Clive Christian Art Deco Blonde Amber

Tamara de Lempicka's portrait The Young Lady with Gloves is the brief behind this one. Clive Christian released Blonde Amber in 2022 as part of the XXI Art Deco pair in its Noble Collection, composed by Vincent Ricord according to Fragrantica, and the house pitches it as the Roaring Twenties in a bottle. It is a warm, smoky amber where blonde tobacco and tonka meet bitter orange, rum and a heart of white flowers.

Fragrance Notes

Top: Bitter Orange, Rose, Rum

Heart: Tuberose, Jasmine, Osmanthus, Dried Fruits, Saffron, Blonde Tobacco

Base: Vetiver, Incense, Labdanum, Tonka

Notes verified from Clive Christian.

The Scent

The opening is brighter than the name suggests. Bitter orange gives a sharp, peel-like lift, rum adds a boozy warmth right behind it, and a touch of rose keeps the start from reading purely gourmand. For the first stretch it smells like a cocktail served somewhere with brass fittings.

The heart is where it becomes its own thing. Tuberose, jasmine and osmanthus bring a creamy, slightly apricot-tinged floral layer, osmanthus in particular giving that leathery fruit tone, while dried fruits and saffron deepen it. Blonde tobacco runs through the middle of all this: lighter and more honeyed than a dark pipe tobacco, smoky at the edges. The house calls it the note that gives the perfume its spirited edge, and it is the part most people remember.

The drydown settles on labdanum and tonka, the classic amber pairing, resinous and warm with a soft almond sweetness. Vetiver and incense keep it from collapsing into syrup, adding a dry, slightly smoky floor. It is built at 25 percent perfume concentration, which shows in how dense the base feels on skin.

When to Wear

This is a cool-weather amber. It is happiest from late autumn through winter, at dinners, evenings out and dates, or in air-conditioned rooms when the weather outside is still warm. In full summer humidity the rum, dried fruit and resin can feel heavy, so keep it for nights and the cooler months. A light application suits it best, since the resinous base and the rum are rich at this concentration and a heavy dose blurs the florals into the tobacco.

Who Is It For

It suits someone who already knows they like amber and tobacco and wants a version with more decoration than usual: florals, fruit and booze rather than a plain resin. Fragrantica lists it for women and men, and it wears both ways, with the florals or the tobacco leading depending on skin. It also suits a collector who follows Clive Christian and wants the Art Deco line rather than the house's older classics. At this price the real decision is whether the tobacco or the white florals lead on your skin, and only wearing it answers that.

See the rest of the Clive Christian collection, including Clive Christian Town & Country, or explore warmer compositions among our amber and resin fragrances.

Available as a 3ml or 5ml decant, filled from the original bottle.