Hello gang,

The Olympics are on in London and I thought I’d do a bit about Anglomania by Dominique Ropion for Vivienne Westwood to coincide with such an auspicious time. I saw it at a local fragrance shop for an extremely reasonable price and snapped it up even though well aware of Luca Turin’s one star rating. “After an intense gourmand top note with too much going on. Anglomania poops out early and reveals a boring synthetic woody amber dry-down plus PVC raincoat” LT in The Guide, but I have disagreed with his sometimes brutal and scientifically biased carvings before, so I was still interested because I love Vivienne Westwood.

Photo Stolen thecultureconcept

Fragrantica gives the accords as:
Top: Cardamom, coriander and green tea
Heart: Rose, tender violet and nutmeg
Base: Leather, vanilla and amber

What do I smell on my skin?

POP! The opening is fun! The cardamom and coriander seem to already be having a chat with the vanilla as a huge burst of scent envelopes me. When the beginning lets a bit of air in there is a very pretty sweet green tea scent floating through, not like a cup of green tea but like thought of what a cup of sweetened green tea should smell like. Cardamom is the shining star though.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

I miss the rose and violet all together, clearly my nose is not yet attuned to properly parse the fragrance, but I do get the nutmeg, even went to the kitchen to check that it is what I am smelling, it’s there alright but like in an egg-flip milkshake (milk, vanilla, egg, ice cream, nutmeg then blend).

At about the 30-40 minute mark the vanilla and amber are really making their presence felt. Already I am feeling a soft, buttery leather scent come through too, almost suede-ish but no plastic. I’m expecting the powdery woody violets, or the roses to give that funny plastic that they can give, but no, not today.

Towards the 3 hour mark I have a very soft amber with an expensive leather couch. I think only now am I starting to get a hint of the cool powder of violet like a soft loaded powder puff. Maybe the vinyl that everyone else smells is that faint smell of oil based foundation I’m getting?

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

There’s no debating that this didn’t last for many reasons, it’s a solid, pretty and interesting scent but no masterpiece. It was badly advertised, with an image that says nothing and speaks to no one, not lovely or interesting enough for the women to find it aspirational and not sexy and obvious so the boys would buy it for their ladies. The ad is not even in your face enough so the gays, who adore Vivienne Westwood’s often out of control images and presentation, would see it as a collectors piece. It was seriously off my radar till I saw it so drastically reduced. Having put it in that terrible context though, I will wear it, in fact I’m going to wear it to work this week and gauge reactions.

STOP PRESS!! Wear more for roses. As I thought Anglomania was a little quiet there was a spritzfest before work. Left wrist and elbow then mash, 3 hefty sprays on my decollete and one on my scarf. POW!! Here come the roses, the wonderful rich and spicy roses from top to dry-down. Night 1 wear: 2 random compliments (one lovely person so enchanted and asking who made it and where to buy it).

TheCandyPerfumeBoy does a really excellent review but he smells the fragrance completely differently to what I get. I’m wondering if there’s been a reformulation because I get no rose or vinyl?
I found 30ml for $37 at GalaxyPerfume and the only other online place I could find it was Amazon.

Have you tried any of the Vivienne Westwood range of fragrances? Love her clothes? Hate them? Tell me I am agog.
See you tomorrow,
Portia xx