From humble camel riders to emirs, everyone called her Khatun, but in London the bold heroine of Her Majesty The Oud eau de parfum was known as Gertrude Bell. In her beautifully billowing muslin gowns she was that rare thing, an English rose amongst Bedouin splendour. In this rich, spicy-sweet evocation of oud, you travel with Miss Bell, on horseback, through the burning deserts of Mesopotamia alongside tribal horsemen in embroidered cashmere robes. Like her, this deliciously feminine and nomadic fragrance, created by perfumer Emilie Coppermann, laces together Orient and Occident, mingling afternoon high tea delights of sweet red berry jam and apricot-scented osmanthus flowers in the top notes with a heart of saffron, Turkish rose and powdery iris. In the dry-down an intrepid leather accord, evoking bridle and saddle, is softly rounded by a desert whisper of vanilla absolute and an Assam oud accord, expressing the Victorian elegance of this adventurous horsewoman.
