The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Thameen, Harrods, and Sophie Labbé shared a brief that stayed deliberately open. Labbé and Christopher Chong had a story they were not telling, a shared reference point, a private language. The brief was simple: build something that honors that silence. No explanation required. The name came last, or perhaps it was always there, waiting for the right composition to match it. What emerged channels a particular kind of glamour, one rooted in sensuality and presence, translated into something that feels both timeless and completely of the moment. The fragrance opens with a bright, almost sunlit softness, coconut water and peach creating an immediate sense of warmth. Mandarin keeps the top notes from becoming too sweet, adding a brightness that carries forward.
The structure unfolds across three distinct movements: a tropical fruit top featuring coconut water, peach, and mandarin that feels like island freshness; a classic white floral heart where tuberose, lily, and ylang-ylang create a lush, creamy chorus; and a warm base of sandalwood, vanilla, tonka, and ambergris that settles into something almost powdery-woody. That arc, from brightness through creamy florals to a soft, lingering warmth, describes the trajectory the fragrance follows as it develops on skin.
The evolution
The opening arrives bright and friendly, coconut water and peach giving it a tropical softness that feels like sun-warmed skin. Mandarin orange keeps it from tipping into cloying territory, adding a citrus brightness that balances the sweetness. The florals take over next, arriving with creamy authority. Tuberose leads, buttery and lush, controlled without being restrained. Lily joins in, adding body to the white-floral composition. Ylang-ylang bridges everything with its sweet-spicy warmth, creating connections between the notes that feel natural rather than forced. Together they form a chorus that feels both vintage and modern, sophisticated without being stuffy. The base builds slowly underneath, sandalwood warming up, vanilla creeping in, tonka bean adding that powdery finish that gives the drydown its characteristic softness.
Cultural impact
Exclusive to Harrods, Not Telling arrived in 2024 with a particular positioning, both in its name and its backstory. The collaboration between Thameen and Sophie Labbé under Christopher Chong's artistic direction positioned the fragrance as a collector's piece from the start. Wearers describe it as reminiscent of Memo Paris Marfa, but cleaner, the creamy tuberose without the indolic edge. The Harrods exclusivity adds another layer: this is a fragrance that appeals to those who want something specific, something chosen rather than stumbled upon.
