Scent is one of those senses that can instantaneously take you back to a place, a person or a moment with one small whiff. I can confidently tell you that I am easily able to associate key moments in my life with a specific scent. Dolce & Gabbanna Light Blue was my scent when I had my first job in fashion, I felt like it was as fresh and light as my lack of responsibility in life. Issey Miyake L’eau D’Issey is extra special. My parents and I were in Paris the summer of 1992 - I was about to start high school and we went to Galleries Lafayette and there was a massive bottle of the perfume that stood in the center of the atrium that spanned about 2 stories high. I of course got the smallest bottle as my “treat” from Paris and sparingly used it over the course of two years. I could go on but I won’t bore you. Today, scent is different for me. I tend to wear a very similar scent. I have one scent I have worn for over 9 years. I love to mix some new scents in, but they all have a softness to them that lingers but doesn’t overwhelm. I hate when a perfume burns my nasal passages (sorry - I can’t stand Maison Kurkdigan Baccarat - it’s so strong and smells like a more expensive Sol de Janeiro). I’m going to break down some of the best scents that feel timeless, subtle and just different enough to be memorable.
Another 13 by Le Labo. I smelled this on someone else at a bridal shower 9 years ago and never looked back. At the time it was only available at Colette in Paris and I would order it online and I love this because it meant VERY few people had it. These days it’s more accessible at even a Bloomingdales counter for the brand, but it’s stunning. The ambroxan (a naturally occurring organic chemical) is what makes this scent stand out. It smells slightly different on all and is so beautiful that I have had people chase me down in a Whole Foods aisle to ask what it was.
In a similar vein is the incredible Les Fumées. This is a beautiful, small niche brand founded by Nashville born-and-raised Leah Sohr. She is one of the chicest women, and her passion has always been fragrance. She spent 3 years working with the top noses in the industry in France to develop her collection of fragrances and they are all stunning and incredibly high quality. Muse is my favorite and reminds me of Another 13 but in a more understated way. She also very graciously gave a code EMESE20 for anyone that wants to give it a whirl. This is the brand you want that no one else will have and everyone will be asking you what you’re wearing.
Akemi is fresh and airy and clean. It’s a little musky and woodsy - heavenly. It’s also all clean ingredients which I love. A couple months ago I was visiting Molly in LA and had forgotten to bring my perfume. I grabbed this tiny bottle on her bathroom counter and spritzed it and fell in love. Fast forward to a few months later (when I was in LA in March), and I met the beautiful founder of the scent that I stole from her that day. I love that it smells slightly different on everyone but gorgeous on all. And you can get a 30ml bottle for $60 or $135 for 100ml which is incredible. You’ll be stocking up on it in no time.
The first “luxe” fragrance I ever bought was Creed. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was 2002, I was making $35k a year (I thought I was RICH) and I wandered into Holt Renfrew - the Bergdorf Goodman of Canada - and plopped down more money than I ever thought I would spend on liquid in a bottle. The scent was Spring Flowers (it makes me vomit now), but I felt like I had arrived. I eventually bought Silver Mountain Water which is still a pretty scent - a little masculine which is totally different. But the true cool luxe scent I ever bought was in 2006. Byredo had a tiny little stand set up at Barneys in Beverly Hills. I was in LA for work and popped into the store as they were closing and wandered to the counter and fell in love with Gypsy Water and Bal d’Afrique. I like to say I was one of the first customers because it was literally their first day in Barneys. I wore that combination of scents for the following eight plus years. People would stop me. Cab drivers would ask me what perfume I was wearing. I retired them after I started wearing Another 13 but still have a back up bottle of Gypsy Water. THEN, here I am in Austin yesterday and I go into a store and pick up a bottle of Byredo I have not yet smelled and I got addicted. Animalique is exquisite. Like the smell that when I get a whiff I need more. I am hooked. It might be the scent of the summer for me.
Friends, I have to say that fragrance is a deeply personal thing. You might smell these and hate them! But the one thing I can qualify it all with is that none of them are too strong - they just have a really understated quality to them that leaves you sniffing the air for more. I can’t tell you which one to buy - as with all things - I believe in having a wardrobe. A signature scent to me is the one I reach for most often, but then I smell something new and layer it in. Sometimes I’ll mix it with one or two others and because a lot of them share similar notes, they magically work beautifully. As always - you probably don’t need a new fragrance. Did I need to buy Animalique yesterday? Absolutely not. Would I have woken up this morning smelling it on my skin and kicking myself for not? 100% yes. Hope you all are having a beautiful weekend. Will be doing an Austin Dear Media re-cap for you! xx Emese
I am now obsessed with Another 13!