L'Arte di Gucci (1991)

A dark, leather-patchouli rose, L'Arte di Gucci has a cult following among certain perfume lovers, and after hearing them sing its praises, I had to see what was up.

Black, inky and goth, L'Arte di Gucci is an Edward Gorey-esque animalic-rose chypre. In my fevered imagination, its rose comes from the rose bushes surrounding the dilapidated and haunted Victorian home of Merricat, the witchy protagonist from Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle. (On a less literary romantic note, it first brought to mind Calvin Klein's 2005 perfume Euphoria, a spicy, woody floral that also has "exotic" flowers and notes: rose hips, Japanese apple, green leaves, Lotus, black orchid, red woods, black violet and amber.)  L'Arte is definitely the darker — and more beautiful — of the two.

Its fruit note (black currant?) is prominent in the beginning, flanked by herby coriander and bright and green notes, but it's of the Magie Noire dark-woods character rather than the frou-frou fruit variety. The patchouli rises up almost immediately, cloaking the bright top notes and taking them down to the underworld with its other beautiful poisonous-smelling flowers (like tuberose) and woody, masculine smells.

Top notes: Fruit note, bergamot, aldehyde, coriander, green note

Heart notes: Rose, jasmine, geranium, tuberose, orris, lily of the valley

Base notes: Patchouli, vetiver, leather, amber, musk, oakmoss

As L'Arte di Gucci dries down, the rose just radiates from its dark lair lined with leather, vetiver, musk and oakmoss, the patchouli prominent throughout.

This purple-prosed review (when did I turn into a teenage goth?) is a long time coming, because I actually encountered L'Arte di Gucci for the first time in New Orleans months ago. I got a mini perfume and stuck it in my purse, only to have the purse stolen at a dive bar along with my favorite lipstick. (Ugh.) I've been pining for it ever since, and I'm glad I finally found another cheap-ish mini. (The full bottles of L'Arte on eBay aren't too outrageous, but I just wanted a whiff.)

For some strange reason, L'Arte di Gucci was discontinued, and I wonder if a stake was driven through its dark-rosed heart around the time CKOne (the reference scent for all clean scents to come) came around in 1994.

 

 

 

Comments

[Tamara*J]

Darling this golden elixir is a witch of a scent.
Dark, brooding, it enraptures me in mossy roses and patch'.
My friend Mals sent me a leaked rollerball and I was hooked like a fish! I huffed the oily bag , it was that intoxicating to me.
I wear it and feel like a naughty nature nymph.
The black currant is a favorite note of mine, it brings sweetness without sugar, it's inky flavor buzzes from my skin like bees hovering over it's burgundy roses.
They surround my head when I wear this.
I had my oldest try my edp, she's 17 and at first , she couldn't handle the raw scent of it, it came on strong and striking.
After awhile though, she sniffed her arm again in pleasure..."Yes Mama, I like this, I know why you love it now..."

I think if anyone smelled this, they would end up feeling the same..

<3 ~T

[Perfumaniac]

Hey Tamara*J — that's quite an image I have of you huffing and oily bag of leaked LArte di Gucci! Anyone who loves perfume has probably done the same:) I know I have! (Also, that Mals is a pusher; I'm pretty sure the chorus that got me to try LDG was loudest on her side!)

Love your description of it, and your observation that black currant "brings sweetness without sugar." So true — and it seems to be in many a witchy scent. Mmmmmm.

[Marina]

I adore this one! And such great choice of music/video to go with it!!

[Perfumaniac]

Hi Marina. Glad you like the video! I figured, the review was so over-the-top, why not go all the way? ;)

[Tina S]

did you test the edt, edp or perfume?

[Perfumaniac]

Hi Tina, the eau de parfum.

[Tina S]

Thanks! What I've found so far is edt and perfume splash. Must keep searching....Love your description of it: haunting, dilaptitated. Oh yeah, my kind of perfume.

[Perfumaniac]

Hi Tina, You'll love it. I sent you a link. Just call me a perfume pusher. :)

[Victoria/EauMG]

I haven't tried this one and probably will never be able to, but your description/review of it makes it sound like my dream scent. I'm keeping an eye out for it now.

[Perfumaniac]

Hi Victoria,

You should definitely try it. You can find a mini EDP for not that much if you look around you know where! Happy New Year!

[Mals86]

L'Arte is SO NOT ME (witness all that patchouli!) but I love it immoderately anyway. I recently described it to a friend as Kathleen Battle coloratura pink roses growing out of a Gothic New Orleans garden, complete with wrought-iron gates and a family graveyard in the corner. The patchouli is very green-herbal, though, instead of earthy-dirty, and it turns out I really dig herbal patch.

I do find it overwhelming when sprayed, and sometimes even a bit plasticky - I decant out of my big, unwieldy black bottle into a rollerball or my mini bottle. It can be so enormous, I'd hate to OD on it the way I did a few months ago on OJ Ta'if.

Still not getting the Euphoria connection... but then, Euphoria smells like Plum-Currant Angel to me, lots of that ethylmaltol stuff under the fruit. Have you tried Francis Kurkdjian's Lumiere Noire pour femme? Similar rose chypre stuff, with less of the screaming pink roses and some lovely, dirty-sexy narcissus.

[Perfumaniac]

Mals: I think you were the biggest cheerleader for L'Arte di Gucci, and you were right. It is wonderful and dark and beautiful. (I love that we both smell a special gothic rose associated with spooky houses and graveyards!) I guess the Euphoria connection came to me because I realized that it must have been an attempt at replicating L'Arte di Gucci for the Bebe-wearing set, but of course Euphoria is (no question) L'Arte di Gucci lite. I haven't tried Lumiere Noir, but I guess I'm going to have to! Have a wonderful and fragrant new year!

[unique baby gifts]

I had the good fortune to test this discontinued beauty recently and it is very beautiful.This stunning beauty is a creation similar to Christian Louboutins red sole high heels.Rose is a rather difficult note for me, as it is usually either too powdery, or too acrid, or dangerously close to the smell of burnt plastic.