Launching a fragrance is nothing new for the luxury fashion houses of the world. Most major European designers have at least one scent to accompany the season's newest designs. But Matthieu Blazy is anything but typical. The creative director of Bottega Veneta has once again ushered in a new era for the storied Italian house with the launch of its first in-house fragrance collection, a luxurious five-piece olfactory romp that's been 57 years in the making.
Weaving together Venetian influences from the North, South East, and West—not unlike Bottega Veneta's famed Intrecciato pattern—each of the new perfumes utilizes 100% natural origin essences (as opposed to synthetic ingredients). The fragrances—which were developed in collaboration with Kering Beauty's perfumers—utilize classic notes, such as orange blossom and bergamot, that mingle with more international selections, such as Spanish ladanum in the Acqua Sale scent, French Angelica oil in Colpo di Sole, Madagascar geranium in Déjà Minuit, Brazilian pink pepper in Alchemie, and French orris butter in Come with Me.
And then there's the absolutely stunning bottle. According to the Bottega Veneta team, the rippling design is meant to provide a smooth, sensual feel to emphasize the tactile experience as much as the smell itself; it also serves as a nod to the lagoon environment of Venice, the brand's origin city. Each bottle also contains distinct air bubbles to recreate the mouth blown aesthetic that is so integral to the region's legendary glassblowing technique. "This innovative effect pays tribute to the centuries-long tradition of Murano glassblowing—a craft most recently integrated into Blazy’s Winter '24 show space," says a representative for the brand. Typically considered imperfections, Blazy has allowed the air bubbles to create individually unique bottles, making it a truly bespoke experience for ardent fragrance fans.
As if the design itself wasn't grand enough for your perfume display, each 100mL bottle sits on a base of green Verde Saint Denis marble—the same material that is regularly incorporated into Blazy's store designs and that is signature to Venetian architecture. Smooth, weighty, and delightfully lavish, it's exactly the type of unexpected detail for which the creative director is so well known. Not to mention it makes the $450 price tag feel a bit more worthwhile.
In terms of the juice itself, we put each of the five new launches through a blind smell test to gather truly unbiased reactions. Keep scrolling for our thoughts on Bottega Veneta's first ever fragrance collection, and watch our initial reactions below.
Aqua Sale
Nikki Ogunnaike, Editor-in-Chief: "I was blown away at first sniff. According to the packaging, the notes are juniper oil and labdanum absolute, but with my skin chemistry, it smelled more masculine, like woodsy or patchouli. 10/10 no notes. I kind of can't stop smelling my wrists now!"
Come with Me
Hannah Baxter, Beauty Director: "I'm not going to lie, I didn't love this scent on me when I first dabbed it on my wrists. It's a little more robust and powdery than I typically like my fragrance choices to be, but all it took was ten minutes of marinating on my skin to change my mind. The next time I took a whiff, it smelled...sexy? The Italian bergamot finally emerged to create a rich, sensual, and heady blend with the violet-leaning orris butter. I can't wait to wear this when I go out to a dark bar with lots of old leather banquets and dirty martinis flowing. It's definitely not a daytime fragrance, but that's the beauty of having a fragrance wardrobe—you have a scent for every setting."
Alchemie
Samantha Holender, Beauty Editor: "My advice: Give this fragrance some time to settle. When I first dabbed it on my wrists, I described it as light and airy, even aquatic. But after just 10 minutes on my skin, the scent profile completely changed. It's actually quite earthy, spicy, and smoky—even a hint masculine. It's definitely more of a nighttime scent (contrary to my first impression) without being overwhelming. It's a fragrance someone will notice when they go to hug you, not when you enter a room."
Déjà Minuit
Halie LeSavage, Senior Fashion & Beauty Editor: "Deja Minuit makes a cozy first impression. When I tried it in front of the Marie Claire team, I thought it had a lot in common with my husband’s cologne—and that it was a woodsy complement for an oversize knit sweater and a date inside a snow globe. A few hours later, it’s evolved in a more floral direction with obvious notes of jasmine and geranium. Maybe it’s a little more season-less than I thought. It’s definitely powerful: Even with a slight cold, I don’t have to try hard at all to get a whiff of the drops I dabbed on my wrist."
Colpo di Sole
Lucia Tonelli, Associate Director of Social Media: "My first impression of this scent was, 'What is this?' I wasn’t familiar with the notes (French Angelica oil and Moroccan orange blossom absolute), but I was intrigued. The masculine-leaning scent packs a punch at first spritz, but quickly opens up as it sits on the skin. The scent reminded me of a fresh bed of pine needles—calming, subtle, and a bit wintery—with a slight sweetness that cuts at the sharper notes."
