In the heart notes hints of a softish-dark patchouli combine with woodsy sandal notes, and here a delightful, quite soft mossy impression merges with ambery notes.

After about half time a top-notch natural vanilla takes the stage, beautifully balanced by the moss and still, of course, the ever-present carnation. Here a very subtle powderiness is pleasantly evident, underlined by a nigh-waxy characteristic of the now stronger amber note.

The performance is splendid with moderate sillage, very good projection and thirteen hours of longevity on my skin.

This is a composition of top-quality ingredients, superbly blended and very well structured, with nuanced texture denoting true sophistication in the design and execution of this gem of a scent. One of Caron's masterpieces. 4.25/5

I almost bought this several times back in the '80s, but it always left me with a headache. The overwhelming impression was lots of carnation and, and on me, a huge smokey trail.

Genre: Floral

Caron's classic carnation fragrance is softer than some of the others on the market, with the inherent cloves-and-cinnamon aspect of Dianthus smoothed and mellowed by a plush, powdery vanilla accord in the base. Where Etro' s, Villoresi's, and Comme des Garçons' carnations can be prickly or even mildly astringent, Bellodgia is warm and reassuring - a big down comforter of a scent.

Once the basic vanilla and carnation accord comes together Bellodgia's progress is linear, fading slowly to a ploowy sandalwood and vanilla drydown. The eau de toilette concentration is soft-spoken, rather than bold, and while it does leave a light veil of sillage, it will never overwhelm. In the last analysis I find Bellodgia pleasant, but I prefer more edge on my carnation and would choose the comparatively sharp, aggressive Comme des Garçons Series 2 Red: Carnation before it.