Well, what passes for a heatwave in these parts has taken us by surprise today.
Twenty six degrees Celsius (I did day a heat wave in these parts!!) and almost unbroken sunshine.
It had your Dearest Dandy out and about enjoying physical exercises of all manners.
What to wear in this weather though? Apart from some rather fetching powder pink short trousers and mint green short sleeve shirt that is…
In the end I settled on this rather splendid scent, a near decade old sometime feature of Guerlain‘s pared back fragrance line.
Aqua Allegoria Anisia Bella.
Too often anise is mixed up with too much of the unrelated liquorice and a whole lot of sugar to create candy store scents that can be cloying to say the least.
Not so here, instead we are offered a green and even moderately sharp rendition of the white flowering star that is both palate cleansing and heat assuaging.
As the initial bite of the prima donna herb subsides, a cast of light florals and mainly greens: a full cassis note and brisk basil, seem to take turns centre stage in an intriguing olfactory version of a modern ballet, all technical verve and puzzling narrative.
This is a perfume The Dandy can imagine many people finding less than pleasant: brisk at the beginning, decidedly cool throughout and with rather an independence of mind.
However, it is precisely these air-conditioned and unpredictable qualities that I find so refreshing on a day that passes for the height of summer in London.
Oh, before I leave you, a quick aside…. these new “Dandy Picks” on a Sunday are to become a new “thing” here.
From next week on The Dandy will be highlighting a perfume of my own picking each week that has caught mine nose.
The emphasis will be on newer scents and the works of smaller and independent line… and I can assure you we will be starting with a right royal treat!!
So I do hope so to see you all on Sundays in the future for a few surprises!
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy.
The Perfumed Dandy. 