With fragrance you can travel the world. More than that, you can close your eyes and be transported to the past, the future and the breadths of the imagination. Some take you to a place, others to a time. From the literal to the whimsical, scent allows us to cross all boundaries.
Let’s start with the literal, a perfume which has been blended to represent an iconic place; somewhere renowned not just for its geography, but for the myriad associations it can evoke. For the Contes de Parfums Cities collection, a selected group of some of the foremost creators in perfumery have each worked on a fragrance which represents their reflection, memory or experience of a specific location. From Reykjavik (Delphine Lebeau) on the North Atlantic Ocean, or Hydra in the Aegean (Ilias Ermenidis), to the busy brightness of Shanghai (Nicolas Beaulieu), and on to Sydney (Ramon Monegal). Each is personal and each meets the brief in, perhaps, unexpected ways.
I first came across Positano (Carlos Benaim) last November, and despite the grey gloom, one spray of this warm, fruity floral immediately conjured la dolce vita with sun-baked aromatics and the salty tang of marine accords. What it doesn’t contain – strikingly – is lemon, bergamot or neroli; the trio on which perfumers traditionally rely to represent the zesty essence of summer. Instead, the citrus of the initial impression comes from orange oil, tart blackcurrant and the faint bitterness of turmeric. A little unexpected – and clever, too, right? Then the apricity rolls in from hay accord and aromatic lavender, and an ozonic freshness from marine accord. Woodiness comes from the base notes and in the dry down they meld together to leave a lingering, relaxing warmth and sense of wellbeing. As I type this, I realise this is the genius: it leaves me feeling like I’ve been on holiday.
Similarly defying the obvious, Dubai by Anne Flipo avoids the oud which I would expect, and instead leans into gourmand elements, celebrating the gastronomy of the city. Think of Arabic sweets, sticky dates, sharp saffron and a lingering vanilla trail. For Flipo, Dubai is a feasting table, a banquet of indulgent delights. Her other creation for the collection, Tokyo, is arguably more in line with expectation but no less compelling. Inspired by Hanami (‘contemplation of cherry blossoms’) you’ll find the fragrant flower at the heart of this delicate and serene scent, as sophisticated and subtle as the auspicious occasion itself.
Agra, created by Caroline Dumur, is one of the most recent additions. Dumar has worked her magic for the likes of Penhaligon’s, Lancôme, Chloe, D’Orsay…the list goes on. In Agra, she pays homage to the Taj Mahal, somewhere I’ve never been but have longed to go. So for me, it’s not a place, it’s a dream: a dream of romance, beauty and history. What do I know about the Taj Mahal? It’s a tribute to love. What do I get from Agra? Overwhelmingly white florals, led by jasmine with the headiness of tuberose, here fine-tuned to lend exoticism without overpowering the other notes. I find points of similarity with Chanel No 5; both share top notes including neroli, a jasmine heart, and elsewhere ylang ylang and vanilla. Most important, both fragrances make me feel bathed in love. I wore Chanel on my wedding day, creating a lasting scent association not simply bonded with love for my husband, but also the love that filled the day: friends and families together in one joyful celebration.
Back to Agra, which is similarly enveloping. It is all-encompassing in its unashamed floral depths, the notes simply sing together. I adore it; layered, abundant, luxurious and above all, divinely romantic.
Of course, the concept of pairing place with perfume isn’t unique to Contes de Parfum. My olfactive travels have also taken me to the Fashion Capitals, as imagined by Fragrance du Bois. Milano is all Italian sass, primavera and punch. There are then two iterations for New York; Intense and Fifth Avenue. Both woody, the latter – as you might expect – smells satisfyingly rich, bouji even, all cashmere and caramel. The former is well named with all the intensity of 24 hours in the city which never (famously) sleeps. There is a dazzling quantity of notes (bay, coriander, vanilla, honey, guaiac wood, vetiver, oud, patchouli…I could go on) but like the city for which it is named, all-comers have their place, and the whole is triumphantly a sum of its parts. It makes a forthright impression and has great impact. Not for the wallflowers, this is the brashness and the brilliance of New York, bottled.
Voyage à Paris is a stylish gourmand with sweetness from honey, vanilla and rum, and London Spice, which celebrates the city’s impeccable tailoring heritage, completes the collection. My London is decidedly edgier, however. I find it more resonant in All Saints Shoreditch Leather, which typifies the best of London’s globally significant street scene. Slightly grimy, slightly tough and effortlessly cool. The label might say Shoreditch, but to my nose, this is 90s era Camden market through and through, with its beaten-up biker jackets and unbeatable eclecticism, wearing its rock’n’roll credentials with pride.
If, however, you are less Britpop and more British poptastic, I’ll finish with JusBox whose recent launch, Sisters B4 Misters, is inspired by the spirit of the Spice Girls. There’s the innocence of Baby Spice with milk, sugar and strawberries, the sophistication of Posh from orris root, Sporty comes through every athlete’s go-to for superfood smoothies, banana coupled with zesty lime. Scary? Perhaps the ferocity of amber and the power of sandalwood and Geri’s there in the ginger. This bombastic burst of a blend has divided opinion, with some describing it as cute and fruity but others unable to forgive its synthetic qualities, although it is these which I find pleasingly appealing. To my nose, it is reminiscent of old school drugstore makeup, often sweet, usually fruit-based, sometimes a little powdery and in most, a hint of waxiness. Whether you’re a lover or a hater, there’s no denying this time-travelling concoction is steeped in nostalgia.
Contes de Parfums fragrances, £195 each from libertylondon.com
Fragrance du Bois, from £265 fragrancedubois.com
All Saints fragrances, from £40 are available in store, online at boots.com
Jusbox Sisters B4 Misters, £180 selfridges.com
