Remember the excitement of going back to school? Summer — days of climbing trees, building forts, and coming to the table with clean hands but dirty everything else — was over and now a new year of possibilities lay ahead. Armed with a few carefully selected outfits from the Montgomery Ward catalog and a fresh notebook, I dreamed of the coming year: this year I’d be in the school play, or I’d be a smash in band with my flute, or that cute boy in 8th grade would finally notice me.
Fall is on the doorstep now. I still have dreams about what might happen as the leaves turn color, and my imaginings have become more outlandish. I’ll lay out a few choice scenarios here, along with their accompanying perfumes.
Week at an English manor: Let’s jump right in with a big one. What could be better than riding horses and sleeping in antique beds in the English countryside? Stella McCartney, Sting, or minor British aristocracy might drop in for dinner, and we’ll spend evenings in a room with worn oriental carpets, elaborate moldings, and vases crammed with dahlias. Amazingly, the heating will be good. I’ll give Stella a few new ideas for her perfume line between rounds of charades. Fragrance: Annick Goutal Duel and Hermès Bel Ami for day; Guerlain Nahéma and Tauer Perfumes Une Rose Chyprée for night.
Fancy weekend in Manhattan: This fantasy is all about fabulous restaurants and the magical replenishing wallet. The wind may be bitter, but dinner at Per Se — or maybe an equally delicious but less showy evening at Prune — will be sweet. I’ll scamper around in towering heels without blisters and may even break out some Cyd Charisse moves in Central Park. There will be no tourists except me at the Oak Room, and the martinis will only give a friendly buzz no matter how many you drink. Fragrance: vintage Christian Dior Miss Dior and Lalique Encre Noir for day; Etat Libre d’Orange Jasmin et Cigarette for night.
Après Ski in the French Alps: Actual skiing is exhausting and dangerous. Lounging by a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace swaddled in cashmere with a snifter of brandy while it’s snowing outside? Now we’re talking. I’m envisioning a sort of early 1960s lodge with a cathedral ceiling and low, mod but comfortable furniture with fake fur pillows tossed everywhere and a massive set of antlers on one wall. Icicles hang outside windows framing magnificent mountain views. Board games optional. Fragrance: Serge Lutens Chêne (for the fire), Hermès Calèche (sassy aldehydic floral with a 1960s vibe, nice for a casual lunch while others are breaking their legs on the slopes), Fabergé Tigress, and Weil Zibéline.
Beach house on the Oregon coast: In this dream, it’s just me and my laptop, piles of delicious reading, plenty of firewood, lasagna, and the crashing surf. And my dog. I don’t care how hard it rains or how fiercely the wind blows. Fragrance: L’Artisan Parfumeur Voleur de Roses, Tom Ford Oud Wood (these two for moodiness and self indulgence), L’Artisan Parfumeur Havana Vanille, and Parfums de Nicolai Sacrebleu (these two for comfort).
What happens in your imaginary autumn? What perfume will you wear?
Note: image is Autumn drive by skipnclick at flickr; some rights reserved.
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Angela – we may have different taste when it comes to fragrance, fashion and fiction…but when it comes to fun, we match right up. Thanks as always for putting a little life back into my dreary work day.
You’re welcome! No autumn dreams of your own?
Just my daily dream of winning the lottery and getting out of this business! For that, I suppose the luxurious Amouage Lyric would do just nicely.
Then we do share at least one favorite perfume…
As always, perfect article angela! At my imaginary autumn, I’m at my imaginary mansion at the countryside, enjoying the weather, that is watm, not hot or really cold. I’m sitting on a rocking chair at my posh terrrace and drinking a cup of one of my favorite teas and enjoying the smell of cookies being baked at the kitchen. My fragrances for this moment: un bois sepia (the fragrance that, to my nose, smells like autumn), un crime exotique (for its tea gingery and papay spicy jam smell), and black cashmere (my comfort winter/autumn scent)
Sounds fabulous! I love the touch about the cookies baking, too. Your fragrance choices sound perfect for that kind of day.
