Dandies and femme fatales: a new wave of scent is here
IN the world of scent, it’s all go. Europe’s top perfumers have unleashed a cascade of fragrances this autumn that are bold, mannered and exciting.
Men are being asked to unleash their inner dandy – leather, tobacco and deep fruit are reminiscent of the salons and gentlemen’s clubs of yore. But we’re not talking “new man” dandy; it’s very much a return to a pre-metrosexual masculinity, with evocations of virility and power.
For women, it’s a walk on the wild side: jamborees of punchy citris, intoxicating floral notes and sensual base notes are a paen to the femme fatale and her dark side.
‘PARDON’, NASOMATTO
The supremely talented perfumer Alessandro Gualtieri has unleashed a powerhouse of a scent. Warm amber and leather evoke the salons of fin de siecle Paris and the Victorian gentleman’s club – noble, gracious and virile. £108, averyfine perfumeries.com/uk
‘WILD TOBACCO’, ILLUMINUM
British perfumer Michael Boadi’s minimalist luxury fragrances are already the stuff of legend and this smooth and distinguished scent has already been snapped up by Leonardo di Caprio. Sage and clove are top notes, with cedar and tobacco giving sensuousness. £70, illuminumfragrancelounge.com
‘MISTER MARVELOUS’, BYREDO
A modern twist on a classic cologne from the top Swedish perfume house. Citrus top notes give edge to base notes of lavender and bamboo. Confident and masculine. £130, byredo.com or Liberty.
‘O’, BLOOD CONCEPT
New from Milan, this edgy range seeks to connect with the very flow of life. Scents are named after blood types: O, the first, is full of the scents of Africa: rich and earthy. A, B and AB are all different; the latter the most modern, full of slate and aqua.
£98 at Liberty
‘LE VAINQUEUR’, RANCE 1795
First presented to Napoleon in 1795, the scent’s top notes are nutmeg, ginger, melon; lavender and jasmine lie below, with leather and musk at base. £59, roullierwhite.com
WOMEN
‘POP’, COSTUME NATIONAL
Inspired by the art of Andy Warhol and created by perfume demi-god Dominique Ropion, POP is bright and happy: pink grapefruit, raspberry and cassis are at the top and patchouli, ambergris and cashmeran at the base. £67 at Selfridges
‘VENGEANCE EXTREME’, JULIET HAS A GUN
Perfumer Romano Ricci’s hymn to good girls gone bad – an intense chypre which draws its sensuality from a voluptuous dose of patchouli, Bulgarian rose and vanilla. Behold the darker side of female nature. £95 at Harrods.
‘IMMORTELLE MARILYN’, NEZ A NEZ
Soft, feminine, eternal (the clue’s in the name), inspired by the pale immortelle flower (as well as the actress), with raspberry and hazelnut on top, made sensual with musk and iris. £115, averyfineperfumeries.com
‘ACCORD 119’, CARON
Caron is one of Paris’s oldest and most prestigious perfume houses. This one is a game of hide-and-seek, a subtle balance of Bulgarian rose, jasmine, Indonesian patchouli, sparkling lemon zest and exquisitely sweet blackberry. £105, Fortum & Mason
‘TUBEREUSE’, MONA DI ORIO
A “twighlight tuberose” that opens with a beautiful and peppery burst of bergamot creamy notes, before being tamed by benzoin, amber, heliotrope and coconut. £145, lessenteurs.com