Portrait of a Lady
Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle (2010)

My first impression was that this was sort of a gourmand fragrance at the initial sniff on skin. I guess that's the raspberry and rose combo of this gem. The rose stays in it's lane with the ambroxan without clashing and making it another rose bomb. Pretty dark and tame IMO. There seemed to be a lot of back and forth about this being feminine. This is unisex for real. No question. Projection and longevity is above average.

A perfume that needs no introduction. Love it or hate it, it is a masterwork signed by the one and only, Dominique Ropion. I have to say that I don't like his style or the perfumes he creates for other houses. But under Malle's supervision, he seems to flourish. Portrait of a Lady is a larger-than-life perfume, an Oriental take on Rose. I don't think of it as a Rose fragrance. It is much more than that. I get lots of Frankincense, tart fruits, and a big Patchouli, with a musky dry-down(white, and not a huge fan) atop sandalwood and benzoin. I hear it got sweeter and more rosy recently, which would make sense, given the market's demands. I would love it if they'd tone down the projection, but I guess that would go against the trend. Copied to death, so it must be good, right? Although, I still haven't smelled a good enough clone. It is a cold perfume, very mature, some would say "old", and I would agree. It is not your average sweet rose girly scent. I only have two issues with it: being ridiculously powerful and the white musks. However, I liked everything else about it and learned to live with those issues. It's one of those perfumes to wear for dressed-up occasions, especially if you want to be the center of attention(and hopefully, you have something to show for it as well).

IG:@memory.of.scents

I had wanted to try this for some time now. When I finally did I could understand the praise heaped upon it. And for the first hour or so I was appreciative of and very intrigued with the rose, and then the clove and ash/musk, etc. In many ways this had a retro feeling for me—and put me in mind of Aromatics Elixir and other astringent rose classic chypres, both masculine and feminine, that I love very much. But as I reached that hour or so mark, the rose, clove, and ash also seemed to merge to produce a pronounced hint of Clorox coming off my skin, and that effect limited my enjoyment. I can respect this scent, but I’m not sure how much I enjoyed it or that I would long to smell it on someone else. It seemed more about detente and sabre-rattling than romance and seduction to me. And with this price tag, if I’m truly honest, I’m more inclined to the latter.

Regal and brutal in equal measure, Portrait of a Lady is the kind of fragrance best suited to boardroom intimidation than it is to personal enjoyment. I only ever call upon it when suiting up for battle – it is my own pocket Iron Lady, complete with the bouffant hair and 1980s power suits. Crushing, smothering belly rolls of the ashiest incense this side of Tobacco Oud crowd in on the pulpy raspberry rose, the neon green flicker of camphor or eucalyptus acting as a warning light. A sober, dry patchouli hulks in the background, somewhat discreetly at first until you take a second look and realize just how massive it is.

Portrait of a Lady is less of a fragrance than it is a behemoth – an institution. These days, the rose is a little less brilliant than before, so some of that ‘red jewel glittering against a grey fog of ash’ effect is lost. But it is still an impressive perfume and still eminently suited to business of turning you into a walking weapon of mass destruction. I respect its power more than I like it, but I will never be without a little vial of it, like a flick knife tucked inside my knickers.

Piggybacking on timothybcats assessment - it’s impactful, and ponderous. I’m not much for floral fragrances for women and have a deep roundness for patchouli so this struck a chord. I will be buying a bottle once I sell enough plasma.

A beautiful rose with berries and soft, spiced incense.

On me, Portrait of a Lady (PoaL) has moderate longevity, moderate sillage, and becomes a skin scent within four hours.

I love wearing rose fragrances. Rose of No Man’s Land by Byredo is my default option, I like wearing Young Rose by Byredo, and I finished three tins of Montale’s Black Aoud in its golden/not chemically era.

PoaL is very nice, but I would recommend either of the Byredo’s over it.

PoaL opens with a lovely rose and berry accord, which I could happily sniff all day. Within half an hour a soft, spiced incense emerges, and this accord plays nicely with the rose and berries for about two hours. At about the three hour mark it is like these two accords tire each other out and the entire fragrance gently goes to sleep on top of a hint of musk and amber.

The entire affair is very pretty, but I expect more than this from a fragrance with this pedigree and price.