Posted by Erin
on
23 October 2009
As it is for many people, fall is my favorite time of year. Perhaps this is because around here it is the most fragrant season: the cool, damp leaves send up a sweet, cidery rot, I could swear there is always a tinge of woodsmoke in the air, and the evergreens seem sharper and straighter as the deciduous competition flames out. Early every morning, after bumping around and out of my pitch-dark apartment, I take a deep draw of cool air and wonder if this smell is a regular olfactory hallucination, since I live in an urban neighborhood with bylaws against bonfires and no apple orchards for miles. Whether I am susceptible to seasonal scent suggestion disorder or not, I love the colors and skies of autumn, and the weather is often invigorating enough for me to look fondly upon the hooting, rowdy herds of schoolkids that suddenly appear on every sidewalk. Even if fall doesn’t make you feel this disgustingly cheerful, you can still spend your season of mists and mellow fruitfulness in gorgeous perfumes. Please comment with your own fall favorites and let me know if you’ve sampled the new Serge Lutens Fille en Aiguilles. I haven’t tried it yet, and am wondering whether it will be added to my current autumn Lutens rotation of Chêne, Santal Blanc and El Attarine.
Etro Shaal Nur: Rather like a more contemplative, citrus-tinged Habanita, this is an airy, incense-smoke version of Molinard’s classic vetiver-vanilla. While not being particularly strong — it’s better sprayed than dabbed — Shaal Nur has impressive projection…
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Posted by Angela
on
14 September 2009
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…
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Posted by Robin
on
31 October 2008
Fall? Bah, humbug. I'm a summer person. The best thing I can say about fall is that at least it isn't winter yet. Here are some of the fragrances I like to wear while counting the days until spring…
CB I Hate Perfume Burning Leaves: I can't think of any other scent that so perfectly captures what fall ought to smell like. As I said when I reviewed it, it is “calming and invigorating at the same time”, and it layers beautifully with all kinds of other things. To stick with the autumn theme, layer it with Gathering Apples (from the same brand).
L'Artisan Navegar: I think of Navegar as the fall version of L'Eau de L'Artisan…
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Posted by Kevin
on
26 October 2007
When autumn arrives in my part of the country, it’s often accompanied by fog and rain. The vibrantly colored red, purple, orange and yellow leaves on maples, gingkoes, liquidambars, smoke bushes, and all trees and shrubs that have a colorful “faint” into dormancy, are even more glorious with a gloss of moisture. The chilly Northwest damp also accentuates aromas; the ground smells pungent, leaves lose their juicy, “green” summer scents and begin to smell like antique paper or old books. As wood smoke begins to swirl from chimneys, providing its own gray mist to the heavy air, I feel as if the entire city is burning incense to mourn the lost summer and to pay homage to the coming winter.
Fall is a time of excitement and stillness; cool winds and refreshing rains energize me, while the sight of dead leaves slowly dropping to the ground…
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