Shanghai Lily, from Tom Ford was released in 2013. The perfumer behind this creation is Antoine Maisondieu. The notes are Benzoin, Bitter Orange, Cashmere wood, Castoreum, Cloves, Floral Notes, Guaiac Wood, Incense, Jasmine, Labdanum, Olibanum (Frankincense), Pepper, Pink Pepper, Rose, Spicy Notes, Tuberose, Vanilla, Vetiver.
Shanghai Lily is a lily centric version of YSL Nu (vintage), if you take out the orchid and jasmine and soften the spices. It seems that Tom Ford, apart from being the artistic director over at YSL when Nu was launched, always had a special spot for this particular fragrance. Enough to create an homage in his own line, which shares quite some DNA, but with his own touch. Nu in vintage edp is an incense-y spicy floriental, with a pronounced peppery-ness throughout its development. Shanghai Lily takes the central core of spices, blurs the edges with some animalic castoreum and labdanum, but instead of the intense jasmine of Nu, he adds one of my favorite white florals; lily. It's inevitable comparing both, but what I find fascinating about Shanghai is that at the same time it feels like a tropical spicy oriental. The headiness that can sometimes be a part of white florals is tampered by the spices and the woody notes, but is never overshadowed. It feels as if I'm wearing a true spicy oriental a la Opium on a tropical beach. It could go very wrong but on my skin is going everything but. The resemblance to Opium is also very noticeable, as was with Nu when it was launched, something that Ford made clear when he took the challenge of creating what he thought would be a pillar fragrance for YSL. Vintage Nu is gone. It's getting harder to find, and the new rendition is quite sweet and floral to be a true re-release, even though it smells really nice. If you were or are a fan, Shanghai Lily pays respect in a very realistic way, but adding the unique Tom Ford twist without succumbing to cliches; Lily! Sillage and longevity outstanding, 6 hours and counting! If it doesn't get discontinued, I think I have a candidate to replace Nu. And if you like true spicy floral orientals I urge you to give it a try. It works great now that it's slightly cooler and I guess in the heat it will just bloom. It also should smell amazing on anyone; woman, man or child. PS: It feels at times as a super spiced Lys 41. If you are familiar with it, add spices and amp the indolic nature of Lily and you have an approximation!