Ormonde Jayne Champaca: An Unusual, Addictive Floral
Ormonde Jayne, a niche London fragrance brand, was among my absolute favourites when I became seriously interested in perfume – more than 10 years ago now. Their original line-up was diverse but coherent and there were no duds in the bunch; from the gorgeous florals to the lush orientals to the unique signature scent, I would have gladly owned them all.
After a few years, I tired of the Ormondes a bit. The brand and its founder Linda Pilkington are known for the generous use of Iso E Super, an aromachemical that many love (if you have smelled Molecule 01, you have smelled Iso E), but that can lend a slightly same-y quality even to scents that are otherwise very different. I still wore my Ormonde Jayne Woman, but after getting a bottle of Vanille d’Iris, I largely stopped following their new releases.
Then, I come across the line in Kroonen & Brown, one of my main perfume shopping haunts in Brussels. I smelled the scents and suddenly remembered exactly why I had loved them so much years ago. It was immediately clear that I would need to buy something, but I wasn’t entirely sure what. After some dithering, I finally settled on Champaca.
Ormonde Jayne famous for radiant, beautiful florals that go beyond merely pretty. Champaca is, in my view, the most original of them. It is based on the magnolia-like champaca flower that smells like a creamy, floral apple (or I assume it does, judging by this perfume and the scent of magnolia). This isn’t the original part of the fragrance, though. After the initial fruity-floral phase, it becomes more complex and interesting. Rather uniquely, Champaca includes a basmati rice note, but there is also a soft woodiness (bamboo is listed in the pyramid) and green tea. I think I smell some very gentle leather as well, but that could be an element of the tea accord.
Some of you might think that using rice in perfume is deeply weird, but Champaca is not a difficult, experimental scent. I would probably not have guessed the basmati note without being prompted; knowing it’s there, I do notice its slightly nutty creaminess. The overall result is something I would call a comfort scent for summer: it has an enveloping, cozy quality without any heavyiness. In my mind, Champaca has an affinity with Olfactive Studio’s Lumiere Blanche, another milky, light comfort scent – although the latter has no florals to speak of.
Another thing I like about Champaca is that all that rice, tea and wood in the base make it much more unisex than an average floral. I would recommend that adventurous, perfume-loving men give it a try.
Have you sniffed Ormonde Jayne fragrances? What do you think?
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When I first seriously started trying new fragrances Ormonde Jayne’s sample pack was one of the first things I ordered. OJ was mentioned a lot on the blogs and seemed to have a serious number of fans.
When I got round to trying them I was interested but apart from OJ Woman and to a lesser extent Frangipani the rest felt a bit flat. They were undoubtedly beautiful but felt too similar to want to own any more. I got 2 bottles (OJ Woman and Frangipani) and that was it. The last release of theirs I tried was OJ Tiaré, which again was nice but just lacking in something. So all in all it’s one those lines that no longer really excite any interest in me. Not their fault, far too much perfume and far too little time. The same actually goes for Serge Lutens and Annick Goutal. I was such a great Goutal fan and haven’t tried any of their last 4 or 5 releases. Mind you, I have enough of that line to last me a lifetime.
I was a big OJ fan in the early days, although I didn’t own any full bottles. I found it difficult to choose between the florals: I liked them all, but none stood out enough to buy it (I had less money then, too). I think this purchase is a result of nostalgia, improved financial situation and the fact that after not having smelled them for years, the scents felt fresh again. And of course they do smell nice, I like Tiare, Frangipani and Sampaquita a lot as well.
It is interesting that you mention Lutens: I was just thinking about it the other day and I am completely indifferent to all their recent launches. There are still bottles I would like to get, but they are all the old ones. Plus I find the new system with different bottles and prices extremely confusing.
Which lines excite you these days?
Excite is perhaps too strong a word to describe my interest, but I’m still very interested in whatever Parfums de Nicolaï makes. I used to try most Hermès launches but have a feeling that will cease in the very near future. I’m sure Nagel makes excellent perfumes but I just don’t like her style as much as I do Ellena’s. I love the recent Paysage series by L’Artisan. I try the occasional Tauer and will try every Neela Vermeire, most MDCI’s, some Kurkdjians , Parfum d’ Empire, Oriza L.Legrand, I try the new Amouages, but mostly because they are easily accessible and I used to like them a lot, Cartier, some Guerlains, most Malles and very occasionally a Chanel. Also I try things if they get a lot of praise on the blogs.
I actually still buy a fair amount of perfume considering my massive collection, but it has become less random, or so I tell myself.
I knew I was forgetting a few. I tend to like By Kilian and Diptyque and I adore Parfums DelRae, but I think that company is not producing any perfume at the moment.
I almost always think of you when I see/wear Parfums de Nicolaï. I have in fact just bought their little eau fraiche set, which is great for summer. I think my testing and buying is in fact more random now, as I spend less time on the blogs and am no longer as systematic as I used to be. But I’m generally fine with that. There are very few lines these days I feel I need to keep up with, but Neela Vermeire is among mine, too. And then I often just smell what is available in my usual perfume shops.
The Eau Fraîche set contains most of my favourite Nicolaï Eaux. The only one I would have loved to have seen in there is the discontinued Eau à la Folie. I seem to remember almost forcing you into a visit to one of the Nicolaï shops years ago.
In other news; your prayers have been answered and TO now has a large tube of Squalane cleanser.
I would call it healthy peer pressure:) And indeed, the squalene cleanser has arrived! Although personally, I might still like the small one for the gym.
Inspired by your description, I immediately ordered a sample of Champaca. It’s been a few years since I wore Woman in regular rotation, and to be honest I’ve more or less overlooked OJ in the last few years. I’ve bought exactly one bottle of fragrance this year and received a second as a gift, which means this is the most restrained I’ve been in a decade. Looking forward to trying Champaca.
I have not given OJ much thought in recent years either and while I haven’t been as restrained as you, my perfume buying has calmed down significantly. That said, it was nice to smell the early Ormondes again and if you like Woman, I think you might like Champaca as well. Not that they smell alike, but I find if people get on with one OJ, they tend to like others as well. Let me know how you find it!