Our take
What does Escale à Portofino smell like?
Escale à Portofino kicked off Dior's Escale series in 2008, composed by François Demachy. Escale à Pondicheri, Escale aux Marquises and Escale à Paraty followed. The idea is the small Ligurian harbor and its painted house fronts. It starts like a classic eau de cologne, with bergamot, lemon and petitgrain. Clean and slightly bitter. Then juniper berry takes over and brings an unexpected gin and tonic feel. Orange blossom stays in the background. Almond adds a milky sweetness that rounds everything off. The base lines up cypress and cedar, with a clean musk that holds on the skin for a few hours. Demachy wanted a freshness with more structure than a plain cologne, and he got it. Next to Acqua di Parma Colonia, another bottled memory of Italy, Escale à Portofino feels softer and more modern thanks to the almond. Its staying power is still that of a splash.
When to wear it
For summer mornings and lunches outdoors, on anyone. Spray generously and plan a top-up in the late afternoon.
It belongs to the Citrus, Aromatic family. Escale à Portofino is one of 56 creations by Dior in our encyclopedia.
