Venezia – The Five Stages of Discontinued or Reformulated Frag Grief (February 20, 2012 New Fragrance Listing)

Photo by perfumeniche.com

Do you have a fragrance you love, but is no longer available? Reformulated? Discontinued?

I loved Venezia by Laura Biagiotti. Originally launched in 1992, the first time I smelled it I fell down hard and got up slow – nothing was ever the same again. I loved it. A lot. I wore it. A lot. In fact, I wore it like it was always going to be around. When I ran out, I just bought another bottle. Easy peasy. I mean, it’s a perfume from a fashion house, not a perfume house, so I figured there would be less impetus to change it. I figured wrong. One day it just disappeared – poof! Its rounded bottle with its jaunty little Pierrot hat topper never to be had again. Ever.

The loss of a favourite frag can be devastating – sure there are worse things, but fragrance is a small thing that can make a big difference in our lives. The loss of something that brought you a simple pleasure, that you looked forward to wearing, is a real drag.

And that, my friend, is what starts you shambling through the Five Stages of Discontinued or Reformulated Frag Grief.

If you’ve ever lost a favourite frag to reformulation or to the vicissitudes to marketing, then you know the drill all too well.

Stage 1: Denial - “Hmm. Funny that I can’t find Venezia in my usual haunts. I read on a blog that it has been discontinued.So many people like it, they’d be crazy to get rid of it. I’ll just have to find another store that carries it. It’ll be OK". This is just a temporary defense. That frag can’t be found anywhere, maybe a ml. or two on eBay or Basenotes, but that’s it.

Stage 2: Anger – In this stage, you realize that denial can’t continue. Now it’s personal. This stage is often accompanied by misplaced feelings of rage. “Why is this happening to me? What did I do? Every time I find something I like, they have to go and fiddle with it or stop making it. It’s just not fair….”

Stage 3: Bargaining – Ahh, the hopeful stage. In this stage you hope to postpone the inevitable by bargaining with a higher power in exchange for reformed behaviour. “Dear God, I’ll do anything to have a bottle of that juice. If I ever get a bottle of it again, I’ll look after it. I’ll keep it wrapped in a purple velvet cloth in the back of my drawer away from light and heat and only take it out at night to look at it or to sniff the cap – I won’t even wear it. And, I’ll plant a tree and adopt a puppy, and recycle faithfully if only I can have a bottle of Venezia again….thank you”

Stage 4: Depression – This is where the facts begin to sink in – you will never have your favourite frag again. This stage is often accompanied by crying, grieving and staying in your bathrobe all day. “I can’t find it anywhere and it’s the only frag I ever really liked. I don’t think I’ll ever like another perfume as much as I liked Venezia, so why bother wearing anything or reading blogs, or sharing decants?”

Stage 5: Acceptance – In this stage, you come to terms with the loss “Hey, I miss Venezia, but there are so many new frags coming out, I think I’ll get some decants and see what they’re about…”

And, then once you’ve gone through all the stages, you come out the other side – maybe a little sadder, but time heals all wounds and if you have an open heart, you may just find that the reformulation is FBW – it’s not the original, but worth having in its own right.

That’s how I fell in love with and bought the new 2011 Venezia. The story is that demand was so great, that Laura Biagiotti went back into production with the frag. The result is a re-creation of the original scent. Having gone through the five stages of grief, I’m over the comparisons – all I know is the 2011 incarnation is a gorgeous, rich oriental fruity that is deep and so beautiful on the skin.

It opens with exotic ylang-ylang – rich, floral and almost custardy, it has hints of jasmine that foreshadow what’s to come. Black currant, tart and jammy joins the ylang-ylang, adding a fruitiness that is amplified and sweetened by a deep plum note. At the heart, jasmine appears as promised, all fragrant and seductive. The jasmine is joined by osmanthus - which to my nose, smells of apricot - and a beautiful rich rose. At it moves to the base vanilla comes forward, adding a rich sweetness that rounded out by resin and softened by sandalwood.

Floral and fruity, but never too sweet, Venezia is rich, sensuous and womanly.

Is it like to original? Is it better? Lighter? Apples and oranges, my friend, apples and oranges.

How much do I like this new Venezia? I bought three bottles. I keep them all wrapped in a purple velvet cloth in the back of my drawer away from light and heat and only take them out at night…..that was the deal.

Venezia, the 2011 version, is listed in our Decant Store. Decants are $5.00 for 1 ml.