The leaves are just starting to turn here, and I am looking forward to crisp autumn mornings. My autumn scents for kicking the leaves are Ormonde Woman, Ormonde Tolu, l’Artisan Parfumeur’s Timbuktu and Mures et Musc, and McQueen’s MyQueen for when it starts getting really chilly.
It sounds like we have similar taste in perfume. I’m a huge fan of Ormonde Woman and adore Tolu and Timbuktu.
How funny you mentioned this – I have started a new job at an English manor house. Less of the celebrity guests and horse-riding, but still lovely in the autumn. Your suggestions have inspired me, and are a reminder to try Une Rose Chypree and Havana Vanille! Otherwise, I’ve been enjoying L’Heure Bleue, Bois des Iles, and 5 o’clock au gingembre…
That sounds like fun. Nice perfume choices, too. Bois des Iles and 5 o’clock are such perfect autumn scents. If your English manor needs a resident perfume enthusiast for a weekend, you know where to find me!
Anytime
Interesting read. As the leaves turn color they also start to drop off the trees and pepper your yard. Im thinking CB I Hate Perfume ‘Burning Leaves’ would be appropriate.
Nice choice! So appropriate, too.
Thank you, Angela, for a refreshing fall fantasy, on this hot day in September. I can almost touch the orange leaves. My autumn fantasy is pretty basic: to go walking with my sweetie along back roads in New England, kicking the leaves, then picking late apples. Bring the apples back to the farmhouse (in a pokey little town) and make a pie, and eat it after we’ve had our beef stew. Sonoma Scent Studio Champagne du bois would be great.
Now I’m getting hungry–beef stew and apple pie are a killer combination. Nice!
Ahhh, bergere—you were reading my mind! Right down to the Champagne de Bois !!!
Unfortunately today is hot mid-July —that we didn’t get when it really was July—so today I contented myself with Eau de Sisley #3 and gave longing looks to my bottle of Champagne de Bois and my decant of SDV….they’re ready for fall and so am I. Soon, my dears, soon.
We’re getting the same here…mid 80s today, after 70s all through August. Which is ok; it’s perfect weather for testing a lovely sample of l’Humaniste.
heheh, good thing you have a sample of Humaniste!
Probably sooner than we’d like!
Angela- lovely article! I am so lemming autumn leaves and crisp air, stunningly blue skies, cozy sweaters and of course a bottle of Havana Vanille…..sigh….
It’s on its way! At least, the fall weather is. I can’t speak for the Havana Vanille. I know I’ll be needing a bottle this year, too.
Ahhh, this article was perfect, Angela — I am so looking forward to fall, my favorite season, sweater weather, and I do think of fall as a time of new beginnings. My imaginary perfect fall day is actually pretty simple: just me walking on a crisp, slightly cloudy day, a bit bundled up, leaves crunching underfoot, and I’m wearing L’Artisan’s L’Eau du Navigateur with its lovely coffee note and smoky adventurousness.
Sounds lovely! Great perfume choice, too. I can hear those leaves crunching under foot right now.
Hi Angela!
I love your writing style, it’s very comforting. For Autumn, I envision a morning ride, fog still on the ground, the smell of dry hay, sweet feed, leather and horse sweat, wearing a touch of Cinnabar of Bal a Versailles.
It was actually rainy & cool over the weekend in SF, to celebrate the coming of Fall,. I made my ginger/apricot/cherry pork chops with wild rice. The smell of apricots and ginger filled the house. It was a very comforting smell. I plan on gearing up my holiday menu soon! I will probably wear lots of L’Artisan’s Voleur de Roses.
Holy cow! Those pork chops sound delicious. Bal a Versailles is a wonderful fall fragrance, too, and would be ideal for riding.
I just emailed the recipe to you…..
Thank you! It looks delicious.
May I have it, too? It sounds just wonderful!
I’ll send it to you.
Thank you!
Autumn is by far my favorite season…I dream of it all year long!
