Remember the tale of the squirrel who saved up all his nuts for the winter? I think there was some sort of lesson about saving for a rainy day, being prudent, not wasting one’s resources on frivolities, blah, blah, blah. Well, I am not a rodent.
Not to say that I am completely imprudent- I don’t go out and purchase $600 sneakers or the first off the boat iSomething or a new, expensive car. I don’t even get Botox (the latter two admissions should get my Visa to certain parts of Beverly Hills revoked, I know.) But I sometimes can make rather silly purchases, once in a blue moon.
A bottle of Diorling shipped from Harrod’s in London was one of those.
Silly only because of the shipping, which was about a 30% add on to the price of the good. I did manage to stop myself from getting anything else added on to the loding bill “just because I am already paying to ship.” So I now have a bottle of the “new” Diorling as well as the decant of the vintageĀ from STC I already wrote about.
So are they different? Certainly. The vintage has a richness that is palpable- it’s almost chewy in it’s opening. That’s missing (and missed) in the new one. The new one is drier, much more “modern” but I think to modern tastes has just enough vintage feel that it might have gotten tarred with the “old lady” brush. Do I feel like I wasted my money? 
Certainly not- the newer one is indeed easier to wear. The hyacinth and lily are more in the fore and the leather is more Birkin than biker. The vintage, even though I would happily bathe in it, is a scent that some would find challenging: certainly if you were smelling it on, say, a person who was about to pass sentence upon you. If the vintage is Grace Kelly the newer one is more Emma Stone: beautiful, smart, and you don’t take her seriously at your peril.
The vintage seems to be unavailable in the states, but Harrods in London still seems to carry it. If you live in the EU it ships cheap, if you’re in the States prepare to pay. My vintage decant is from Surrender to Chance.
Photos are mine, Pixels, and Wikimedia Commons.
I have both and prefer the vintage, though it is a confusing scent to some others – I think there is nothing quite like vintage Diorling – not even Chanel CdR! There’s a chilliness that is quite compelling becuase it doesn’t quite make sense to me.
I like the newer one in early Spring – it’s too thin for Winter, imo.
I wish there was still availability of the older one. I’d buy it with a cigarette-style warning label on it if that’s what it took.
Clearly I need “I am not a rodent” emblazoned on a custom tee shirt, that will appear next month on my Visa bill along with some other stuff I treated myself to! Splurging occasionally and within reason is a delight! Way more fun than the new tires I had to buy last month, although I’m glad I did before it snowed.
I am not a rodent(s) UNITE!!!
Here here!
Can those that were born in the Year of the Rat join too?
I think you get double points!
WhooooHooo!!!
I kind of wish we had some Posse merch..
Where’s the Posse Gear!
New tires are a bore.
It was DEEPLY unsatisfying, I put it off as long as possible lol. Kept thinking of all the things I’d rather spend that $ on. But my mechanic put his foot down.
You smell marvelous! I approve of splashing out on these kind of purchases once in a while. Cautionary tale: my dad was a nut-keeping squirrel type who sadly died of cancer before he could enjoy his harvest or retirement years. We need to “Carpe Diem!” and seize each day.
Well, I tell myself that but I think I’ll strive to find a balance. Hoever if I find the phone number to the JAR boutique at Bergdorfs and that they still sell Fermez tes Yeux all bets are off..
Interesting. The bottle price at Harrods isnāt completely stupid (at least in sterling). Will definitely have a look at this next time Iām up-country. Iām with Maya in that you canāt always be well-behaved. Whatās the point?
Bottle price was the same as Saks or NM here. They just don’t have it and Harrods does. So now do I š
I think Dior seems to do a pretty good job at keeping the integrity of older scents but my experience is Dior from the 90s. Specifically Hypnotic Poison and Addict, both of which I purchased when they were new. Now I have the newer versions from about 2018 and hey, they smell very close to the originals. Addict purrs now rather than growls and HP is even fluffier but I’m glad I bought them. Love the Grace Kelly/Emma Stone comparison! I should get a sample of Diorling.
I think a lot of companies stumbled when the IFFA stupidity happened. They seem to have recovered
Well done Tom for not adding more booty to the Harrods cart!
Off topic have you added Alvarez Gomez Agua di Colonia to the best niche ever category on Fragranticaās end of year vote? I think thatās the category, whatever, itās on there & I didnāt add it, so thought of you! Itās doing ok too.
Looks like itās getting recognition on a bigger stage
Oooh, I will have to go do that!
It’s great that you got your Diorling! Being sensible and practical all the time is boring. I’m a big fan of having some crazy fun when you can.
I have a list of 7 old or vintage Diors to try and where I can get them. Diorling is among them. It will have to wait though until after the holidays and probably two January birthdays, mine and my daughters.
Not sure where you are but StC is a great resource..
I know. I did most of my early vintage hunting there. (I’m in Kansas City, MO now) STC has 5 out of the 7 I want and I know where I can get the other 2, so I’m good.
I purchased three Chanels (crazy buying spree) at Harrod’s in the last three months. I justified the money spent, by the money saved. I think it’s strange that here in California I saved a bundle by purchasing overseas. I used to live in the UK, and window shopping was one of my favorite activities when I was in London and got to see the displays at Harrod’s. Harrod’s is also where I fell down the rabbit hole when one of the ladies at the perfume counter squirted Vallee des Rois by Mira Takla (swoon). I’m glad you splurged on a (new) classic–enjoy!
It is odd- I have found stuff abroad that was much cheaper (and at the time a favorable exchange rate) In this case it’s just that nobody over here carries it and I don’t know why. It’s not even on the Dior website. I guess I could have wandered over to the store on Rodeo and made them check the stockroom, but didn’t.
As much as I love Diorling, a brand spanking new bottle isn’t in the cards. I am kicking myself for not getting a bottle when I could find it at my local Saks. I will content myself with my large decant and hoard my vintage.
It seems like Dior wants to focus solely on J’Adore and what they are calling Miss Dior.
I just did it because I had some extra scratch that made the shipping usurious, not insane.
I donāt think Iāve smelled JāAdore. I have the ānewā Miss Dior, and to be diorannoying about it, it misses Miss by a country mile. They should call it Misserable Dior.
There, I got that out of my system.