Six fragrances for fall
Those of us in the northeastern corner of North America turn up our collars, the leaves scatter as we walk. It's not yet winter, but day by day, the sere palette of November approaches.
When it's time to switch over the fragrances, I reunite with the plusher, deeper notes. The current trend is for clear, minimalist fragrances, but this time of year, those can feel like a silk blouse in a drafty room: beautiful but insufficient. I don't want the retro blockbuster fragrances—they feel outdated as a skirt suit with huge shoulderpads. The notes I seek are rich, warm, definite but not aggressive.
I asked the perfume experts Gwen and Kay at perfumeniche.com, my favourite decant store, to suggest a few picks for a seasonal decant dive. Links go to full review (always great reading) and decant store listing.
An herbal-spice opening that segues to sensual florals, in an eau de parfum concentration. Scott was a true fragrance lover, deeply involved in the creation of her namesake scent produced exclusively for Barney's.
"Warm, rich leather, vibrant florals (including rose) and dusty saffron... with a hint of oud". I can't wait to try this suggestion of Kay's.
Tilda Swinton Like This (État Libre d'Orange)
One I know, and thought, "of course". Swinton wanted her fragrance to smell like her kitchen in Scotland, ginger and pumpkin, flowers and polished wood. Yes, it all works.
Noir Exquis (L'Artisan Parfumeur)
"It smells like the air in a French patisserie in fall or winter". This is the winter entry from Gwen. She mentions candied chestnut, orange blossom, coffee, maple. Though normally not a gourmand wearer, this one sounds...exquisite.
Incense Rosé, say Kay and Gwen, is "proof that Andy Tauer is a genius", I agree. To them it's all-year, but to me a sinuous fall-winter pick.
For patchouli (here smooth and rich, not musky) appreciators, this fragrance is odd, sexy, huge and habit-forming. Not an everyday spritz, it's like a tangled garden with nooks and turns...at night.
"You'll love this" is a presumption; a fragrance's performance is affected by skin chemistry, temperature and even the wearer's mood. And, we have our biases. I thought I disliked dry, 'green' fragrances till Kay and Gwen sent a decant of Comme des garçons' "Calamus".
One decant is perfect for tucking into your bag, several mean you can get to know a scent in different conditions.
A decant pack from perfumeniche is a tiny expression of love that makes a charming gift. You can find my collaboration with them, the All-Naturals Decant Pack, five 1ml decants perfect for someone concerned about sensitivities: price, $CDN 25. I'm also eyeing the "Winter Nights" pack, four 1ml decants, now on sale for $CDN 17.50.
I can't say enough good things about perfumeniche, and there are other very good sellers of niche perfume decants, such as Twisted Lily (based in Brooklyn, NY). Twisted Lily is a fragrance seller, so if you fall in love, you can buy full bottles from them, as you can with LuckyScent). Check postage rates—some foreign sellers charge a hefty minimum shipping fee even if you are ordering only a few decants.
For UK readers, FragranceSamplesUK looks good, but I've never ordered.
Increasingly, decants are my sweet spot. They allow me to wear some creations I'd choke paying for (Malle, for one), save me from pricey mistakes—and they're such fun!
Please comment to share any fall/winter choices you especially like.
Comments
This description made me hungry: "It smells like the air in a French pâtisserie in fall or winter". You do know that de Froment et de Sève is opening a branch at Beaubien x Casgrain.
Supposed to be a lovely autumn day tomorrow - we'll see.
little decants. A perfect idea for filling Christmas stockings or smaller gift giving!!
People love decants because you can decide if a fragrance is something you don't like, would wear sometimes, or like so much you decide it's "FBW"- Full Bottle Worthy.
LauraJ: They know and are working on it. If you enter the name in the search box it will take you to a review that has a link to the Decant Store listing. They plan to redesign but what a job, keying in over a thousand fragrances. (This is two women who are best friends, not a big commercial enterprise.)
UK decant site tip, Duchesse. I am looking forward to trying to narrow down just a few good prospects from the seemingly limitless temptations on offer there!
This time of year always makes me mourn the passing of Sinan de Jean Marc Sinan. A quintessentially 80s scent with a sillage you could photograph, I loved it dearly for the drop-dead glamour it could bring to any winter evening outing.
Jane in London