Bloom, the new pillar Eau de Parfum from Maison Gucci is the venerable design company’s contender to the tuberose throne, in a year that so far has seen Chanel Gabrielle, Hermes Twilly, Guerlain Joyeuse Tubéreuse, et al….  perfumes that are focused on a slightly younger audience, and created to be a “gateway” perfume for the more complex (read sophisticated) perfumes of the respective Houses. None are groundbreaking as such, and that’s perfectly fine, each house has many choices for the more experienced perfumista and if these scents promise to sell as they should, it will entice new users through the gilded doors and allow the perfumers involved to keep creating fragrances that are loved by the fragrance community.

 Rod Stewart in Gucci 1976 FARABOLAFOTO©

Gucci is a company that has been rife with scandal and drama, their fortunes waxing and waning from one crisis and success to another. Back in the 70’s Gucci was on a luxury par with Louis Vuitton, and those light tan loafers with the buckle were owned by every well-dressed man and woman, (including on my feet after my first paycheck in 1972), but by the mid-to-late 80’s Gucci had taken a turn for the worse, and had become the most copied brand in the world, and decidedly down-market. The 90’s brought the Tom Ford years and the conscious re-branding of the company. Happy to say that Gucci survived (mostly) all the drama and various owners, and in the 21st century are once again a force to be reckoned with. Under the guidance of Creative Director Alessandro Michele, the company seems poised to blast off into the future, and if the new Bloom is an indicator, it will be a very good future indeed.

 Alessandro Michele posed for photos in the lush garden created by celebrity floral designer Eric Buterbaugh via Gucci.com and Harper's Bazaar

“Debuting the first fragrance developed wholly under Alessandro Michele’s creative vision: a scent designed to celebrate the authenticity, vitality and diversity of women—flourishing in a natural, expressive and individual way. Blended by master perfumer Alberto Morillas under the direction of the House’s Creative Director, Gucci Bloom is created to unfold like its name, capturing the rich scent of a thriving garden filled with an abundance of flowers. Tuberose and jasmine combine with Rangoon Creeper—a unique flower discovered in South India that is being used for the first time in perfumery to create a rich fragrance that transports the wearer to an imaginary garden.” -Gucci Official

Dakota Johnson for Gucci©

As the first Gucci pillar women’s fragrance since Flora in 2009, Bloom will be an easy-wear for a white floral lover. Again, not groundbreaking or earth shattering, but a solid commercial release none the less, and a very pretty spin on tuberose. The tuberose in Bloom is fairly linear, what you smell is what you get. Mixed with the young Jasmine buds, the scent becomes an amalgam you could refer to as “Jasmirose” the notes are so tightly intwined as to be almost impossible to define. The Rangoon Creeper or Chinese Honeysuckle, (supposedly making its debut in a perfume) adds a slight waft of spicy-sweetness which helps to lighten and lift the fragrance out of the banality of a drugstore floral, and allows Bloom to soar on light-as-air wings.

Photo of Robert's GUCCI Bloom by Robert

Tuberose is, I realize, a divisive and polarizing note; people seem to either love it or hate it. Often tuberose-focused perfumes wear you instead of the other way around (looking at YOU, Carnal Flower, swoon-worthy love of my life!) Completely office-friendly, Bloom falls solidly into the non-indolic camp, you won’t find that sometimes off-putting rank buttery fatness. This is just pure floral, easy to wear, easy to like, and an easy full bottle purchase.The only drawback might be the color of the bottle; created to suggest a porcelain vessel and it does fulfill its promise with that, but the “fleshtone” color is curious bordering on odd. Thankfully I care more about the contents that the package, and Gucci Bloom suits me just fine.

 

Notes: Jasmine Buds, Tuberose, Orris Root, Rangoon Creeper (Chinese Honeysuckle), Musk

 

Disclosure: The bottle and the opinions are my own.

-Robert Herrmann, Senior Editor

-Art Direction: Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief

All photos courtesy of Gucci and Harper’s Bazaar©

Have you tried GUCCI Bloom…Did you like it? Tell us! Have you noticed how many tuberose fragrances debuted this year?