Signature / Roberto Cavalli
Roberto Cavalli (2012)

Stripped of all the hype, it's really hard for me to get truly excited over a better-than-average fruity floral.

On me, Roberto Cavalli kicks off with raspberry and rose, eventually shifting into a mix of really indolic jasmine and tobacco. the tobacco/indole mix is quite interesting and would verge on gross, but the whole thing is drenched in so much laundry musk that it always smells like particularly interesting fabric softener.

If I were more inspired, I could make some sort of commentary about the yin/yang of clean and dirty, but to be completely honest, I find the fabric softener element more of a mainstream cliche and intentional dumbing down than an artful statement. All in all, meh.

This juice should've been called Torrid! or Drama! I like it but find its difficult to wear. The dry down develops a plasticky note on me (the vanilla doll-head note is very prominent) which gives me an immediate headache, sadly. Although I'm an advocate of people wearing what they want, where they want, this one might be a little too intense for the office; in short, its loud and heavy on the ambery syrup. For a born chypre/green fan like me, this definitely has major cloying potential and I wouldn't want to find myself in a confined space with someone wearing this stuff. That said, it does make a nice change from the usual anaemic/airy floral/fruit/sweet accords that dominate the perfume counters. Its an unapologetically heavy weight glamour-puss of a fragrance complete with big hair and gold bling. The Leo of womens' perfumery...

Overall, a golden, warm, vanilla/tonka bean floriental that is not too heavy on the spice or incense but is definitely a head turner. Wearable by a woman of just about any age (provided she loves the dollhead smell). Plus, its usually available at a bargain price.

Roberto cavalli, as well as described below, is a cozy uncompromisingly feminine mélange of floral notes, piquant spices, orange blossoms, fava tonka and soapy-resinous patterns. The outcome is really warm and sensual. I detect by soon a somewhat (vaguely) balmy intoxicating blast of bergamot, orange and spices (a prominent pepper, cinnamon and may be nutmeg). Anyway the aroma is still dry and sparkling in this phase but starts gradually sliding towards a powdery-floral, balmy and (partially) resinous dry down veined by myrrh, vanilla, orangy tuberose, (probably) iris, amber and mild tobacco. This final phase is cozy, still peppery (like glistering in the sky as the stars) and luxuriant, really warm and semi-oriental. Not a sort of masterpiece but a modern-chic experiment arousing an aura of dynamic indipendence and optimistic glamour. Good longevity on my skin.

This one's kind of a sleeper, and to me it really does smell like Los Angeles by way of Italy. For it's sweet and ultra femme with some heady orange blossom, though it never has a shrill or tart frooty moment as it saunters along on its expensive platform sandals.

I think Cavalli's Oro is unusually good - so spicy and warm and beautifully done. I recognize Oro's pink pepper here, and detect a general spicy floral family resemblance. Like Oro, this has some serious throw and lasting power, yet in the drydown it's more cozy casual L.A. than statement Italian, and just sweet and warm and smooth. That said, it's not exactly a young woman's scent. I think the deciding factor would be one's feeling about very sweet white florals with a lot of presence - you'd better like them to try and wear this one!

I've only smelled two of the Cavalli scents, but their quality has impressed me. Now I'm always tempted to make a blind buy when I see them at T.J. Maxx.

Edit: I've noticed that my impressions of this one can vary, and sometimes it hits me as an uneasy mix of very soapy and thin orange blossom with headier, richer tuberose, and the magic is not there.

Better with timeA loud standard orange note dominates this scent, with a light peppery undertone that I do get not very much of. In the second half a pleasant tonka-benzoin combination takes over, and when these components meet, it becomes a more balanced scent, sweet but not as cloying as the beginning. Silage and projection are excellent initially and reasonable later on, whilst longevity is very good at seven hours.

Very warm, cozy, feminine, sexy. Soft spicy, floral creamy vanilla, I love it. It is one of my new favorites.