Tom Ford
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Aldehydes detonate with pink pepper in a fizzing, almost effervescent cloud that's bright but not sharp. Bergamot weaves through the sparkle, adding a citric roundness that tempers the metallic shimmer before it turns too soapy or austere. There's an immediate sweetness lurking beneath, like powdered sugar waiting to dissolve on the tongue.
Heliotrope takes centre stage with its almond-tinged, Play-Doh softness, whilst hawthorn introduces an odd, medicinal greenness that keeps the florals from going saccharine. Lily of the valley adds that distinctive laundry-musk quality—clean, bright, with an almost aqueous metallicity that finally makes the name make sense. The sweetness builds but never cloys, held in check by the soapy floral accord that maintains a polished, synthetic sheen.
Vanilla and Peru balsam create a creamy, balsamic warmth that clings close to skin, but ambrette's musky, slightly vegetal character prevents it from becoming a full gourmand. Sandalwood whispers in the background, adding a gentle woodiness that grounds rather than dominates. What remains is a powdery, sweet skin-scent with a subtle metallic ghost—expensive body lotion meets polished chrome, intimate but deliberately artificial.
Métallique presents a fascinating paradox: a fragrance named for cold metal that feels warm, plush, and decidedly human. Antoine Maisondieu has crafted something that sits at the intersection of retro-futurism and contemporary sweetness, where aldehydes don't merely sparkle—they create an almost tangible shimmer, like light catching on brushed aluminium. The opening aldehydes and pink pepper generate a fizzing, champagne-like effervescence, but bergamot keeps things from veering too abstract or austere.
What makes Métallique compelling is how the floral heart refuses to play demure. Heliotrope brings its characteristic almond-powder softness whilst hawthorn adds an unusual, slightly medicinal green edge that prevents the composition from collapsing into sugary oblivion. Lily of the valley contributes a soapy, metallic-floral brightness that actually justifies the name—it's that clean, almost laundry-musk quality that gives the sweetness a chrome-like gleam.
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3.9/5 (114)