Gender Bender

Gender Bender: Ungaro Diva … or a Guy Goes Goddess (1983)

05/18/15 16:30:28 

by: Dr. Marlen Elliot Harrison

Atrbazan.com        The Perfume Refrence

This is another in a series of fragrance reviews that asks, “How does fragrance transcend gender?” Leave a comment below for your chance to receive a sample, shipped anywhere in the world, free!

Hello and welcome to my new column here at Fragrantica: “Gender Bender”, an exploration of aroma, gender and scented freedom. Though by no means do I personally prescribe to fragrance having a gender, sociocultural stereotypes about masculinity and femininity often prevail at the fragrance counters. Join me as I explore some of my favorite 20th century masterpieces of perfumery in my quest to address the familiar question, “How does fragrance transcend gender?”

Summary: Ungaro’s first fragrance is an aptly named Diva, or “Goddess” in Italian, who offers up animalic, honeyed roses. A floral chypre with incredible longevity and sillage, even in its current reformulation, this 30-year-old masterpiece warrants appreciation without gendered restrictions.

Perfumer: Jacques Polge

Try this if you like: Honey, rose, civet, patchouli, musk, bold 80s fragrances, attars and traditional Arabic fragrances. Imagine a rosy Kouros.

Pros & Cons: Easy to find, easy to buy (great price), and if you’re a rose fan, easy to love. Excellent longevity, big sillage and a compliment-getter. Some surprising facets such as hyacinth, iris, and narcissus. Very much in keeping with the Montale,Amouage and Mancera rose offerings. Diva is in no way “pretty,” “soft,” or “dainty” nor is it fruity, juicy or fresh. Diva is a classic, gothic rose.

As the fragrance is now well over 30 years old, some of us may remember this one as accompanied by shoulder pads, high heels and big hair (cue the music to Dallas); if no associations are present, this will surely be a great surprise to many guys. Numerous versions abound: vintage, EDT vs EDP, special editions, flankers, etc. I can’t speak for the vintage scent as I have a recent EDP formulation and the label on the bottom of the bottle reads “Ferragamo,” as they once (still?) owned the Ungaro Parfums label. I have a feeling that more recent versions, thanks to IFRA restrictions, are much lighter on the chypre base notes of oakmoss, sandalwood and civet.

Notes: Wow, fragrance websites and blogs offer various lists of notes, so here is what I’ve culled from various sources: Mandarin, bergamot, hyacinth, aldehydes, coriander, rosewood, tuberose, cardamom, Morrocan rose, orris root, Turkish rose, jasmine, narcissus, carnation, ylang ylang, iris, amber, patchouli, sandalwood, oakmoss, honey, vetiver, civet, musk and labdanum.

Reminds me of: Creed Fleurs de Bulgarie, Alain Delon Iquitos, Jacomo Parfum Rare,Ted Lapidus Creation, Paloma Picasso, L’Artisan Voleur de Roses, Paco Rabanne Tenere, Al Haramain Badar.

Related scents that I love: Caron pour une Femme, Azzaro Acteur, La Perla Prive,Serge Lutens Sa Majeste La Rose, Annick Goutal Ce Soir ou Jamais, Penhaligon’s Hammam Bouquet.

Designer’s Description: “It is to women, his eternal source of inspiration, that Emanuel Ungaro has chosen to dedicate his first fragrance, Diva. Its mythic fragrance and its elegant packaging are symbolic of a woman who loves to seduce and to break the rules with class and elegance. The mythical status of DIVA is linked to its elegant and iconic flacon. The Fragrance: DIVA— enveloping, sophisticated and feminine—an unforgettable fragrance with a distinctively sensual powdery note. A feminine, sensual and sophisticated Ungaro signature. Diva is a semi-oriental floral-chypre perfume.”—Ungaro.com

Number of times tested: 5+ over the last 4 weeks.

Number of sprays applied for this review: One spray to the back of hand from a bottle I purchased online at a discount site (ca. 2015).

Fragrance strength: Eau de Parfum

Development: (Linear / Average / Complex): Diva is indeed a complex scent but offers no major developments. There are floral accents that weave in and out as the composition relaxes, but this is pretty much roses, honey, musk and patchouli on my skin.

