Noir Tom Ford – floral and woody and masculine

Most Saturdays throughout the summer and into late fall, my brother and I meet and walk to the local farmer's market together.

A week before Thanksgiving, I noticed something in the air as we set out for the market. It was my brother. I asked him if he was wearing a fragrance.

'Yep,' he said.

'But you never wear fragrance! What changed?'

'New girlfriend.' He said, looking over a basket of peaches.

'You have a new girlfriend?'

‘Yep. And she likes Noir Tom Ford.’

I don’t know what made me happier: my brother has a new girlfriend or I had a new fragrance discovery. Noir Tom Ford had cast its spell on me, so after the market, I nosed around the web to learn more about it. Noir Tom Ford was launched in 2012 and was the first fragrance in the Noir Series, which grew to include Noir Eau de Toilette, Noir Anthracite, Noir Extreme and Noir Pour Femme. It was signed by Olivier Gillotin of Givaudan, who signed ten other fragrances for the brand. Enough reading. It was time for sniffing. Guess what happened. Anyone? Anyone? I bought a bottle of Noir Tom Ford. My brother may be a man of few words, but this stunner speaks volumes.

It opens with a note of tart bergamot that’s light and elegant. It blends into a note of lemony, herbal verbena. This citrusy start is irresistibly refined.  Caraway appears and balances the citrus with its anisic sweetness, as pink pepper adds piquancy. The rosy overtones of the pink pepper hint at what’s to come – a note of violet, powdery and sweet. I know it seems as if the powderiness wouldn’t work, but it does beautifully. Soon, warm, spicy black pepper opens the heart, where nutmeg adds more spicy heat. This sets the stage for a note of iris that’s powdery, soft and elegant. It’s joined by rosy geranium, and together, they lead to an opulent, rich Bulgarian rose. The florals are buttressed with earthy, herbaceous clary sage, which keeps the femininity of the rose in check. The interplay between feminine and masculine makes Noir Tom Ford so irresistible and alluring. At the base, things are decidedly masculine with warm, sweet, balsamic opoponax, earthy, woody vetiver and patchouli and sweet, warm amber. Civet gives it an animalic edge, while vanilla adds creaminess and a little sweetness.

I found a quote from Tom Ford where he says: “Noir captures how for many men there is a sophisticated outer persona and yet there is also that private side only a few know. This contrast is what makes him fascinating.” The dualities of feminine/masculine, refinement/eroticism, public/private are beautifully expressed in Noir Tom Ford, one of the best masculine fragrances out there. As for the contrasts making the man who wears Tom Ford Noir fascinating, well, my brother’s new girlfriend seems to think so.

Check out Noir Tom Ford in our Shop.