Dalí’s first perfume is a hard one to crack. Is it a floral? A chypre? An oriental? Aldehydic? It’s everything but at the same time so different from what you’d expect. Dalí opens with some major aldehydes, giving of a very Chanel vibe, but at the same time they’re tinged in green. Deep resinous green that reminds me of Scherrer’s eponymous first fragrance. While the aldehydes take some time to start burning of, the floral heart soon takes over. The flowers are huge and sweet and all over the place. It’s hard to pinpoint them, but I smell a distinct lily. Not the white variety, but the deeper red one. It somehow stands above the rest of the flowers, making the whole bouquet feel like Boucheron’s first creation. Hugely sweet and floral, kind of like a caricature of 80’s bombasticness. Dalí feels and smells unique but it keeps reminding me of other perfumes, and when the oriental and creamy drydown arrives, I’m reminded of Gala, Byzance, and even Scherrer 2, which in turn reminds me of Shalimar! Is it unique or did it borrow elements from classics to make it familiar? I’ve no idea, all I know is I absolutely love it. It combines some of my favorite genres and perfumes and makes a gorgeous mix out of them so for me it doesn’t feel redundant. It mesmerizes me, like I’m seeing Dalí’s melting clocks, drifting of into an abstract place. There’s green, there’s aldehydes, some (well, a lot) florals and a creamy, powdery and languid drydown that oscillates between spices and oakmoss. It’s abstract, just like Salvador’s paintings, without ever going into trashy territory even though it mixes everything but the kitchen sink. Stunning silllage and longevity, as is to be expected from a designers offering of yore. Unlike today’s releases, here you do get what you pay for! Mid 80’s vintage Parfum de Toilette reviewed.