The Ghost Of Diana (Perfume Review, Diana Vreeland, Outrageously Vibrant)

Anyone who is even remotely interested in fashion knows who Diane Vreeland is. For those uninitiated, there's a wonderful documentary on Netflix called "The Eyes Has To Travel," which gives us a glimpse of her genius. I love one of her most famous quotes: "Pink is the navy blue of India," and there was a time I used that as my signature quote on my emails. But I think what I loved most about her was that while she thought that perfume was an "extravagance," she was from that school of people who wanted their perfumes to be noticed. She hated the fact that Americans use them sparingly, and advocated that everyone should carry small bottles int heir bags for replenishing. She could have been speaking my motto. 

So I was excited to see that her grandson, Alexander Vreeland, has launched five perfumes in her name, and named them from her favorite expressions. I know a lot of people thought this was blasphemy, and wasn't too happy with the idea. But good or bad, I knew I had to have a bottle from this line, if only from a collector's point of view. When I went to Neiman Marcus and tried them all, the one that most spoke to me at first was "Extravagance Russe," which is a classic Oriental with predominant Russian leather and musk notes. But, I thought it was just a little too thin, so I went and explored the rest of the line. Bottom line: there in't anything innovative or daring with the line itself, but these are well-done scents. Later on, I kept on coming back to "Outrageously Vibrant," which is the one that is most unliek what I would like: a fruity floral with patchouli base. It is centered around mango and creme of cassis, and it just spoke to me. It is fresh, vibrant, and it smelled good on my skin, turning sweet but not overly so. I also thought it was a versatile scent: on that cold day it blossomed but didn't turn too dark on me, and I could imagine it soaring on a summer day. So I made an executive decision and got it. The more I sniff everything else, the more I will get confused, so I went with my gut. As i wear it again today, I don't regret my decision: it's a floral that's not too feminine, and I carry it well, if I do say so myself. So while I still kind of dream of "Extravagance Russie" (I have a 10 ml vial that the SA gave me and I am still contemplating on going back for it) I am at peace with my decision.