Christian Dior Dior-Dior Review – Edmond Roudnitska; 1976

Edmond Roudnitska is generally considered to be one of the greatest perfumers of all time — not surprising, given that he created Diorissimo, Eau Sauvage and Rochas Femme, as well as a few other masterpieces you may have heard of. But the dubiously-named Dior-Dior is seen as something of a low-point in his portfolio, so I decided the time had come to discover it for myself and try to get my hands on a vintage bottle. Needless to say, I featured it in a Love At First Scent review. Here’s a link: Christian Dior Dior-Dior review.

It’s pleasing that a reappraisal of Dior-Dior‘s merits appears to be taking place at the moment, because the scent certainly deserves it. The reasons for its perceived failure were probably more to do with timing than with the juice itself: it emerged in a period when the world clearly wanted something along the lines of YSL Opium rather than an extension of the greens that were popular at the beginning of the 1970s. But as an expression of Roudnitska’s style, it is nothing less than a gem, combining that famous melon-chypre fulsomeness with the romantic florals of Diorissimo, the chic woodiness of Eau Sauvage and the crystalline-citrus clarity of Diorella. There’s even a suggestion of an homage to a peer’s work: the hyacinth-and-narcissus opulence at the scent’s heart carry more than a whisper of Guerlain Chamade.

Dior-Dior is perhaps heftier and more po-faced than some of Roudnitska’s better known works, but as far as layered, sophisticated floral bouquets go, few could be more alluring than this. If you can find a bottle, do give it a sniff, and prepare yourself to be swept onto the floor of a dazzling ballroom, with Strauss’ Emperor Waltz filling the air.

Persolaise

[Christian Dior Dior-Dior review based on a sample obtained by me in 2023.]

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