Donna is Lorenzo Villoresi's signature fragrance for women, and is part of the Classic Collection. It was released in 1994, and has notes of rose, coriander, clove, star anise, blackcurrant, carnation, rosewood, rose, jasmin, iris, ylang ylang, violet leaves, sandalwood, musk and narcissus.
Donna is at the other end of the spectrum from the flight-of-fancy that is Yerbamate: it is unabashedly feminine, and more accessibly pretty than some of the other scents in the line. It starts with rose and peppery carnation, accented with hints of citrus and sweet fruit. The spices are mild, but the top notes have a nice kick to them. The heart is a dewy floral, more focused now on the rose than the carnation (if you want carnation, do try Villoresi's Garofano), but the jasmine and violet also stand out, and the whole is tinged a very pale leafy green.
In the dry down, the florals turn creamy and take on a light dusting of powder. I am somewhat powder-phobic (Villoresi's Teint de Neige, which has its own little cult following among powder fans, is way more than I can handle) but it is not overdone here. The base is very soft woods that accent but don't overwhelm the floral notes.
It is a lush, full-bodied scent, yet not as dense or heavy as some of the others in the Lorenzo Villoresi line. It might be a bit much in the heat of summer, but it wears beautifully the rest of the year. Lovely, and very much worth a try.
Donna is an Eau de Toilette, and is also available in Shower Gel, Body Lotion and Bar Soap. For buying information, see the listing for Lorenzo Villoresi under Perfume Houses.
Hi Robin, I'm so grateful to you for alerting me to the Lorenzo Villoresi range and have just ordered some samples from Les Senteurs in London where Martin was particularly helpful and knowledgeable and says he really rates some of these scents very highly. Now I'll have to add this one to the list – it sounds gorgeous. You have such an excellent way with your descriptions of the fragrances you review I can sometimes almost smell them – or my version of them!
I'm intringued by the difference between Italian and French perfumiers (or is this a myth?) and for instance adore the I Profumi de Firenze Iris de Firenze which is fabulously green and fresh and Irisy all the way through, but very hard to find – and expensive outside Florence!
Thanks for the wonderful review, just when I thought I had enough to delight me for years another world opens up….
Do read the interview I did with LV:
https://nstperfume.com/blog/_archives/2005/11/22/1417064.html
I was interested in the same Italian vs. French question, and asked him where he fit in.
To my mind, there is something of an Italian style, simpler, less sexy than the French style — more focused on the flowers & other plant materials, less focused on the animalic notes.
But LV doesn't fit into that at all, to my nose. His fragrances have a denseness that I associate somewhat with other lines that are influenced by the Middle Eastern approach (Amouage, Montale).
And thank you so much for the nice compliment
Wow! that guy can talk! And most of it so worthwhile, thank heavens for the Philosophy degree. I really liked how he elaborated on your question about the distinctiveness or otherwise of Italian perfumery (he was very generous about the Anglo Saxon traditions). How interesting it is to hear about the middle eastern influence in his work, I'm even keener to try them now.
But his mention of the art dating back to the Renaissance with patrons like the de Medici and Borgia families reminded me that throughout Europe at this time the Italians were considered the absolute masters of poisoning too. Possibly a similar kind of art given the secretive mixing of potions in dark places, and the potential dramatic effects…..
I loved his throwaway remark discussing his bespoke service that sometimes a truly banal scent like lily of the valley suited a customer perfectly so had to be used (probably with a clothes peg on his nose). Wouldn't it be awful to have one's character captured – at huge expense no doubt – by a “banal” scent?
Thanks for a really informative interview – what a labour of love transcribing it though! I hope you at least got to Florence.
It is very pretty, I just find it a tad too sharp. That bit ruins the impression for me.
No labor of love, actually, except to keep pestering his assistant about it. His answers came by email, and honestly, I was very surprised at the time and thought he put into answering. Most people don't bother, especially by email, which tends to elicit short answers.
It doesn't strike me that way, V, but I noticed some of the reviewers on MUA mentioned something metallic, so apparently you are not alone.