Dior
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The first spray is pure scarlet abundance—a tangle of strawberry, raspberry, and cherry that reads as one unified red fruit chord rather than distinct notes, like biting into a summer pudding still cold from the larder. Mandarin orange swirls through immediately, its oils carrying a green-edged brightness that stops the berries from turning syrupy, whilst everything vibrates with an almost effervescent freshness.
As the initial fruit frenzy calms, blackcurrant emerges with its characteristic sharp, almost cat-piss tang (in the best possible way), adding necessary edge and complexity. Grapefruit amplifies this acidic trajectory, its bitter pith and pink flesh creating a more sophisticated fruit profile that feels less farmers' market, more Hermès silk scarf pattern.
The musk and patchouli finally make their presence felt, though they're whisper-quiet—a clean, skin-like musk with just the faintest woody shadow beneath. The fruit has faded to a gauzy memory, like the scent lingering on your fingers after you've eaten fresh berries, whilst the patchouli adds only the barest hint of green depth without ever announcing itself as a distinct woody element.
Rouge Trafalgar is François Demachy's love letter to a Parisian fruit stall in summer, all glistening berries and citrus piled high, but rendered with a sophistication that never strays into children's confectionery territory. The opening is an unabashed riot of red berries—strawberry and raspberry jostle with cherry in a way that feels almost jammy, but the mandarin orange cuts through with its bright, slightly bitter zest, preventing the composition from collapsing into simple sweetness. What makes this fragrance compelling is the tension between its fruity exuberance and the acidic backbone: blackcurrant adds a feline sharpness whilst grapefruit brings a pink, pulpy bitterness that keeps everything taut and modern.
The base notes feel almost apologetic in their restraint—musk and patchouli provide just enough structure to stop this from being pure fruit juice, but they're never allowed to dominate. The patchouli here is clearly the clean, laundromat variety rather than the earthy, hippie iteration, merely sketching in some vague woody shadows beneath all that fruit. This is a fragrance for someone who wants to smell utterly approachable and joyful without resorting to gourmand clichés or tropical cocktail pastiche. It's got the polish of the Maison Christian Dior behind it, but the spirit of someone who'd rather spend their Saturday at Borough Market than a black-tie gala. Wear this when you want to feel like summer incarnate, all décolletage and sun-warmed skin, with none of the heaviness that typically accompanies berry-forward fragrances.
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4.1/5 (190)