In my dreams I am either high in the Rockies or the Sierra Nevada, in a cabin tucked in an aspen grove, or in a cabin on a lake in New Hampshire, and I am wearing Bois de Paradis, which blends perectly with the very crisp weather, and the scent of woodsmoke in the air.
You described the scene so well, I can practically feel the crisp edge to the air. I wish Bois de Paradis smelled better on my skin, it’s so nice.
Could I interest you in some Poivre, then??
Might be even beter!!!
Poivre is perfect. I’m going to move my decant of it right to the front of my perfume cabinet.
Ooh, me too. My birthday is in October, and I’m angling for a bottle of Poivre.
In my fantasy autumn, I am independently wealthy and am travelling the world, currently in beautiful Edinburgh, and feeling sophisticated but subdued in Coromandel or Safran Troublant, my two current obsessions and both perfectly suited for fall. In the real-world autumn, I am not in Edinburgh or anywhere remotely interesting, but at least I still get to wear those two scents, and also Yves Rocher Nature Millennaire Pour Homme, my eternal go-to fall scent.
Nice dream! I’ve never been to Scotland, but it sounds like the perfect place to be in fall. Coromandel and Safran Troublant would be just the ticket, too.
Well, Scotland can be a lot wet anytime of year but today I am enjoying a beautiful sunny, cool day in Glasgow.
My fantasy involves a nice walk along the loch, Ben Lomond rising in the distance. The trees are just starting to change so it looks like their tips are on fire. I’m just finishing a new pair of woollen legwarmers so I’ll slip those on under my favorite skirt. (All I want to do in autumn is knit.) I wish we could own a dog so in my fantasy we have enough room for a sweet black lab who goes running to and fro while we walk. After we could curl up with some nice homemade hot chocolate and some shortbread before dinner. Once it got nice and dark a perfect evening would include lying down on the dock all wrapped up and watching a great meteor shower, the Leonids in November would probably be best.
And, like today, I would wear maybe Tolu or the Chergui I am planning to get tomorrow!
That sounds marvelous! I love it that you included two of the best things ever: black labs and meteor showers. Enjoy the Chergui!
I live in Miami so there isn’t much of an autumn, b ut every year or so (including this year) I get a little of my fantasy fall when my partner and I visit Paris Thanksgiving week. Two of my favorites for wandering Paris in cool weather are Guerlain Sous le Vent and Lutens La Myrrhe. This year I am taking some Histoires des Parfums 1969 and 1740 to try out, too.
Paris in the fall! Now that really is a dream come true. La Myrrhe sounds perfect for it, too–both elegant and bohemian.
Ohhhh MonkeyToe
Sous le Vent is one of my favorites! What a nice trip you have every fall!
No kidding!
Angela – great article! You’ve covered the fantasies so well that I really don’t think I could top them. Although I’m in the Bluegrass, and it’s so beautiful in the fall that I wouldn’t want to leave!
I would add an under-appreciated Guerlain, Philtre d’Amour for daytime wearing in your English countryside, L’Heure Bleue for apres ski, and Spiritueuse Double Vanille for the beach house. You can tell I’m a “Guerlie Girl”!
I can’t believe I’ve never heard “Guerlie Girl” before! I’m going to start using it instantly.
Great suggestions on the perfume, too. I can’t remember what Philtre d’Amour smells like (a little lemony, maybe?) but you can’t beat the name.
It makes me happy that you enjoyed Guerlie Girl! I used it once before in a comment – it just popped into my head at the time.
I’ve tried both the original edt of Philtre and the Les Parisiennes edp version. The edt is very lemon candy, while the edp is much more indolic neroli with only a little lemon on the opening.
It sounds wonderful and great for any weather.
Ahh, autumn! Freshly sharpened pencils and new notebooks… skies so blue they hurt your eyes… winds skipping the dry leaves about… frost… ripe apples… marching band practice…sweater weather… woodsmoke… my very, very favorite time of year.
