Gold Woman – rich and luxurious and opulent

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Funny how one thing leads to another. The first Serge Lutens scent I ever smelled was Arabie and I fell right into it. Over time, I realized that I loved Lutens’ olfactory interpretations of his life and experiences in the Middle East. Arabie, El Attrarine, Ambre Sultan are among my favourites in his line and I make sure I never run out of them. Looking back, I suppose that my penchant for Lutens’ eastern inspired scents sparked my interest in niche luxury perfume house Amouage.

Amouage was founded in 1983 in Oman by the Sultan of Oman, with an aim to restore the Arab tradition of producing luxury perfumes. To launch the line, the Sultan of Oman wanted something luxurious, rich and special, so the great Guy Robert was hired to create it. In this way Amouage was declaring that while they were reviving the Arab tradition of luxury perfumes, they were going to do it through a French lens.

The brief for this perfume was simple. Robert was told to put whatever he wanted into the fragrance regardless of the cost. When the Sultan of Oman wants luxurious and rich, he gets it! The result was Amouage Gold, now called Gold Woman.

Gold Woman is considered a masterpiece in perfumery. Luca Turin gives it a five star rating in his book Perfumes: The A-Z Guide, so does Bois de Jasmine on her website and Michael Edwards, author of fragrance industry bible, “Fragrances of the World” says of Robert: “His last creation, for me, was his greatest: Amouage Gold.” Robert himself felt it was the best work of his career. Pretty special I’d say.

It opens with an aldehydic sparkle and a hint of citrus from lime before blossoming into a gorgeous powdery/soapy, floral/fruity start. Don’t be put off by the ‘powdery/soapy’ idea – the aldehydes give it a classic feel, so it doesn’t smell of clean laundry but of clean skin. Notes of apricot, peach, neroli and lily-of-the-valley weave in and out as the fragrance develops. Amouage loves skin heat, and it brings out the most opulent jasmine and ylang-ylang accord I know. Rose is here too, it bolsters rather than dominates the white flowers, making them soar. As it settles, sandalwood and patchouli anchor it, giving it a warm, smooth lushness. Ambergris is at the base, sweetens it, while civet and musk give it an animalic soul.

At the drydown, Gold Woman is an opulent, rich fragrance experience with those white florals still humming softly in the background.

In Gold Woman the notes are layered more than structured so that it’s experienced as a whole, rather than as individual notes, much like a piece of symphonic music. It is a testament to Robert’s skill to have so many rich ingredients so perfectly blended and so perfectly balanced. 

I’ll tell you one thing: the luxurious, opulence of Gold Woman makes me feel special every time I wear it and that, gentle reader, is what perfume is all about.

Check out Gold Woman in our Shop.