Black Orchid by Tom Ford
The fragrance that made Tom Ford a fragrance house.
Black truffle and bergamot over orchid and spice, patchouli and dark chocolate.
Eau de Parfum · 3.4 oz
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Full notes+
- Top
- Black Truffle, Ylang-Ylang, Bergamot, Black Currant
- Heart
- Orchid, Spices, Gardenia, Lotus
- Base
- Patchouli, Sandalwood, Chocolate, Incense, Vanilla, Amber
- Family
- Oriental / Floral
- Character
- Opulent · Dark · Unapologetic
- Intensity
- Strong
How to wear+
Evening, cold weather, one spray. This projects for hours — do not treat it like a daytime fragrance.
The drydown
- Top
Black Truffle · Ylang-Ylang · Bergamot · Black Currant
Dark and unusual from the first spray — truffle is not a note anyone else was using in 2006.
- Heart
Orchid · Spices · Gardenia · Lotus
Narcotic and rich, the part that makes this smell like nothing else on a department store counter.
- Base
Patchouli · Sandalwood · Chocolate · Incense · Vanilla · Amber
Dense and gourmand, a finish that keeps building for hours rather than fading.
The fragrance that launched a house
Black Orchid came out in 2006 and immediately made every other 'dark, opulent' fragrance since look like it was chasing something. Truffle and chocolate in a perfume was genuinely strange at the time. It still is, in the best way.
This is the one I point to when someone asks what Tom Ford's fragrance line is actually about. Everything else is a variation on the confidence this one started with.
The first fragrance that made 'unisex' sound like a compliment instead of a marketing category.
Verdict: Wear it like you already know it's too much. That's the whole point.