Clive Christian’s I For Women Woody Floral With Vintage Rose is a scent as tender as rose petals dried between the pages of a Jane Austen novel. Inspired by Clive Christian’s experience as a master furniture designer, the scent represents the delicate harmony between light and dark in an exquisite mahogany marquetry inlaid with mother of pearl.

The light side of the equation is the rose, buried in soft, opalescent layers of white ambers, musks, and vanilla, which give the fragrance a tulle-like delicacy. Soft red fruits and a sprinkling of boozy pink pepper nudge the vanilla-rose combination towards sparkling, while orris introduces a light dusting of powder. The truffled edge to the rose – not quite jammy but tilted towards rose lokhoum – gives the scent a candied lipstick nuance, which in turn makes it feel romantic. Now, if you’ve taken a peek at the notes list and suspect that oud and cedarwood arrive to spoil the prettiness of this picture, then let us set your mind at rest. Although the scent does turn woodier, the darkness of the mahogany part of the equation never quite materializes. Instead, a warmly earthy pairing of vetiver and patchouli tethers the feathery rose, making sure it doesn’t just float off into space. There’s indeed a hint of smoky wood but the outcome is clean rather than dirty. The wood does its job unobtrusively, simply giving the fluffy florals and musks something sturdy to drape themselves over. Deeply feminine and even, dare we say it, ladylike, I For Women Woody Floral With Vintage Rose would be perfect for those who love powdery, retro-styled roses such as Lipstick Rose (Malle) or Paris (YSL).

bergamot, mandarin, red fruits, cardamom, pink pepper, black pepper, jasmine, lily of the valley, orris, rose, cedarwood, amber, patchouli, oud, vetiver, vanilla, musk