Pride Al Qiam Gold
Raspberry against leather and smoke is the trick in Lattafa Pride Al Qiam Gold Eau de Parfum 100ml, and it is a trick that has sold a great many bottles for the house. The opening pairs saffron with that raspberry. Saffron smells of warm iron and bitter hay, raspberry is bright and tart and jammy, and the clash between the two is deliberate: the fruit makes the spice legible and the spice stops the fruit reading as a sweet shop. It is a striking first few minutes.
The heart is short and dark. Patchouli brings earth, ink and a bitter edge, leather brings smoke and worn hide, and together they drag the composition downwards fast. There is no floral stage at all, which is unusual at this price and gives the fragrance its backbone.
The base is where the work has gone. Amber and benzoin supply the sweetness, the benzoin resinous and faintly balsamic, while oud and guaiac wood handle the dark end, the oud sour and medicinal and the guaiac tarry and smoked. Vetiver runs through the middle of all of it with a dry rooty bitterness that keeps the sweetness honest. Nine materials, properly structured, and a drydown that holds for a very long time.
This is a strong fragrance. It projects for several hours and remains on clothing into the next day, so two sprays is the sensible maximum. Cold weather, evenings and occasions with some formality to them are where it belongs. It reads masculine. The year given for it is 2022.
Western shelves came late to this house, by way of Khamrah and Yara, and the Arabian tradition it grew out of is still where its strongest work sits. Al Qiam Gold is one of the better arguments for shopping outside the designer aisle altogether.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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