Clive Christian’s New Perfume Is an Ode to Oscar Wilde (With a Panda)

Oscar Wilde once wrote, “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” It’s a line that captures contradiction beautifully, and the tension Wilde understood better than most. That same spirit quietly finds its way into Clive Christian’s latest fragrance, Strange Heavens Out Of The Blue.

The reference point isn’t literal, and it doesn’t need to be. Instead, the scent draws inspiration from the mysterious glamour of Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Particularly, its dark Victorian atmosphere, built on contrast, mood, and quiet allure.

So how does that translate into a fragrance? Let’s skip the technical notes and think in moments instead.

It opens like a late-evening coffee—rich, warm, and slightly bitter, with a hint of spicy aniseed adding depth. As it settles, soft jasmine and orange blossom drift in, like catching the scent of a garden through an open window after dusk.

Finally, it dries down to something you want to keep close. Vanilla and caramel mixed with cocoa powder and finished with a faint whisper of smoke from a candle just blown out. It’s the scent left on a sweater after a long, absorbing conversation that stretched late into the night — the kind of fragrance noticed only by those who come close enough.

Before you even experience the scent, the bottle makes its case. Painted with a panda by contemporary artist Domingo Zapata, it feels almost irreverent at first glance, and then it clicks. The panda isn’t decorative—it’s symbolic, representing balance and joy. It works as a visual counterpoint to the fragrance’s depth. Where the scent is introspective, the artwork is playful. Together, they create a contrast—one that feels very much of the moment. Fashion has been doing this for years: mixing seriousness with ease, art with humour, polish with personality. In that sense, the bottle becomes a tiny, collectable piece of art that tells you the story before you even spray it.

Strange Heavens Out Of The Blue isn’t trying to please everyone. It’s for those who appreciate nuance, who understand that elegance often lies in restraint, and that individuality doesn’t have to announce itself loudly. It feels considered, slightly unconventional, and confidently self-aware.

It’s for the moment you choose curiosity over comfort, for when you want to feel wrapped in a scent that’s both cozy and intriguing—a wearable fragment of Wildean drama, a “strange heaven” of your own making. And sometimes, that arrives in a beautiful bottle with a panda on it, gently reminding you that even in the shadows, there’s room for a little play.

Strange Heavens Out Of The Blue retails for 2,420 AED and will be available at select boutiques, including Bloomingdale’s Dubai Mall, Harvey Nichols MOE, Bloomingdale’s Reem Mall, Ounass, and Bloomingdales.com.