Her Majesty The Oud and His Majesty The Oud, the two new eaux de parfums in The Oud Collection, capture that idyllic chapter in time when two great civilisations, England and the Orient, were perfectly entwined. Redolent of the romantic desert intrigue of sheikhs, kings, and emissaries, these two rare and noble ouds are as British and exotic as the luminaries who inspired them: Gertrude Bell, the queen of the desert, and Faisal I, the enlightened King of Iraq. This was a time when Bedouins and Victorians shared the same sultry heat, perfumed light, and whirling sand of the Levant.
A time of indolent bathing parties on the banks of the Tigris, and high tea in the cool of the palm gardens.
Her Majesty The Oud and His Majesty The Oud are scent reveries on these two singular worlds and their intimate alliance — as precious and exotic as oud itself.
Everyone called her Khatun, from camel riders to emirs. But in London the bold heroine of our latest perfume was known as Gertrude Bell. English adventures, archeologist, and diplomat of the Levant, Miss Bell was Our Woman in Baghdad during the Empire’s prime.
In this rich spicy-sweet evocation of oud we travel with Miss Bell as she did, on horseback through the burning deserts of Mesopotamia alongside tribal horsemen in embroidered cashmeri robes.
Like her, this deliciously womanly and nomadic fragrance laces together Orient and Occident, mingling precious Turkish Rose-infused oud with the afternoon high tea delights of sweet red berry jam and apricot-scented osmanthus flowers.
An intrepid leather accord of saddle and bridle softly rounded by the powdery florality of iris and a desert whisper of vanilla expresses the Victorian elegance of this adventurous horsewoman.
Miss Bell in her beautifully billowing muslin gowns was that rare thing: an English rose amongst Bedouin splendour.
The smoky power of His Majesty The Oud is every bit the bold equal of its protagonist, King Faisal I. Confidante of Gertrude Bell, and trusted ally of Lawrence of Arabia. Faisal was a natural leader and a legendary figure of princely Bedouin lineage, he fought, charmed, and negotiated with brilliance. His charisma and fierce elegance are perfectly matched in what can only be described as an epic fragrance.
The intense smokiness of the scent is the bold alliance of a rare and exclusive quality of natural oud essence from Laos together with an exceptionally complex lapsang souchong tea accord. Conjuring up the scent of the saddles of Arabian stallions, the Lapsang Souchong accord imprints its smoky and leathery nuances onto the voluptuous woodiness of Cedarwood & Sandalwood, surrendering only to the hypnotic aura of Oud and vanilla.
The ensemble creates a fragrance of intensely masculine refinement, daring in its olfactive conception, as focused and penetrating as the famous desert gaze of the king of Arabian history.
Both the collections are available in 100 ml bottle at $305 each, at Robinsons The Heeren Singapore.