When the inspiration for a fragrance comes from a literary work the question is always “which aspect of the story shall we use?” Translating an entire book into a scent can be problematic due to the twists and turns of the narrative, but focusing on a single character is also not without its issues. Literary characters garner fiercely loyal legions of fans and so it was always going to be a brave choice for Jardins d’Écrivains to take Virginia Woolfe’s famous novel Orlando: A Biography as its source. In an era of gender fluidity, and with fragrance itself now beginning to be referred to as art, just how well does Orlando fare?
