Gandini
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Green mandarin snaps awake immediately, sharp and slightly bitter, accompanied by a bergamot that feels almost lemony in its intensity. Within moments, calone seeps in from the wings, cooling everything into something crisp and vaguely salty, like an ionised breeze cutting through citrus groves.
The violet emerges shy but insistent, partnering with lavender to create a herbaceous, slightly cool floral heart that feels more botanical garden than perfumery school. Beneath this, the leather and vetiver grow increasingly prominent, their dry, woody character beginning to eclipse the freshness entirely—the composition pivots from bright to contemplative around the two-hour mark.
Only the leather, tonka, and vetiver remain, the calone and citrus having evaporated almost entirely, leaving behind a soft, warm, vaguely papery base that hovers close to the skin. The tonka offers the gentlest suggestion of vanilla sweetness, but it's subordinate to the leather's final, somewhat austere statement.
Iris – Vincent van Gogh is a fragrance that wears its artistic pretensions lightly, favouring substance over symbolism. Alexandra Kosinski has crafted something altogether more cerebral than a typical iris composition: this is leather-forward and deliberately austere, dressed up in a fresh citrus overcoat that never quite commits to sweetness.
The opening volley of green mandarin and bergamot arrives with assertive brightness, but within minutes the violet and calone begin their subversive work, tempering the citrus into something cooler, more aquatic than fruity. There's a peculiar tension here—the calone lends a faintly ozonic, almost soapy quality that prevents the violet from becoming powdery or nostalgic. Instead, it feels modern, slightly uncomfortable, like standing in a minimalist gallery lit by harsh white light.
Add fragrances to your collection and unlock your personalised scent DNA, note map, and shareable identity card.
3.8/5 (121)