Antonia Bellanca opened her East Hampton flower shop, Antonia’s Flowers, in 1981. Unhappy with the floral perfumes then on the market, she decided to capture the scent of her shop in a bottle. Her first fragrance, called simply Antonia’s Flowers, was created with perfumer Bernard Chant and launched in 1984.
Tiempe Passate, her third fragrance, was named for a love song written by her grandfather in the 1920s. Bellanca wanted a perfume “designed to immediately smell as if it’s been on the skin all night” (The Independent, 12/14/02). The result, by nose Norbert Bijaoui, features notes of bergamot, clementine, sage, mimosa, cyclamen, Montauk rose, white orris, cedar, vetiver and amber.
Tiempe Passate starts with a rush of citrusy bergamot, but quickly settles into a blend that smells primarily of cedar and iris. The very early stages are mildly sweet and fruity, but after that it is earthy and dry, with a light, peppery-spicy edge. The florals are indistinct…