I don’t really have an autumn dream. But you can bet I’ll be hauling out that vintage Magie Noire for a walk in the woods in jeans and a sweater, or maybe for a choral concert at the university (um, just a teeny drop of MN if I’m going to be inside, that stuff has killah sillage). I’ll get out the Organza Indecence and the Theorema, and I might think about purchasing a small bottle of Champagne de Bois.
Hey, I’ll get out my vintage Magie Noir and come on that walk with you!!
Perfect description of fall–so evocative! Magie Noir is a great choice, too.
Mmm… we had a touch of autumn weather this morning and I celebrated by wearing Theorema to work!
A good one!
We’ve been getting some early cool weather up here in the wilds of PA, but I’ve also been fantasizing about spending a fall in the Grand Tetons at some lodge with bonfires, horses, etc, for some reason this year…
Anyway, my fav fall fragrances are the Sonoma Scent Studio Tabac Aurea and Rose Musc, Chanel No 19, Nahema (YEAH!), EL PC Amber YlangYlang, and now I’ve totally fallen for the current Hermes Amazone, which I think smells *exactly* like falling leaves.
But now you’ve made me want to go home and watch Gosford Park after dinner!
Sadly, I don’t wear SSS well, but your Tabac Aurea reminded me of Tabac Blonde….great for Fall!!
TB is one of my all-time, grab-it-if-the-house-is-burning fragrances.
Gosford Park! Yes! Now I need to amend my English Manor fantasy to include a little private time with Clive Owen….
Clive Owen…. THUD!
I hear you, sister.
Do a Clive Owen double feature … watch the excellent “Croupier” first!! And yes, he is totally divine!
Croupier was really good and kind of disturbing, if I remember right. Well, I have Gosford Park on top of the DVD player right now–Croupier next time.
You know, the apres-ski scenario is really for winter, Angela, so let’s replace it for now with the “autumn in Paris” fantasy! My birthday is in late October; wouldn’t I just love to spend it in Paris (with a magical replenishing wallet, of course, so I could stock up on Chanel no22 and Bois des Isles both in extrait. Oh, and I haven’t even tried Cuir de Russie yet– may need that in extrait– and I’ll need to visit all the other perfume houses as well). Meanwhile, once the local weather segues from hot end-of-summer to fresh fall I’ll bring out Plus que Jamais. Mmmm. . . and as fall turns to winter I’ll be wearing Bois de Paradis. Delicious for apres-ski, and energizing too, since unlike you I love the actual skiing more than lounging around the lodge!
I had on Plus Que Jamais yesterday as I heard it was slated for termination, and I wondered if I needed a bottle while BG was having their $25 gift card event. Good news for my wallet – it disappears in two hours, so not worth it even though it is beautiful.
I just saw where one of my favorite eBay sellers has vintage Chanel #22 listed. Just sayin….
It’s always nice when something you’ve been wanting turns out not to be worth the money. So good for the wallet!
Oh no– I hope it isn’t true that PqJ will be d/c’ed! It lasts well on me, and I was definitely fantasizing of buying a full bottle on my fall visit to Paris. By BG, do you mean Bergdorf Goodman? (Almost as far from me as Paris, unless they sell fragrances on line– I’ll check that out right now. . .)
I’m pretty sure you can call, and they’ll patch you through to the Guerlain counter, where you can order some.
Angela is right – they lurve phone calls! And I just happen to have the number right in front of me (no affiliation, though I wish!) 1-800-558-1855. And like I said, they’re having a $25 gift card event – if you spend $100, you get $25 off. So basically, PqJ is on sale!
O.K., I’ll happily swap out the apres ski dream for the Paris dream! Then, when winter comes I’ll keep you a place in the lodge while you’re wearing yourself out on the slopes.
Super! We can order up some hard cider for apres– at least, we could in the Canadian Rockies. Still, the French resorts no doubt have something equally delectable.
It’s a deal!
Just being able to kick leaves is my big autumn fantasy. Alas, we do not have a real fall, as there is too much rain, and kicking piles of brown mush is not enjoyable. Parfumerie Generale’s Eau Rare Matale is my smoky autumn scent; even if the leaves were dry here, we wouldn’t be able to burn them…
You’re right–kicking mush does not sound appealing. I’d hate to think of what perfume goes with that.