Longevity: (Short / Average / Long-lasting) This is the kind of fragrance that allows you to sniff your shirt the next day and wonder what it was that you wore that smells so darn good. From only four sprays I got a good 12+ hours out of this one.

Sillage: (A Little / Average / A Lot) I sprayed this on at 5:00 PM, got in a car to go to dinner at 5:30 with immediate compliments from my driver, and then took a different car home around 8:30 with additional compliments from yet another driver. This one seems to be easily noticed with only minor application. And I have to admit that I’ve never had a driver mention my scent.

Note about the packaging: A striated, pyramidal, transparent bottle with rounded edges meant to represent a pleated gown. A small red and gold label adorns the bottle and a coordinating, transparent, fan-shaped cap sits atop; the outer paper carton is white with the same red and gold label and image of the bottle in raised relief.

Where can I buy it? Found online for as little as $25 USD for a 100 ml tester.

The Bottom Line: For years I’d been a fan of Ungaro fragrances; Senso andUngaro (LOVE!) were my first introduction to the brand with the Ungaro pour Homme fragrances (I, II and III) all quickly making their way into my wardrobe. Despite my appreciation for the brand, it took me over 30 years to experience Diva. Strange that I’d never sought this out or even thought to sample a countertop tester. However, in my 40s, I’m experiencing a strong nostalgia to return to my fragrance roots of the late 70s and 80s and so decided the time was right to finally embrace my inner Diva.

I’m no chypre fan; moss, vetiver and aldehydes (often key players in chypres) all spell the kiss of death for me. Paloma Picasso was a fragrance I knew well as I had a boss who bathed in it rather than bathing at all. I don’t have good memories of dear Picasso …or that boss. So when I read that many folks compared Diva to Picasso, I think I was turned off; hence the longtime avoidance. However, thanks to our wonderful Fragrantica community, I kept reading rapturous reviews for Diva and so finally took the plunge and ordered an inexpensive tester bottle from a trusted online retailer.

“Wow!” was my first response followed by a slight disappointment that the chypre accord was so prominent. Three minutes later upon second sniff, the mossy edge receded into the background and the honeyed rose began to sing. There was something airy weaving through the opening, perhaps the bergamot and hyacinth? That lasted all of five minutes and then the fragrance settled into Creed’s Fleurs de Bulgarie minus the acetone nail salon note and with added honey.

So how does Diva transcend gender and work its magic as, perhaps, a Divo? First, let’s re-visit the history of rose in perfumery. Rose was once considered a masculine note in 19th century European and North American perfumery. Somewhere in the 20th century, male florals fell out of fashion as dated and feminine and it has taken the cultural influence of Middle Eastern, North African and Indian fragrance traditions to bring them back to Western consideration. Now that companies like Montale and Rosine have legitimized the masculine rose (and we cannot forget L’Artisan), and as evidenced by reviews and comments around the web, the rose is no longer considered female-only territory. So Diva is indeed a gender-bending experience and quite unlike most other designer rose fragrances currently on the market that generally go for “pretty” rather than “earthy.” And earthy is a great description of Diva, especially in its drydown with woods and roots and musks. The animalic overtones of Diva, quite the rage in its time, nowadays lean towards the traditionally masculine (though by no means do I consider earthy fragrances the provenance of men).

In short, anyone looking for a rose fragrance and who also appreciates honey and animalic tones would do well to check out this masterpiece by the same perfumer who brought the world Coco, Egoiste and Antaeus by Chanel as well as Tiffany for Men. For me, this Diva was instant love.
 

Dr. Marlen Elliot Harrison Perfumer/owner at Kings Palace Perfumery, Dr. Marlen Elliot Harrison is also the creator ofThePerfumeCritic.com and has contributed to Perfumer & Flavorist, American Society of Perfumers, Basenotes, Fragrantica,Playboy, Men’s Journal, Men’s Health, The New York Times, Forbes, NowSmellThis, and BeautyAddictMag. Marlen is a professor of humanities with over 15 years in international academia; his research can be found in peer-reviewed publications ranging from Qualitative Research in Psychology to Language Learning in Higher Education.

Having lived in the USA, UK, Japan & Finland, Marlen currently resides in Washington, DC where he works both part-time at The Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of the American Indian and as a professor / faculty supervisor for Southern New Hampshire University’s online graduate programs in Writing and Literature. Learn more about Marlen at www.MarlenHarrison.com.