Fall Top 10 Perfumes : Back-to-School Edition
Elisa’s round up of autumnal favorites.
If summer is a time for frivolity (tropical “beach scents” whether or not one is near a beach) and winter a time for comfort (rich meals and equally rich orientals), fall is, for me, a time for looking and smelling put together.
Perhaps it’s the diehard spirit of “back to school” – I no longer live by the semester system, but when the September issues come out, I start lusting for collegiate looks and their professional equivalent: sweater vests, schoolboy blazers, plaid trousers. I also reach for perfumes that I think of as “smart,” i.e., conducive to getting down to business. To me, that means ladylike woody florals, chypres, and the dry note of leather (a structured handbag/briefcase to top off the look).
Here are my ten favorite autumnal perfumes for smelling clever and in control.
Donna Karan Signature
Like a low-cut silk blouse, DK Signature sits right at the juncture of “office-appropriate” and “sexy.” This leathery, resinous floral reads as complex but still incredibly sleek, with something like the subtle metallic rasp of a snare drum.
la_ninon in Why Green Fragrances Are Difficult and Yet Fascinating?: My favorite perfumes are all galbanum-heavy green floral chypres: Niki de St Phalle, Verte Pour Madame, Givenchy III, Safari. February 9, 2025 at 1:39pm