The latest release from luxury fragrance house Amouage is Beloved, a tribute to the “elegance and complexity of the modern woman” (in general) and the classic sophistication of women who shop at Bergdorf Goodman in New York (in particular). Beloved was developed for Amouage by perfumer Bernard Ellena and includes top notes of jasmine, purple rose, lavender, clary sage, clove bud, chamomile, and cardamom; heart notes of ylang-ylang, violet, everlasting [immortelle], cistus, benzoin, olibanum, and patchouli; and base notes of cedarwood, sandalwood, castoreum, civet, leather, musk, vanilla, maltol, and amber.
Although I always enjoy shopping for fragrance and cosmetics at Bergdorf Goodman, I’m probably not the quintessential “Bergdorf woman,” however you may picture her. On the other hand, I do have a longstanding personal and sentimental connection to the place: my great-grandfather and great-aunt both worked at Bergdorf Goodman, as a tailor and couture seamstress, respectively. My love for spending time in New York department stores is apparently a product of nature as well as nurture. Can I, as a not-so-glamorous customer at Bergdorf and a mostly-modern woman, enjoy Beloved? I certainly can…
If you stand at the southeast corner of Central Park, in the landmark Grand Army Plaza, you’ll see the Pulitzer Fountain set against a semi-circle of pear trees. The fountain’s sculpted centerpiece is Pomona, the goddess of abundance; serenely oblivious to the passing tourists and traffic, she rests an overflowing basket of fruit against her hip. Similar bounty awaits the fragrance-lover just beyond this graceful figure, through the doors of Bergdorf Goodman.