For some reason, I’ve got Dzing! on my mind for autumn. I just recently bought a bottle after falling in love with it (thanks to Joe!). It’s all leather and animalic scents, with just that hint of vanilla to me. I can feel it’s leathery goodness wafting around me as I stroll through the forest or walk through the cider mill and orchards. I love how the animalic notes in it give that sense of getting a little hot in the bright autumn sun, despite the brisk air. But once Halloween hits (my favorite!), it’s time to break out the spooky incenses. I’m thinking Avignon. But Patchouli 24 will also come out with its more smoky leather feel.
I’m right with you there on Dzing. It’s one of my long-time faves and perfect for cool weather.
Sitting huddled up in a home-made crocheted sweater on the porch swing, sipping piping hot chili hot-chocolate from mis-matched vintage china, wearing Rose Praline…
Marvelous! Hot chili chocolate sounds so delicious, too, and I love it that it’s in mismatched china (my favorite!).
I just have to wear Bois des Iles by Chanel, around autumn/winter. Esp autumn. It really sums up this time of year. The leaves, firewood, chillin’ air. I feels like a cosy cashmere sweater. Comfortable and just lovely.
Cinnabar by Estée Lauder is another good choice. Spicy and very vintage (in my case it is…why don’t u make a review on that one?).
I’m craving some Bois des Iles now. It’s so elegant and warm and cozy. Great idea about a Cinnabar review–I’ll have to go down to Macy’s and snag a sample!
This is such a lovely post! Fantasy becomes reality for me in fall; local museums and orchards pump-out woodsmoke and cinnamon-spiced goodies; dusty estates, hikes on trails and reflecting in parks–New England loves autumn and isn’t afraid to show it. Give me “Serge Noir”, “Bois de Isles”, “Mitsouko”, “Bois de Paradis”, “Luctor Et Emergo”, Patou’s “1000″ and “Sira des Indes”. Even the golden lipstick and stockings mood of “Joy” plays well during a fall morning. And for my favorite time of fall–the brisk and wistful (some would say “bleak”), grey, late days of autumn–give me “Gris Clair” and moody old “Stella”.
…and “Arpege”! One of the few seasons I can wear it without people expecting me to be wearing a velvet caftan with metallic-lame turban…
What a hilarious image!
Nice! Probably 80% of my perfume collection is suited to cooler weather, and I can’t wait to crack it out.
See…given where I live, 80% *should* be cool weather scents. Somehow though, it’s the other way around.
It sounds like you like your warm weather scents!
Nlb, you must excuse my curiosity, but why would your local museums be offering woodsmoke and cinnamon-spiced goodies? I wish to hell the cafe at the museum I work for would do that . All year around we see several rows of vulgar looking confections masquerading as black forest cake, mud cake, caramel slice, and I don’t know what else. Even after 12 months I’m still not game to try an object that appears to consist of a biscuit base, a dense layer of pale pink wobbly stuff in the middle, and a layer of raspberry-red jelly on the top. No cinnamon-spiced goodies in sight.
It is spring here so we are getting ready for cologne season. My autumn fragrance would be Mitsouko
I’m guessing that the treats weren’t flavored with wood smoke (although that’s an intriguing idea!) but that wood smoke is in the air, in general. Sometimes it’s hard to jot off a precise sentence in a comment when there’s so much to express.
Mitsouko is perfect for the fall!
Angela, I’ve done the Oregon coast one – autumn is my favorite time of year to be there (south end of Cannon Beach overlooking the ocean and Haystack Rock, but Yachats works well too!). Don’t recall what I wore then, but now it would be a fine place to finish up my Ava Luxe Bois Exotique or Feu de Bois or possibly curl up with a good book and Coromandel which would also be fine for those nights when I’d go to one of the coast’s excellent restaurants for dinner.
