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Like treating ourselves to a new overcoat or some shiny new brogues, the change in seasons gives us an excuse to invest in a shiny new fragrance too. Gone are summer’s whimsical florals and pretty citrus scents, making way for something with a little more oomph as the days get darker …
But choosing a signature scent for autumn is a tricky business. These days a new perfume is launched seemingly on the hour – and perfectly pleasant they are too (ahem …) but only once in a while does a scent truly stand out and make you fall in love. Thankfully there are several perfumers who have made life easy for us – not least Richard Fraysse from the house of Caron (one wouldn’t expect anything less from one of the three oldest and most revered fragrances houses in existence).
Fraysse has updated 2000’s Lady Caron although the word “update” evokes modernity, this scent harks back to the beautifully boudoir-esque scents of the last century and which are now a dying art. You know the type, something that Ginger Rodgers would mist through her hair before rushing out to perform the quickstep with Fred, or a 1960s Brigitte Bardot would spray on (“pssht pssht”) in her flaxen beehive as she waited for one of her many admirers to come knocking at the door. Not overtly sexy per se, but alluring nonetheless – a scent a women wears for herself and herself alone.
Lady Caron by Caron is £105 for 100ml at Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason
1911’s Narcisse Noir was Caron’s original and best and although this new Lady Caron is less overtly seductive – those elements of what makes Caron a classic fragrance house is still there. A floral chypre with magnolia and rose, its cheery heart of raspberry and peach is underscored by a mellow oakmoss base. But don’t let the ingredients fool you – this fragrance is no flibberdigibbet. If she were a young woman, think of Narcisse Noir as her glamorous great-aunt – she’s inherited her jewellery, but prefers to wear it with sandals and a summer dress.
But if it’s something truly heady and intoxicating you’re after, at the other end of the spectrum, it has to be Serge Lutens L’orpheline (“the orphan”). Despite its name, this is not an overtly melancholic number – but a dark and brooding concoction nonetheless, knocking onlookers for six with incense, musk and black pepper. It’s a polarising scent (and very potent), but for true connoisseurs who prefer unique fragrances to merely “ooh that smells quite nice”, this is a scent worth discovering.
L’Orpheline by Serge Lutens is £79.20 for 50ml at Feel Unique
Lutens himself was separated from his mother at just a few weeks old, so given the name, one can imagine this is a highly personal creation. Lutens himself lead a life of contrasts (before becoming a renowned make-up artist working with Dior and Shiseido, he served in the army during the Algerian war) and with L’orpheline, one gets the impression of Lutens battling with the different aspects of himself. On the one hand, it appears to exude a raw feminine sex appeal, yet take a step back and it appears more masculine. In any case, I recently wore it on a date and the next day was informed that my scent was still on my beau’s jacket – making it a worthy investment in my book. (If it’s something softer and sweet you’re after, I suggest you try Lutens’ Jeux de Peau, which smells like soft baguettes and sweet pastries – pure heaven).
Rather than these former outré scents, Maison Francis Kurkdjian offers us something more delicate with his latest offering. Pluriel is a duo of masculine and feminine scents in respective pink and grey bottles – meant to embody the perfumer’s search for timelessness, free from the constraints of fashion and fleeting trends. (Indeed if you happened to touch upon the subject of perfume trends to Kurkdjian you would be met with a stoic raise of the eyebrow.)
Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Féminin Pluriel is £120 for 70ml at Harvey Nichols
The former is a soft whisper of Florentine iris, grasse jasmine, anchored by vetiver and Indonesian patchouli, while the masculine scent is a traditional fougère with Haitian vetiver, Eastern red cedar and lavender absolute from Provence.
Masculin Pluriel is £110 for 70ml at Harvey Nichols
One’s first experience of both is a bit like trying on an expensive white t-shirt – very elegant but you wonder what makes it different from all the others. And then you discover that it skims your body beautifully and you love the way the material caresses your skin – what’s more, you can wear it with almost anything …
by Viola Levy
Lady Caron by Caron is £105 for 100ml at Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason; L’Orpheline by Serge Lutens is £79.20 for 50ml at Feel Unique;
Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Féminin Pluriel is £120 for 70ml, Masculin Pluriel is £110 for 70ml, both available at Harvey Nichols