And when she's pressed, she will undress, and then she's boxing clever...

Washington Tremlett Black Tie

Things have been busy this week here on the Hill. I guest lectured yesterday at a local University on “Feminist Jurisprudence and Reproductive Rights,” which went pretty well. Last night a birthday party for Kate, today a wedding open house at a local vender with another friend, doctor’s appointment, and then the aforementioned presentation with Angela from Now Smell This! at the Lewis & Clark Gender Symposium. I’m also swamped with job application stuff, which seems to all be due this week or in about 10 days. I really hope something comes of all this, because I am so ready to go back to work.

But that doesn’t mean I’m not thinking perfume all day. In fact, I’ve been working on our presentation today in between appointments and applications, so I’ve got lots of perfume-y thought rolling around up there. In fact, I’m so focused right now, I’ve got David thinking about perfume in the shower. Also, at the party last night, Jill told me, after I sprayed her with Etat Libre d'Orange Jasmin et Cigarettes the other day, she wants to buy it now. < taps fingers together Dr. Evil style > Ah, exxxxxxxxxxxxcellent.

So, on to more perfume conversion efforts.

I pulled the following descriptions of Washington Tremlett Black Tie, from First-in-Fragrance and Luckyscent:

Black Tie. A bloomy bouquet, which rises in a heartnote, to perpetuate in a rich basenote of precious woods.

Washington Tremlett is the company famous for inventing the seven fold tie and for being the official supplier of Duke of Windsor, and so it is very fitting that they would create a fragrance honoring the timeless elegance of their designs. However, don’t expect Black Tie to be a conservatively traditional composition. In fact, it is wonderfully modern, if not avant-garde. Lovers of saffron in perfume, prepare to be wowed! The note is without a doubt the most prominent player in the composition and it is rich, sweetly-spicy, absolutely exquisite. The rest of the notes serve as an elegant background worthy of the precious star ingredient. Galbanum and geranium highlight the brightly aromatic aspect of saffron, whereas rose, tuberose, patchouli and vanilla make the note luxuriously soft, serving as a counterbalance to the mouthwatering sharpness of the spice. The base of woods, patchouli and vanilla, with lingering traces of golden piquancy of saffron is the most delectable skin-scent we have ever encountered.

Composition: Description -- Head: Saffron, Nutmeg, Galbanum, Sage; Heart: Rose, Geranium, Tuberose; Base: Sandalwood, Vanilla, Patchouly, Musk

Immediately I get nutmeg and rose, then the geranium comes in, giving this an interesting water-y smell. I don't mean aquatic in the sense of the perfume family. I mean that I've traveled and lived all over the US, and while the taste of cold clean fresh water is a little different from place to place, there's this unifying taste of freshness, and that's what I get some of here. It also reminds of the smell of high quality scentless lotion. Even scent free items always seem to have some scent, and this captures that for a moment in a weird way. It would be wrong to say it smells like nothing; it's not an absence of smell. Instead it smells like...purity. It smells the way ivory wedding dresses with no sequins, beads, bows, or bedazzling are supposed to convey love, or the way a perfect white rose petal would feel brushed against your face. But with this little astringent edge. I get basically none of the base yet, but it's only been about 30 minutes. Eventually, like hours later eventually, I got a little bit of sandalwood, but Black Tie didn't change much over time. Overall, though, it's a nice effort. Robin at Now Smell This! recommends it for warm weather wear; I'll have to try it again this summer. Also, I see lots of blogs mentioning "saffron" in their reviews, and maybe it is because I am too used to saffron in a cooking context, but I just don't see it. I hear this one was designed as a masculine. I think it would wear well either way.

You can buy Washington Tremlett Black Tie at the aforementioned Luckyscent or First-in-Fragrance for in 100ml for $160. It's a nice scent, one I'd enjoy having but don't know that I *need* to own (unlike Royal Heroes, which still smells sort of like banana bread and spices to me and thus makes me really want it). It's really lovely though, and if I happen to land a job that pays me super well over the next year, it could certainly end up in my collection. If you wanted something with rose in it that isn't super rose heavy, this might be a nice one to try.

"A friend in need's a friend indeed.
A friend who bleeds is better.
My friend confessed she passed the test
and we will never sever.
Day's dawning...skin's crawling...
Pure morning... pure. morning."
- "Pure Morning," Placebo (You can listen to the song here)

Want more reviews? Try...
~ A review from Robin at Now Smell This!
~ A review from Sorcery of Scent
~ A positive mention from Perfume-Smellin' Things
~ A review from Would Smell As Sweet