One of my favorite autumn memories is going to the Puyallup Fair (a huge fair rather like a mid-western state fair for all of you who’ve never been to western Washington). But I can’t imagine what perfume I’d wear that could compete with the smell of fried onions, “fair burgers,” warm raspberry scones slathered with butter, hay, and farm animals. Any ideas?
Sounds like a great day, and a Dzing kind of day.
Great suggestion!
I’ve been to the Puyallup fair, although it’s been years. How about something animalic to blend in with the livestock barns? Maybe some L’air du rien? It sounds like a couple of alka seltzers would come in handy, too.
Adding Dzing and L’air du rien to the sample list.
Both are kind of freaky fragrances, but in a good way (especially Dzing, I think).
Second the Dzing! Or, this is by no means a fall fragrance, but Pink Sugar always conjures up cotton candy for me–it would blend right in! L by Lolita Lempicka, Sun by Jil Sander and Omnia Madera have the same cotton-candy / caramel apple vibe for me, with a little more complexity.
Good point about the cotton candy. Or, out here we have “Indian fry bread” which is sweet, fried dough. Also good with Pink Sugar!
Ah – I am spending this weekend in an english country house (not a manor) but it is in the middle of nowhere, quite large and very very old. It is quintessential, surrounded by fields and streams, cows and sheep, and there are wonderful walks i like to go on.
When I pack my perfume for these trips, I tend to avoid overly exotic scents. I reach for Ormonde Woman and Jicky Parfum. They both feel genteel and beautiful, and Jicky works as it has such a history behind it. I also take Tabac Blond with me, as this is perfect autumn-comfort juice! I would also take Tobacco Vanille (if i owned it) as it would be perfect for fireside evenings while my Dad smokes a cigar. Basically anything leathery and rubbery (to match wellington boots and Barbour mackintoshes) smoky/tobaccoey to match burning wood fires and cigars, vetivery/grassy/lavender to match walks through the fields. hmmmmmmm. i cannot wait…….what a great idea for a post Angela! Thank you!
Jicky! Why didn’t I think of that? It’s perfect. Your weekend sounds perfect, too–just like something from a novel. I’m very happy for you (and wildly jealous).
Thanks Angela! I will also add Sienne L’Hiver to my list, as my sale-price decant from TPC just arrived in the post. I am wearing it for the first time ever, it is pissing-down with rain in London, and I am marveling at what a gorgeous autumn/winter scent it is!!!
I have to hang my head and admit that I haven’t tried it yet. I must fix that!
That sounds lovely!
Wonderful article, but now I’m jealous of everyone else because I’ve never really experienced a true autumn! Maybe if I can get the palm trees to drop leaves more attractively…
Ojeda, I grew up in a place like that. The trade-off was that I could swim in the ocean after school any day of the year.
You will have to treat yourself to a trip to a great autumn locale someday.
Hey, maybe that can be your dream: to spend a week in a real autumn somewhere. Cold weather is great for some perfumes, too.
I love going for hikes and drives in the mountains in autumn to look at the leaves and have wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail during Autumn for years. If I could spend an autumn hiking the Appalachian Trail I would bring along some comtemplative scents like serene Kyoto and moody Bois d’Ombrie, and probably a warming amber like Ambre Fetiche for an extra chilly day when my thermals and many layers just aren’t doing there job. The smoky, plummy, amber Neil Morris’s Burnt Amber sounds like it would be great for those chilly days, but I haven’t gotten around to trying it.
I like the idea of Kyoto for the fall. It’s a contemplative season, after all!
Oh, you should definitely try to do that some year. You would always remember it. Your fragrance choices sound great!
My autumn experience is more a composite of favorite autum memories/annual traditions. I loved visiting my aunt’s horse farm in the autumn. My cousin and I would race our respective mounts down an unpaved back road, the scent of burning leaves, dust, hay and horse clinging to my clothes for the rest of the day. In this instance, I could see wearing Brandy. It would just blend well, particularly given the horse that inspired it.
Another favorite tradition we have is making hot mulled cider with a generous amount of dark rum. For this, Une Rose Chypree or Sweet Oriental Dream would be lovely as we sit out back and enjoy the crisp nights cuddled under a blanket. Guerlain SDV is also a fantastically snuggly fragrance, and while I wore it a couple times this summer, it just feels perfect during the cooler months.
