It looks like summer is coming to an end… It dawned on me on Friday when I was strolling around Holland Park and the amount of leaves on the pavements had become a bit too much to ignore.
I must say we were lucky this summer, we enjoyed a couple of months of good weather and had the opportunity to wear lighter clothes and of course perfumes. Now it’s time to return to the “heavier” perfumes, but I’d rather take it a bit slow and my choice for this transitional week is Wildbloom by Banana Republic.
According to Banana Republic, Wildbloom embodies the optimism and beauty of joy with a delicious and enticing blend of tropical fruits, unusual flowers and woody notes. Perfumer Jean-Claude Delville created an aura of carefree elegance and effortless seduction with this floral-fruity chypre composition, concentrating on camellia flower. The initial burst of freshness is caused by sparkling fruity notes of pink grapefruit, kumquat, guava and pear. Besides the prominent wild camellias, the floral heart also features blue orchid, water hydrangea and Hawaiian pikake. The sensual base radiates patchouli, musk, sandalwood, tonka bean, oud and suede notes.
For me this perfume brings memories of the first days of autumn when you still wear short sleeve shirts but take a jacket with you, just in case. That jacket for me was a light mustard yellow suede one that belonged to my father and was over 60 years old. I had to finally throw it away last year because it had become torn beyond repair and this perfume reminds me of the light suede scent it had combined with flowers and fruits. I get a lot of fruit in the opening of Wildbloom, juicy and vibrant and then the flowers, with camellia being more prominent until the base notes make their appearance; suede, patchouli, sandalwood and sweet tonka bean round up the composition. It’s a very bright and vibrant yet comforting perfume that lasts ages on my skin and I get very good projection.
Banana Republic have also released two more versions of the Wildbloom, Vert and Rouge but I haven’t had a chance to try them yet.