Our take
What does The One smell like?
Released in 2006 and composed by Christine Nagel, The One for women is a luminous floral oriental conceived as a portrait of Mediterranean glamour. The opening brings together juicy peach, rosy lychee and bergamot, a velvety fruitiness that avoids sharpness. Jasmine, lily and plum form the heart, their fruity roundness extending the opening rather than contradicting it. The base is darker than you might expect: an ambery vanilla, warmed by amber, is tempered by dry vetiver that keeps it from turning cloying. The overall impression is of golden skin scented with ripe fruit and warm flowers, elegant without being stern.
When to wear it
For autumn and winter evenings, dinners and dressy outings. It suits women who like fruity, feminine, warm orientals.
The story of The One
The One arrived in 2006, when Dolce & Gabbana's fragrance reputation rested largely on Light Blue, released five years earlier. After that breezy Mediterranean water, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana wanted an evening scent with more gold in it, closer to the dresses on their runway and to the 1950s Italian screen glamour they kept referencing. Christine Nagel, who would later become Hermès's in-house perfumer, composed it. The square bottle with its gold cap nods to an old-fashioned dressing-table flacon. Two years later The One for Men followed, a tobacco-amber scent that built a following of its own. In the early 2010s Scarlett Johansson became the face of the women's version. Martin Scorsese then directed her in a campaign alongside Matthew McConaughey, who represented the men's. Emilia Clarke later took over the role. Many flankers have come since, yet the 2006 eau de parfum is still the reference point for the whole franchise.
Our detailed review
Velvety peach and lychee keep the promise of the name, with rosy fruit that smells more like a late-summer fruit bowl than candy. That lasts about an hour. Plum comes next, with a creamy lily that adds an almost sunny thickness. The One gets interesting in the drydown. Ambery vanilla settles on the skin like gold dust, and the vetiver, quiet but real, strips out the confectionery edge. What you get is warm, clean skin with a trace of fruit. The success lies in that balance, sweet but never sticky. The trouble is longevity. The current EDP doesn't project much, and the pretty base fades sooner than you'd want from an evening scent, so reapplying is often necessary. It is also very well behaved, and you can predict every stage before it happens. It suits women who want an easy fruity oriental that won't raise eyebrows at a restaurant. Anyone after real character or a dense amber base like Shalimar will be disappointed.
The One vs its rivals
Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle shares lychee, bergamot, jasmine, vetiver and vanilla with The One. The difference is patchouli, which makes the Chanel sharper, drier and almost woody. The One is rounder and fruitier. Allure, another Chanel, is oddly close: peach and jasmine, then vanilla and vetiver at the base. Rose and magnolia make it a brighter, less sugary floral that works better in daylight. Dior's Dolce Vita from 1994 shares peach, bergamot and lily, then adds cinnamon and sandalwood like warm pastry. It feels more dated in style. To decide: The One for winter nights if you like soft fruit, Coco Mademoiselle if you want more staying power and a drier finish. Allure is the most versatile of the lot and works from morning to night. Dolce Vita is for fans of nineties orientals.
Longevity, projection and use
For a night-out perfume, the sillage is fairly restrained. Expect five to seven hours, with clear projection only during the first hour. On fabric the vanilla base lasts longer. Three sprays is a sensible start: neck, chest and one wrist. For a long evening, carry a travel atomiser and top up. It belongs to autumn and winter, dinners and dressy occasions. In summer heat the lychee and vanilla get heavy, so if you insist on wearing it then, one spray under your clothes is enough.
It belongs to the Floral, Oriental / Amber family. The One is one of 11 creations by Dolce & Gabbana in our encyclopedia.