When I want something fruity, CSP’s Mora Bella is a heavier fruit frag that has almost a rich berry jam quality about it, and today I’m wearing Pulp since it’s a fruit that can take on any season. I’ve been considering picking up a bottle of CDG’s Avignon to layer with a light bit of SDV. The layering of the two is a really intriguing idea that popped into my head some days back, but I’m currently out of Avignon to try it out. Not that Avignon isn’t gorgeous all by itself.
What wonderful memories! I can see them and smell them. (The apple cider with rum is something I’ll have to try sometime.) The idea of combining vanilla and incense is very intriguing.
Angela, what a wonderful game! I would take that Oregon coast beach scenario any time. For my fantasy I think I’ll become the owner of a hillside zinfandel vineyard in the Dry Creek Valley region of Sonoma County, California. It is late afternoon, and I’m sitting on the wide wooden porch of my perfectly hand-crafted little bungalow, with my feet up and a glass of my own award-winning wine in my hand. Next to me is a tray of assorted cheeses, cured meats, olives, and dried fruits — all produced by my neighbors! I’m surveying the gorgeous rows of multi-hued vines that are just past the huge and ancient oak in my front yard. Fragrances? Hmmm… Perhaps Tabac Aurea from the bottle Laurie Erickson traded me for some of my wine (I haven’t tried that yet, and want to!) .
But for some reason, I can also imagine Timbuktu or Sienne l’Hiver being just right. Or the dried fruit goodness of Mauboussin.
Gotta stop here, or I won’t stop at all.
Nice! I hope you’ll let me come and visit–it sounds like heaven on earth.
Heaven was on the tip of my tongue, too.
What magical places I’ve visited in the last half hour, Angela, scrolling through all the evocative posts and reading about your own fall fantasies.
Here’s one of mine: taking the ferry from the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia back home across the ocean to Horseshoe Bay on a mild autumn day near dusk. The briny scent of the Pacific mingles with the smell of strong coffee from the mug I’m cupping in my hands for warmth. From the top deck, I can see the islands, dark green from the Douglas Firs and cedars, with glints of gold and copper from the giant maples. My thick fisherman’s knit turtleneck smells of driftwood smoke from last night’s fire on the beach, where we roasted oysters in their shells and drank a little too much Okanagan Pinot Gris. Along with the smoke is entwined the sweet, rich scent of vintage Femme parfum, redolent of peach, spice, oakmoss and leather. Night falls.
Ooh! That makes me shiver!
Yes!
Bravo! Terrific! That sound you just heard was me, running for my perfume cabinet for some Femme.
And when you come up to Vancouver for a visit, we will drink a little too much Pinot Gris together.
I’d like that!
U got so many perfumes in America, that I can’t get in Denmark
There are so many in those reviews here, that I don’t know a thing about..
Is there a big difference between the les exclusifs Bois des Iles and the early one? Has it change? I have a friend, who bring me a huge bottle of the les exclusifs one. But I would be sad if it’s way 2 different
I haven’t smelled the old and new Bois des Iles side by side, but when I’ve smelled them separately, they smelled pretty much the same to me. It’s a terrific scent–congratulations on having a big bottle of it.
Angela, I’ve had the chance to smell the new BdI side-by-side with the vintage. HUGE difference, to wit:
The vintage is ALL about the sandalwood. Huge, thick, creamy drifts of it, even in the edt concentration.
The Les Exclusifs release is a more blended scent, with floral notes, a touch of fruit, and base notes that are nearly as prominent as the sandalwood. In fact, i was always a little confused whenever I read that Bois des Iles was THE sandalwood scent to end all sandalwood scents, because the Les Exclusifs is just not that way. But the vintage sure IS. ;-D
P.S. The vintage Bois des Iles is also an aldehyde BOMB.
Thanks for the info! The vintage sounds magnificent, although the new is lovely, too. Nothing like good sandalwood.
