seasonal scents: 39 posts

Do you ever think of perfume as a costume? If you were dressing up for Halloween, what character would you be and what perfume would you wear?

In the spirit of Halloween, I have decided to match some of my favorite fragrances with costumes. One does not need to be a child to play dress up, and with perfume, it is easy to assume a different guise.

To see another one of my top 10 fall favorites list (a bit more conventional one!), please take a look at my post from last year, Favorite Fall Perfumes.

Ballerina

 If the ballerina in question is a fiery Sevillana a la Kitri from Don Quixote, then she needs the hot spicy roses of Guerlain Rose Barbare. If she is an ethereal Giselle, then the gossamer and cool Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist would be more appropriate.

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What fragrances do you anticipate wearing often this fall? Old favorites, new discoveries, anticipated launches?

The weather is still hot and humid on the East Coast, but I already notice the signs of arriving autumn–an early morning fog, a dazzle of crimson and ochre among the still verdant foliage, a scent of ripe apples and bonfires. Though the sunshine may fool me into thinking that summer will never end, autumn’s breath lends the air its fragrant of chestnut shells and wet earth. A perfect time to contemplate one’s fall fragrance wardrobe…

Photo credit: Richard via flickr.com, some rights reserved.

In the city, with its molten asphalt streets and suffocating subway cars, it is easy to forget the allure of summer. But the moment you leave the city, the summer appears in all of its indolent glory. Everything that seems to have been forgotten returns within a heartbeat—the long days of sunshine, lunches that somehow segue into dinners,  lazy afternoon naps. It seems as if summer is here to stay with its sounds of laughter, waves breaking against the shore, and rain dancing on the roof. And its sensations of rough sand against bare feet, of someone’s lips against your sunburnt skin, of velvety peaches. And its tastes of foraged wild raspberries, of grilled prawns, of milky corn.

And of course, the summer scents. My favorite summer perfumes not only capture the idea of summer, but they also evoke it well into the winter. Since in the summer I tend to have more time to change my perfume wardrobe, I have organized my selections around the scents I like to wear at different times of day.

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Spring awakens and excites. As the weather oscillates from chilly gusts of rains to languid sunny warmth, I find my mood shifting likewise. Yet, whatever surprises spring may offer, I nevertheless find it an enchanting period of transition. It is the anticipation of the balmy days of summer, of new adventures and of memorable discoveries that fuels my spirit every spring. As for seasonally appropriate perfumes, this season I realized that what drives me to change my fragrance wardrobe is not the weather, but my mood. I have been craving fragrances that are joyful and uplifting rather than challenging and cerebral, pleasing and affable rather than edgy and complicated. The plush oriental favorites from Guerlain (Shalimar, L’Heure Bleue, Tonka Impériale), fruity chypres (Gucci Rush) and fruity florals (Frédéric Malle Le Parfum de Thérèse, Parfums de Rosine Rose D’Été) have been a constant presence on my vanity table for the past few months, rain or shine.

With my Top 10 of Spring 2011 list, I would like to share with you several fragrances (and one delightful fragrance related activity!) that never fail to put me in a good mood. Since everyone has their own ideas about what makes a fragrance joyful, I would love to hear which of your favorite perfumes give you a rush of happiness and pleasure.

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My article on orange blossom, a note I adore, appears today in Financial Times Magazine. In Orange Blossom : A Note That Embodies Spring, I talk about different effects that orange blossom can capture, from light and innocent to dark and sultry.

Extra from Bois de Jasmin archives: Bitter Orange family: Orange blossom, Neroli, Petitgrain.