Creed Original Santal— Parisian fragrance dynasty The House of Creed was founded in 1760 and passed from father to son for seven generations. Originally, it made custom-blended fragrances for royals including Queen Victoria, King George III and Empress Eugenie, but began selling to the public in the 1970s. Crafted by father and son, Olivier and Erwin, the sixth and seventh generation, this heady unisex fragrance pays homage to the splendour of India, combining the clean, calming scent of Mysore sandalwood, vanilla and Tonka bean with feistier notes like cinnamon, coriander, Jamaican ginger, orange, lavender, peppermint and juniper berry to keep things interesting. Infinitely layerable, this characterful fragrance could easily be layered, or just worn like a second skin, to casual or formal events.
Eight & Bob Nuit de Megeve — It’s hard to tell how much is fact or fiction: although launched in 2012, Eight & Bob’s cologne, according to the company (which admits to embellishing the story), was originally blended in the 1930s by a Parisian aristocrat and his butler, gifted to a young JFK who made the scent popular with Hollywood’s leading men, and smuggled out of Nazi-occupied Paris inside cut-out books. (The company is registered in Valencia). Subsequent Eight & Bob releases have taken us to Cap d’Antibes to recreate the aristocrat’s summer holidays, to the fields of Provence and to Egypt. Nuit de Megève recalls the magic of party season in Megève, a (real) cobblestoned French ski resort town beloved of high society. Conversation and dancing, coffee and cigars, and bracing alpine air are suggested by crisp notes of grapefruit and Vetiver, blended with warm, languid notes of coffee and tobacco. It’s both fresh and smoky, elegant and unusual — perfect for a special night.
Histoires De Parfums’ 1899 — An extremely elegant French brand, Histoires de Parfums tells stories through perfume and has created more than 40 fragrances inspired by intrepid people, iconic places and special raw materials. 1899 pays homage to Ernest Hemingway, the novelist whose spare style changed literature and whose adventures have enthralled many young hearts. Born in America, a journalist who was witness to the Spanish Civil War and the liberation of Paris, he also spent time writing in Venice and Cuba and this perfume seeks to trace some of this. Opening notes of Italian bergamot, juniper and pepper are like a strong aperitif that lead into flavours reminiscent of the Mediterranean — orange blossom and Florentine iris. The fragrance ends with warm, spicy notes of vetiver, cinnamon, vanilla and amber, which combine to suggest the inviting dark of a Cuban bar. A whirlwind honeymoon in one breath, with staying power.
Arquiste Sydney Rock Pool — Designed to transport the wearer to evocative moments in time, Arquiste is a fragrance house steeped in history. The latest juice, Sydney Rock Pool, takes inspiration from white sand beaches at golden hour — the period shortly after sunrise or before sunset when your skin glows under the warm sun, and sea salt glistens on your body. Developed by Rodrigo Flores-Roux, this mineral amber musk welcomes you with notes of sea salt accord, driftwood and coconut redolent of having just dived into clear, crisp seawater. And like a gentle breeze blowing aromatic floral scents through the balmy Australian air, you will be greeted with notes of frangipani and jasmine sambac. This evocative fragrance is a complex yet perfect marriage between delicate white tropical petals and wild, rolling waves crashing against sunlit sandstone rocks. Enticing and addictive.
Boronia by Grandiflora — With a love affair of flowers that spans decades, it’s no wonder that internationally acclaimed florist and author Saskia Havekes added a fragrance collection to her repertoire. This year sees the fifth Grandiflora scent joining the family of Sadrine, Michel, Madigascar Jasmine and Queen of the Night. Boronia, composed by Bertrand Duchaufour celebrates the native and somewhat unassuming Australian flower. An intense chypre floral, this juice takes you on a journey. With enticing notes that include cognac, suede and tobacco, you are transported to a smokey jazz bar after hours before being greeted with verdant florals, black tea and caramel giving the scent a sweeter, softer edge. Finally expect dry woods in the composition which works to celebrate the Native environment this pink, pint-sized bloom calls home
Amouage Bracken Woman — From the Sultanate of Oman’s luxurious and storied fragrance house, Amouage Bracken Woman is a vibrant, crisp blend of violet leaf, galbanum (an aromatic gum) and bracken fern notes, with a bittersweet heart of wild berries, florals and leather, and smoky, woody undertones of patchouli, vetiver and birch. An intriguing and powerful fragrance that changes on the skin over time, it’s intensely green, even tangy, reminiscent of an early morning walk through dew-soaked woodlands where the scent of damp earth, crushed grass, moss and wild undergrowth greet you at every step. A sophisticated take on green notes, this has mystery and complexity for those who aren’t afraid of unusual perfumes.
All available at WORLD | Words—Rose Hoare & Sarah Simpson | Illustrations by Anieszka Banks