This is highly coincidental. I just received another bottle of vintage Bois des Iles edt today, and compared it to my first bottle of Bois des Iles edt I referred to as an aldehyde bomb above.
Quelle difference! The second bottle is a whole other animal. It is pure, glorious, heavenly sandalwood framed by flowers, without an aldehyde in sight.
This isn’t the first time I’ve run into bottle variation. The differences could be chalked up to individual bottles and their unique development (just like wine), different storage conditions, different batches of a single formulation, or to two altogether different formulations.
The problem is, when you’re buying vintage you usually don’t know exactly what you’re getting. That’s the intrigue of vintage, and sometimes the frustration.
I try to remember bottle variation whenever I read a review of a vintage fragrance; otherwise, it can really confuse me when I’m just not “getting” what the reviewer is getting — or getting something considerably different!
That is such a good point–thanks for bringing it up. I’ve also noticed that it makes a real difference whether the scent is dabbed from a little glass vial or sprayed lushly.
Thank u so much
I just think it’s a bit pricy…but I have to have it in my collection 
I’m happy that they smell pretty much the same. Some scents gets a diffrent smell, when they re-release old favorites.
I just wish, they make an eau de parfum. But I don’t think so.
The parfum is no longer around?
I believe the parfum is still in production, but you have to go to Paris to get it.
The three times I’ve driven across country it’s been early October. So every year, when the light starts to change and the leaves start to dry up, I get this horrible urge to get my fav music, my best bag, my fav jeans, my credit card, and just jump in the car and DRIVE WEST with no plan or itinerary! There is nothing like it, especially once you get to the plains and out in the west … crossing the Continental Divide with a full moon in Wyoming… seeing the dramatic and velvety mountains of northern Utah …. the lush glory of the Columbia River Gorge & Cascade Mountains in fall… So now, all these travel comments above have sparked my urge – again ! – to just hop in the car and GO. In the past I’d worn some Auric Blends oil like the amber or sandalwood, and probably Coco edt. This time I think I’d wear Donna Karan Signature and Tauer’s L’Air du Desert Marocain.
An autumn road trip sounds like fun! I’m imagining the windows rolled down, the crisp mornings, the donuts and coffee from diners on old highways…
Thank u so much for the info about the new BdI…I had the old before..I really love it…and I hope I will love the new one as much..but I think I do
What about Chanel’s Cuir de Russie? I have a friend who think that it’s very similar to BdI, but I think they are very different. I would love to read a review on that
And I have forgot to say, that Comme des Garcons 2, is also a very lovely autumn scent as well
I know Angela will want to answer this one, but until then just let me say quickly that Bois des Iles and Cuir de Russie are resolutely different from each other.
If BdI is all about sandalwood and flowers, CdR is all about leather and flowers. Leather, as in the softest feminine glove leather, to be exact, along with jasmine and iris and clary sage and amber and vetiver, among other good things.
Both are equally gorgeous.
Thank u so much for your point of view…let’s see if Angela is saying the same
I knew I was right, coz I said to my friend, that CdR and BdI is so diffrent…I have to let him see this review, so he can see, that I’m not that nutz and other people think the same as me
It’s a few years ago I smelled them both at the same time, but I remember that there was a diffrence.
I can’t wait to get BdI again and smell the new one. I bet I like it as much as the old. Sandalwood is amazing for fall
I think Robin R summed it up pretty well. Bois des iles and Cuir de Russie are similar in that they share the Chanel style of being luxurious but elegantly lean in feel with an aldehydic opening. But that’s where the similarity ends. Bois des Iles is all sweet sandalwood and gingerbread, while Cuir de Russie is glove leather and iris.
Angela, that’s perfect. Bois des Ile = sandalwood/gingerbread and Cuir de Russie = leather/iris. I’ve got them both on now in vintage and you’ve absolutely nailed them both.
I am so jealouse…I wanna have the vintges as well…do u buy them at ebay or something?
Yes, speaking for myself, I did find both on eBay. Good luck!