Seven years after it was launched to great commercial success, it's interesting to go back and wear Prada's Infusion d'Iris again. I liked it well enough back in 2007, just never saw the point of wearing it when there are so many great iris perfumes that actually excite me. This opinion is obviously not shared by the legions who keep buying this Prada perfume (created by Daniela Anderier) and wearing it everywhere. It became the office scent of the educated, well-groomed, young professionals of North America, and I don't blame any of them.
The thing about Infusion d'Iris is not just a soapy clean fragrance that's combined with a truly pretty floral core. Its secret is the emotional levity of the composition. My personal taste leans towards perfumes with some baggage. Infusion takes you away from all that, lets you start the day with a clean slate. Heartbreak? Trouble? You can think about it tomorrow. Today is for bright skies and a clear horizon. Not just the iris is scrubbed clean, but all the other pretty flowers also shed the more sordid parts in favor of a lighthearted floralness. How can anyone resist that?
The dry-down is a musky cedar that is, indeed, infused with an iris. On spectacularly good days I get a whiff of pencil shavings somewhere in there, but most of the times Infusion just gives the impression of a good quality perfume that was composed with a reasonable amount of attention to detail. I still see no reason to get a bottle (see my above list of iris perfumes that actually move me), but I've never objected to smelling it on anyone.
Notes: mandarin, galbanum, orange, orange blossom, iris, cedar, vetiver, incense, and benzoin.
Prada- Infusion d'Iris ($64, 1 oz EDP) is available at Sephora and most department stores.
Art: White Iris With San Francisco Skyline by Leah Schwartz, 2010.
Infusion d'Iris EDP is much more accessible to most people than the other iris perfumes on your list. I also really like Infusion d'Iris Absolue.
ReplyDeleteI adore this perfume; I think I'm on my 4th bottle since it launched. Last year, I told my husband I was only taking one fragrance on our summer holiday and he could choose it. Out of the 7 or so options with which I presented him, he chose this one. Sometimes ones wants uncomplicated happiness :).
ReplyDeleteOne more thing; I have and love Bel Respiro, but it lasts about 10 minutes on me. Not a practical holiday fragrance!
ReplyDeleteI've had a bottle of Id'I since it launched, and the bottle is still mostly full. I like it well enough; I just don't reach for it often. You'll laugh, but I tend to wear it most--to the dentist's! (And since I only go for cleanings twice a year, that explains why the bottle is still largely full.) Tho I have a great dentist, I find such visits unpleasant, so I don't want to wear a perfume I love in case I link it, emotionally, to my feelings about dental appointments. Plus, since Id'I is rather unobtrusive, I figure it won't bother the dentist or other people in his office. All that said, I find it best for that kind of setting: where I don't want my perfume to stand out, and I don't need to wear something I love, but I still want to wear something enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteThis perfume reminds me of being in a cloud - it's pretty at first but becomes tiresome after a while. However, it really works for me on hot, humid summer days, when the effect is very chill. nozknoz
ReplyDeleteIt is really beautiful and somewhat unique. I love wearing it during summer. Also paired with the same body lotion it's even batter . Lotion is moisturizing and the smell stays on so long on the skin
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