Our take
What does Black Orchid smell like?
Tom Ford's first fragrance under his own name, launched in 2006, Black Orchid set the tone for the designer's dark, luxurious aesthetic. Its opening is disorienting: an earthy, almost animal truffle note tangles with tart black currant and bergamot, like dark confectionery set on loam. The floral heart of orchid, lotus and ylang-ylang is nothing like spring; it is dense, creamy and faintly spiced, with a facet that recalls bitter chocolate. The base of patchouli, sandalwood and vanilla brings a woody, ambered warmth that lingers on clothes into the next day. It is a theatrical oriental floral built to claim a room, and it paved the way for the opulent unisex signatures of the 2010s.
When to wear it
Evenings in autumn and winter, applied sparingly; it appeals to anyone after something dramatic, dark and deliberately divisive.
It belongs to the Floral, Oriental / Amber family. Black Orchid is one of 14 creations by Tom Ford in our encyclopedia.
