The question Angie asked yesterday in her review of Guerlain Shalimar Souffle de Parfum — at what point does a flanker stray so far from its parent that it ceases to earn the family name — is not the question I asked about Givenchy’s new Dahlia Divin. Dahlia Divin may or may not be a flanker to Dahlia Noir, anyway,1 but if it is, it doesn’t have all that much to live up to (with the usual apologies to its fans, I did not think Dahlia Noir was destined to become an enduring, beloved classic).
Dahlia Divin is presented as a fragrance for a modern-day goddess. It “lets you embrace your inner Golden Goddess” and “inspires us to want to be better, reach new heights and live life to the fullest”.2 All of that can’t hurt, I suppose, although I have a feeling the gown Alicia Keys wears in the commercial and print ads might be more effective than the fragrance…
