Dolce & Gabbana's New Fragrance Anthology

Jane Makowka started it all - Dolce love! Jane is the best personal shopper/designer guru I have ever met. She hooked me on Dolce & Gabbana clothing, leaving me with the credit card bill from hell and enormously happy. Jane works at Nordstrom at Tysons Corner in Virginia, and if you ever need help with your wardrobe, she's your one-stop source. Jane introduced me to Dolce & Gabbana jackets - those fabulously fitting and, yes, corporate jackets with the incredible signature leopard print lining.

Despite the naughty Dolce advertisements in the magazines, which I do find distasteful (I'm more of a Ralph Lauren ad gal), the clothing speaks for itself. The new fragrances are advertised by models - this time celebrity models - in the buff. Nothing about the ads in this month's magazines would have enticed me to try these fragrances.

If it weren't for Christopher Coles at Nordstrom, I would have passed by the new display. He stopped me and raved over #3 L'Imperatrice ($65), a fruity floral that we sprayed onto one of those white test strips. Divine! It was so good, I had to spritz it on myself - rare that I do that since there are so many scents used in today's perfumes that make me sneeze, gag, or run from the room. Sometimes the reaction takes a few minutes as the base notes reveal themselves. Instead, with #3 L'Imperatrice, my nose kept wandering to my arm - for hours! This Eau de Toilette is beautiful.

There are five new fragrances in the anthology, inspired by tarot cards and all very different. Since I prefer fruity and floral scents, #3 I'mperatrice was right up my alley. I've read online that it is composed of red currant, grapefruit, jasmine, nectarine, kiwi, rose, and lily of the valley, cyclamen, watermelon, musk - who knows what? Christopher showed me the fact sheet, and I should have copied down the top, middle, and base notes. I'm pretty sure about the grapefruit (the scent is unmistakable), red currant, watermelon, kiwi, and jasmine, along with a soft musk base.

You can read about this new fragrance on Nordstrom's Web site or get your own whiff at the store. At the moment, they are exclusive to Nordstrom. I won't try to describe the others since I didn't sample them. There may be one with your name on it!

Photo courtesy of Nordstrom.