I’ve asked over and over for the best niche brands to find their way to a wider audience. My belief has been consumers will see a difference when they can directly compare. One of those brands which has the kind of quality I would like to see given more exposure is Ormonde Jayne.
Linda Pilkington
Ormonde Jayne is the brand owned and creatively directed by Linda Pilkington. She has created one of the longest running success stories in niche perfume. when I first tried Ormonde Man many years ago I knew this was a brand which was a cut above. That belief has been confirmed over the years as Mme Pilkington has produced some of my favorite perfumes. Most of her sales come from her London boutique although she has spread out to smaller boutiques over the years. At the end of 2018 she made a bigger splash by releasing an exclusive perfume with American luxury department store Saks Fifth Avenue called Ormonde Jayne Prive.
Geza Schoen
Mme Pilkington continues her collaboration with perfumer Geza Schoen on Prive. Over 35 perfumes they have created a distinctive collection. How do you take that history and distill it down into something which will entice a fragrance lover who has never heard of you? Their choice was to take some of the best accords from previous perfumes while adding in some unique ingredients around them.
Their opening message is to lead with one of the great examples of an ingredient not seen in any of the other perfumes in the Saks fragrance department; basmati rice. If you are a fan of Ormonde Jayne Champaca you know this. In Prive it is used with a citrus flair. What is great about this is by using it on top it will grab someone’s attention. It then leads to what Ormonde Jayne is known for, luxurious florals. Usually it is one, in Prive it is a combination of magnolia and gardenia. Both florals rise out of the basmati rice filling the frame. Through this floral heart green undercurrents from clary sage and blackcurrant bud support the overall effect. It heads to a woody base accord of sandalwood, ambrox, and tonka. It adds a sweet creamy finish.
Prive has 12-14 hour longevity and average sillage.
I think Mme Pilkington and Hr. Schoen have done an excellent job of creating a perfume which displays a lot of what makes the brand special. I think when a shopper runs across Prive while browsing in Saks they will see and, more importantly, appreciate the difference.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample provided by Saks Fifth Avenue.
–Mark Behnke
