Giorgio Armani has launched a new trio in the Armani Privé range: La Collection des Mille et une Nuits. Ambre Orient, Rose d'Arabie and Oud Royal were all given an exclusive preview last year at individual department stores before their official launch this year. As the collection's name implies, the new fragrances were inspired by the tales from One Thousand and One Nights.
Ambre Orient ~ "From the earliest origins of perfumery, infusions of amber have delivered warm, golden and vibrant light to the greatest fragrances. Just as the sun turns to gold as its mingles and sets over the water, Giorgio Armani has elected to work a liquid amber. Giorgio Armani masters the drape of a lamé blouse; fabrics that ripple and swing to the rhythm of movements. Each fold catches the light, shifting from warm, coppery gold to shades of pale, almost white gold." Featuring notes of thyme, frankincense, patchouli, oud, sandalwood and vanilla.
Rose d'Arabie ~ "Rose d’Arabie is a majestic ode to the essence of rose. Spicy with flashes of saffron at the outset, it chooses patchouli and dark woods in order to develop at the heart. At the base it gives itself up to the sensual harmonies of golden amber."
Oud Royal ~ "When Giorgio Armani turned his attention to oud, he decided to work it the way he would a heavy brocade lined with gold and silver, leaving its weight, its noble intensity and majestic sedateness. Respectful of its personality, Giorgio Armani set about highlighting each facet of character in its composition: depth is amplified by an amber harmony, the reddish glow is fanned with spices, the dark earth reflections are smoked with a veil of myrrh and incense." Additional notes include black earth note, animalic notes.
The Armani Privé Mille et une Nuits collection fragrances are available in 100 ml Eau de Parfum, £175 each. (quotes via giorgioarmanibeauty, additional information via osmoz)
Maybe I’m just cranky or perhaps I have reached Stage 5 Perfumistahood – rampant cynicism – but we’ve seen this concept (by Killian Arabian Nights) and smelled these fragrances over and over. I can’t imagine that GA has done anything really innovative or different enough to distinguish these from all the other “Arabic” fragrances that feature oudh, rose, incense, resins, and spices in various combinations that are already out there.
They do not look startlingly new, it’s true…and this line isn’t known for innovation anyway.
Julia, I was thinking the exact same thing.
Lord have mercy…come to mama, the whole lot of you.
I checked these out at a private department store recently. The bottles are beautiful, the scents lovely, but it will cost quite a penny (or shilling, euro) to get them to come to mama.
LOL…that’s cost you, yes!
The bottles appear to be really gorgeous. I’d test the rose one…..
They are pretty. I think I liked the colored stone caps better, but still.
I have a sample of the Oud Royal, and it’s really beautiful stuff. If it’s any indication, then the line is worth trying!
Even though we’re “ouded-out” at this point, a really beautiful addition still catches my fancy!
Hi Robin!
Generally I really like Armani scents. I would give these a sniff if I get the opportunity but I think they real go overboard on their price point for these Privé scents.
Wow — VERY long time no see!! Hope you & yours are all well.
These do sound lovely, but I’m trying not to fall in love with anything that costs the same as my mortgage! Or an appreciable part of it anyway. I’m thinking these sound a bit heavy for Spring as well, but I may (like Julia) simply be a bit grumpy today.
Yes, I’m sure they will be nice. I like several fragrances from the Prive line and, like Dee, I appreciate beautiful additions to this style because I really do like it very much. It’s just that I have so many other fragrances with similar descriptions and notes that I can’t imagine these being $185 different or better than what’s already in my perfume closet or on my wish list. Nevertheless, I’m sure I will give them a try.
Giorgio is a bit late to the party, the cake has been eaten…….
Hopefully these will wind up in TJMaxx in a few years like the original Prives did.
I was only able to score Eau de Jade and Cuir Amethyste, but they are quite well-made. $39.99 was alot more reasonable than $185….each!
Wow. I have one of the originals, purchased at full price, and I have never seen them at a discounter. Nice catch.
They were there spring of 2009.
I wouldn’t have even known had it not been for a thread @ basenotes. Several people in Chicago and Detroit found Ambre Soie and Bois d’Encens – the two I most coveted.
Dangerous place for me- I always feel its a wasted trip if I don’t purchase something.
I only see mainstream fragrances in the few TJM stores I’ve been in. You are mucho lucky to score anything like this!
I never saw any of them there after that one round of the 1st four.
I saw CA at TJ Maxx all the time last year….
The Rose d’Arabie was in Harrods, and was very nice. The Royal Oud was in Selfridges, and I didn’t like it so much – not the best of the designer ouds, to my mind. I wonder where they previewed the Ambre Orient? It sounds made for me! I wonder how different it is from the excellent Ambre Soie? And hey – I’m in love with two Xerjoffs…sob…£175 seems a steal!
I would definitely want to check these out. I do prefer the colored stone caps than these new gold caps.
Agreed – the gold looks tacky.
My yawn was so loud it startled my dog.
I find Armani’s nationality crisis odd. He’s Italian, he’s super inspired by the Japanese aesthetic, and his perfumes are all writ in French! To top it off, they’re inspired by the Middle East! I understand that France is the Rome of fine fragrance (how ironic!) but it seems weird to me. It’s not like Italian is a) passe or b) a vulgar, dissonant language.
Also, having (attempted to) read Thousand and One Nights, it’s boring as heck. I much prefer, in the same genre, the Pillowbook of Sei Shonagon, the Cantebury Tales, or the Decameron (in that order, actually).
Very disappointed here. Thought this line supposed to cater both gender but yet over time, it’s tilted towards the feminine side by the looks of it. Yes, without trying on your skin, you can never tell if a fragrance works for you, but by looking at the notes, this trio are definitely on the feminine side. I have enjoyed Bois d’Encens, Eau de Jade, Pierre de Lune, Vetiver Babylone and Oranger Alhambra, but I’m not sure about this trio.
Already plenty in the market, even by the Arabic based Perfumers such as Rasasi and Al-Junaid, but hmmmmm nice try.
Just tried amber and oud on the skin. Two hours later, oud is a star. Generally I find oud to be a bit sort of cat-pee ick (sorry) but this has lashings of frankincense and amber to sweeten it up and make it grrrrr sexy. Want.
Amber is quite like L’Artisan Ambre.
HELP!- I’d appreciate a reply from anyone who has posted or played with these! I purchased a few decants of various orientals from theperfumedcourt.com, based on notes I knew I liked. A shot in the dark., right? I got the Ambre Orient, which smells AMAZING on my skin. Problem: price point. COME ON.
And I know you are all right to say the combo and concept have been played through before. The problem I find is that these types of scents are not available all that readily in the US. Not having the luxury of travel, I don’t get to try perfumes on my skin unless they are in the local department store, and hitting another shot-in-the-dark going on notes’ descriptions will get me nowhere fast, i imagine.
I saw Elodiegrace post that the amber is like L’Artisan’s.— how much like it??? I’d track down a sample of anything anyone feels is a close match to the Ambre Orient that I won’t have to sell a kidney to buy.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
This post is probably not getting much traffic these days…you might want to ask your question on the next open thread poll, or on the fragrance board at MakeupAlley. Even then, the number of people who smelled this is probably pretty small…sorry not to be of more help.
@Nina: a little late in coming, but I have tried both the Ambre Orient and the Ambre Soie- very different. The Soie has a sweetness and powder to it, and I’m out of it, so I can’t go back and pin down the source of the sweet/powder and be more specific, sorry. The Orient had more vanilla and was significantly warmer. I liked one strongly, and the other not at all. I would not have guessed them to be related were I blindfolded.