Cristiano Fissore

Continuing the trend of fashion designers branching into fragrance, Cristiano Fissore has come out with 3 fragrances. Two are appropriately named Cashmere (the design house's primary material), but the only one whose notes intrigued me enough to sample is Rapsodia in Blu, the odd outlier of the trio. In true Italian style, Rapsodia in Blu opens with a burst of true citrus-it's not sweet, but an almost too bitter lemon. Rosemary and something green (presumably the mugweed listed in the notes) then steer the scent in a different direction, taking on an almost sharply vegetal accord. As the drydown continues, these notes, too, fade, and a soft floral white musk emerges. I don't smell the jasmine reputed to be in there at all, but only the lily of the valley. Finally, the scent gains strength again as the cedar foists itself into the fray. This scent truly takes us on a journey. I like its evolution, and none of the notes strike me amiss. I do wish some of the notes lingered for each transition to make the scent a bit more coherent.
Rapsodia in Blu comes in a very simple, attractive bottle. Neither the name nor the bottle really fits the scent, however-I think it's more of a green than a blue. Nonetheless, if your interest is piqued, you can purchase a sample or even a bottle at http://www.luckyscent.com.