halfwhiteboy

I'm a fan of how the fragrances from Dolce & Gabbana's Velvet Collection are presented. With its velvet theme literally reflected in both bottle and box, I can't help but admire its clever design and sheer elegance. Velvet Love , of course, isn't any different. The solid box feels like something reserved for jewelry. At least D&G puts the premium in its premium fragrance line, which is something I always appreciate.

The other half of a duo of fragrances and released two years after the original men's version in 1999, By Dolce & Gabbana Woman has also achieved "unicorn" status in the fragrance world, with eBay sharks commanding prices upwards of $300. Save for the leopard print, it sports the same bottle design as By Man .

I was clueless about By Dolce & Gabbana Man until I was offered a partial bottle more than a year ago. Turns out it's a so-called "unicorn" in the fragrance world, something highly sought after after having been unceremoniously discontinued. I'm not a fan of the zebra print bottle but it's fine. I also snagged its partner,  By Dolce & Gabbana Woman , which comes in a similarly-designed flacon except for the leopard print.

Velvet Wood's premium presentation. I believe this was my first bottle from Dolce & Gabbana's Velvet Collection . I must say that the premium presentation gives a very good first impression, and I'm a sucker for packaging. Talk about an elegantly crafted bottle with gold finishing, an engraved gold metal plate label, and a velvet-lined stopper, resting snugly on a satin-covered cushion inside a velvet-covered, solid black box stamped with its own gold metal plate label.

I finally am using the bottle of Dolce & Gabbana's The One that Kwittiegirl gifted me last September. I've been trying really hard to restrain myself from opening it because I promised myself that there should be no more than three scents in rotation at any given time. Glad that I succeeded, though. Packed in one really heavy bottle, The One is a very masculine but wearable scent. It starts off with a slightly sweet and citrusy smell before finally revealing its tobacco-woody base coated by an ambery warm sweetness. It figures, because it lists cedar wood, ambergris, and tobacco as its base notes. Nonetheless, despite its deep scent, this EDT doesn't come off as too heavy or overpowering. Like I said, it's very wearable, even in a tropical climate.

I'm not really much of a fashion watcher but aimless browsing led me to the runways of Milan, Italy, where designers are currently presenting their collections for Fall/Winter 2012-2013. Now I'm going crazy with what I've been seeing. First off is Dolce & Gabbana's Victorian era-inspired collection. Although I really can't see myself wearing some of the pieces here (assuming I can afford them), I am loving the grandeur and opulence of all the velvets and the brocades. Having said that, here are a few of the pieces I really like: Common, how could I not fall in love with that? If those were a little over-the-top for you, there are also some toned-down stuff like this ( Seriously, it is toned down! ):