Alberta Ferretti by Alberta Ferretti

I finished the tester and it really bugs me. It’s like my scent. What I liked was that it’s elegant, sophisticated and very original since it was just a niche perfume. Whenever I wore it people asked what it was and they loved it. I’ll have to make do with another tester. It’s a great shame they stopped making it. I would have bought it every time.

I finished the tester and I’m furious. It’s my scent. I liked that it was elegant, sophisticated and original for being so rare. People always asked what I was wearing and they loved it. I’ll have to make do with another tester. What a shame they discontinued it. I would have bought it every time.

Let no one expect a delicate work of art here. This perfume has one job: to smell absolutely fantastic. And it delivers. It had a nocturnal, artificial texture, Tom Ford style, and that’s not a problem, there are fragrances that proudly wear that vinyl body. Remember those woodier-florientals from fifteen years ago, oily unisex lotions that smelled of pure sex? At some point they evolved into sharp, lacquered patchouli and pepper notes, exactly the heart of this Alberta Ferretti. It was a perfume that passed without fuss or glory after the brand went twenty years without launching anything since the fabulous Femina, and like this one, it went unnoticed. For its launch the face was Claudia Schiffer in her supermodel comeback, the bottle is a lump that hits you in the head and gives you points, weighed more than is written. A generic name, an unknown Italian creator, a forgettable campaign and bad luck made it overlooked, nobody bought it and in two days it was discontinued. And it’s a pity, because it wasn’t a bad perfume. Alberta Ferretti was libidinous, rough and showy, a cross between Coco Mademoiselle, Baldessarini Ultimate and Alien… dizzying orange woods, woody white flowers, that plastic pink pepper you hate or love, and above all, a pea note that wrapped everything, something that set it apart with a milky, floral and incredible vegetal tone that goes crazy when you smell your hand. Does anyone understand why notes with that delicate, powdery floral touch, with a sweet, edible, spiced and beautifully tempered sweetness like this or cyclamen are used so little? This was an ode to the pea note, but so well made it wasn’t a relaxed perfume, but a bling and disco thing, pitted against video-clip woods and peppers. And it worked brilliantly, because between sharp patchouli and spicy vanilla amber, that stream of vegetable milk with refined soap memories fitted perfectly. No bad production, hence almost no deals and bottles appearing at triple the price. If you see it at a good price don’t let it slip if you like this family of androgynous patchoulis, it’s a perfume that surprises with that pea note, addictive, poisonous and seductive, understanding its range, in those plastic scents to make people ask what you’re wearing. Completely unisex, a great underrated gem.