seasonal scents: 39 posts

I already began to crave fall, my favorite season, in August. By the time November rolled around—delivering little, if any fall, my longing for the autumnal rites became quite intense. I wanted to see the city filled with the chilly golden light, to wear my new red satin trench, to be delighted by the ochre maple leaves scattered on the wet sidewalk, to read Nabokov’s Speak, Memory in front of the fireplace (is there a better book suited for such a setting?)… If I could not have my autumn, I would have to conjure it. The list below (in no particular order) includes some of my favorite scents that usually bring on the autumnal mood. If you have any of your own favorites, please share them with me. …

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I detest the heat, but I love the scents of summer, from the warm, almost suffocating smell of the sun parched asphalt to the vivid green aroma of fresh tomatoes. The heat amplifies everything in the air, extending and twisting the facets of scents that are unobtrusive and subtle at other times. Below is my list of ten fragrances (in no particular order) that would make any summer day even better. Or any other day, for that matter…

1. Christian Dior Miss Dior

I find that many chypre fragrances embody the concept of jolie-laide (pretty-ugly), a beauty that it is oddly off key and yet incredibly striking. Wearing Miss Dior this summer, I am moved not only by its elegant form, but also by many of its twists—from the green sharpness of galbanum in the top notes to the animalic richness of the base. Its mossy, leathery drydown is addictive. These days, I find myself craving it more and more frequently.

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Spring made a brief visit to the East Coast of the USA before being chased out once again with heavy snows. Yet, my intense longing for the freshness and lightness that spring tends to bring has sought an outlet in scents that can usher in the spring. Below are some of my favourite fragrances—besides those mentioned in my earlier Fragrance of Spring article—that never fail to make me feel as if I am smelling the spring air. Or else, they seem to capture the duality and the vibrancy of this beautiful season. Of course, it does not mean that these are fragrances to be worn only in the spring. On the contrary, they are perfumes that can evoke the spring any time of the year. …

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William Shakespeare wrote, “Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May.” Although delicate and ethereal may be the first associations one makes with spring, this season of the year is also a time of great upheaval. Before the first leaves appear on the tender branches and before the first gossamer thin white petal unfolds, the snow and ice have to melt. Nature’s awakening from the slumber of winter can be almost violent and unpredictable, contrasting sharply with the crystalline and radiant beauty of the late spring. Similarly, the musky aromas of wet earth, the metallic pitch of melting ice and the pungency of last year’s decaying leaves revealed by the vanishing snow can be contrasted with the brilliant verdancy of first grasses, the sunny warmth of narcissuses and the luminous freshness of spring air. The duality of spring and her scents is fascinating and alluring, and it is difficult to resist their call.

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I am standing in front of my perfume shelves unable to choose a fragrance to commemorate the birth of 2007. “I have no perfume to wear,” flashed in my head, although a moment later I am wincing from the ridiculousness of this notion. I remember some socialist thinker asserting that the problem of modern society is the surfeit of choice. Indeed, there might be some truth in this. I discard Bvlgari Black, because my Russian superstitious alter ego whispers against wearing black on the first day of the year. I am not in the mood for Guerlain Shalimar, and I wore Caron Nuit de Noël a few days ago. This seems like a tough decision. …

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