Smoke waits in the drydown of Dolce and Gabbana L'Imperatrice, a watermelon fragrance, and the contrast is exquisite, watermelon and strawberry giving the top a juicy, pink character, about as light and unserious an opening as perfumery offers. Pink peony, damask rose, magnolia and cyclamen gather into a proper floral core, fuller and more classical than the fruit above it suggests. Musk, woody notes, sandalwood and smoke let it rest warm and unexpectedly dark.
That smoke accord is the whole reason this has lasted, giving a fruity floral a shadow underneath and turning what should be entirely frivolous into something with genuine tension. Limperatrice is a floral fruity Eau de Toilette for spring and summer daytime hours, nothing complicated about it.