Article: Maryann Shaw

I struggle to describe perfume. Isabella Rosellini's latest perfume Storia is quite sweet, not my usual taste, but the overall scent is complex and long-lasting. I really enjoy wearing it, and only occasionally catch a hint of it on myself; it is not overpowering.

Isabella Rosellini is looking back at her life and telling her story at the moment. She has created a short documentary film about her father, the famous Italian movie director Roberto Rosellini. Called My fatheris a hundred years old , it is strange, very strange, with a huge model of her father's belly talking to her about his movies.

It is interesting for those wanting an insight into film history and features Isabella playing the roles of other film directors Alfred Hitchcock, David Selznick and Federico Fellini. She also appears as a haunting image of her mother, Ingrid Bergman, best known for her role in the iconic movie Cassablanca.

She has published a book to accompany the movie, a beautiful hard-cover illustrated with photographs of hers and her parents' life. Again, an interesting insight into film history, with some personal anecdotes and letters from her father, but all-in-all a rather strange self-indulgent look at the man she seemed to idolise. You will love it or wonder why it was published.

So this perfume is aimed at a slightly older woman than myself, I think, as it is for woman who have stories to tell and have lived life, perhaps in their forties or fifties.

The bottle is lovely, an easy-to-use attractive bottle, not a strange shape that is difficult to store or use. It is softer and more delicate in shape and colour to the rather square block of red previous perfume was. A matt glass adds to the softness, and the soft colour gives it a feminine touch.

Eau de Parfum Spray: 30ml R225-00
Eau de Parfum Spray: 50ml R285-00