Sublime
Eau de Parfum, Tory Burch (2024)

This opens with a very sharp citrus, if you're not a lemon fan I wouldn't recommend it.

The magnolia isn't clearly magnolia to me, but it's quite clean as it dries down and the lemon chills out a little. You can tell it's a white floral, but it could pass as "freesia".

Only after half an hour to an hour does the suede-y leather begin to show it's character, it's truly a classically feminine leather however (who cares about gender though, wear what you like), and smells like a handbag. It's very clean, and has a crisp quality about it. Very "office core".

It's not particularly memorable to me personally, but could make for a great easy-reach or work fragrance.

There are some interesting notes in Sublime’s pyramid, including an “urban ivy accord,” a “tethered leather accord,” and “upcycled” peach and rose. Upcycling is real: it takes what has traditionally been waste product and turns it into valid perfumery ingredients with their own unique character. I’m happy to see that marketed as a plus. I’m not sure what renders an ivy accord “urban” or a leather accord “tethered,” but whatever—it’s a Givaudan thing.

As it turns out, it’s also a good thing. Tory Burch describes Sublime as “the intriguing alchemy of leather blended with delicate rose and Osmanthus flower, earthy vetiver and bright mandarin to create a scent with a unique and sexy dimension.” The description is apt: the balance between the fruit and floral notes with the leather, ivy, and vetiver is indeed sublime, and easily unisex even if not marketed as such. Mandarin can be cloying, as can peach, but here, they rely only on their natural sweetness, which is cut by the prominent dark green notes.

Anyone looking for a fresh take on vetiver ought to try this. It’s not quite like anything I’ve tried before—and how often does one say that of a designer fragrance these days? What a pleasant surprise.