Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani
189 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The Italian citrus fruits burst through with almost aggressive brightness, their natural acidity cutting against creamy marine notes that immediately establish saltiness rather than ozone. Within two minutes, faint black pepper crackles beneath, signalling the patchouli's early arrival and promising something altogether more textured than marketing-speak suggests.
The patchouli develops into a subtle herbal-spicy presence, no longer the dark rooty base-camp lurking below but an active player softening the citrus's initial assault. The woody accord solidifies here, ebony lending a subdued cocoa-like dryness that prevents any sweetness from veering cloying, whilst the marine aspect becomes more mineral, almost petrichor-like.
Ebony takes command, accompanied by that persistent woody framework, reducing the composition to its skeletal honesty. The citrus has faded to whispered bergamot; what remains is predominantly warm wood-spice with a faint amber sweetness—not exactly comforting, but definitively present on skin, rewarding close proximity with its understated persistence.
Acqua di Giò Absolu Instinct is Alberto Morillas' reimagining of the aquatic template—less about ozonic transparency, more about textural depth. The Italian citrus fruits arrive with genuine verve, their slightly bitter pith playing against briny marine accords that smell less like seawater and more like sun-warmed driftwood brushed with salt spray. What distinguishes this from its predecessor is the patchouli's early intervention; rather than lurking until the base, it emerges within the heart with an almost herbal quality, threading spice through the fresh framework. The ebony base provides something unexpected—a dark, slightly resinous anchor that prevents the composition from floating into anonymity.
This is a fragrance for the person who finds conventional aquatics too ethereal, too forgettable. The woody accord dominates (100%) yet never overwhelms the citric brightness, creating a paradox: refreshing yet substantive, clean yet earthed. Morillas has crafted something deliberately restless, resisting the meditative calm associated with its lineage. The 52% sweetness suggests a touch of amber or perhaps subtle musk, softening the inherent austerity of patchouli and ebony without sentimentality.
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3.8/5 (172)