A seasonal shift
I like to switch up my fragrance with the season. During the Spring and Summer, I go for something lighter and more floral. But once the weather cools down, I pull out the “Chergui” by Serge Lutens. It’s a more woody, smoky scent, which feels perfect for Fall.
bandana | sweater | jacket | bracelet | fragrance | pants | sneakers
Do you have a favorite cool-weather fragrance? Or do you stick with a signature fragrance year-round?
More fall fragrance picks:
Atelier Cologne “Ambre Nue” | Chanel “31 rue Cambon” | Estee Lauder “Cinnabar”
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I’m obsessed with Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat 540 at the moment. Woody and very unique. Love it.
I love it as well. Year round.
I have that scarf from Madewell, and I love it. The colors are great and it’s so soft.
Silk scarves seem a bit much when I’m at home all the time, a cotton bandana is just right when I want a little something with a casual look.
With things the way they are it’s good to have something similar tucked into your bag so you can dry your hands off in a restroom that’s only got a blower, or use it to open a door.
If you like a woodsy fragrance, may I suggest Madison Margiela’s By the Fireplace. It’s wonderful.
I just received this today in travel size from Sephora. I took a chance and ordered it based on a sample in a mailer, and am so glad I did. I love it!
I love Jo Malone Mimosa and Cardamon body lotion. I rub some on my hands and arms before going out. People always comment on the wonderful scent. Weird combination, but it’s works!
I have always had a signature scent as many fragrances trigger my asthma. I wear Philosophy Amazing Grace exclusively and receive many compliments, even from strangers sometimes!
I always used to love wearing a scent but in recent years have found that so many people seem to have allergies to scents. I don’t know of anyone at work that wears perfume any more because of that. It would be lovely to have a special scent for the seasons again.
Yes, it’s tricky. I like to wear fragrance at home or with people I know aren’t sensitive to it. These days with social distancing, that’s pretty much all the time. 😉
I’ve been addicted to Serge Lutyens “Feminite de Bois” for years but no longer can find it. It’s a beautiful cedar scent. I keep searching.
Oh, I love that one too! I was able to find it here: https://www.sergelutens.com/us/feminite-du-bois.html
I was able to find it at Holt Renfrew in Toronto and have ordered it. It used to be more widely available here in Canada, glad I found it.
My signature scent is Chanel No. 5. I like to layer my scent; use the soap, then the body spray, hair mist, deodorant & finally the scent itself.
Tom Ford’s Black Orchid is sultry and long lasting.
I love Hermes Caleche for the fall. Funny but the scent that always garners so many compliments is my summer scent, Tommy Girl!
Susan, did you order a Small or X Small in that coat? I noticed they didn’t carry petites. Is it very long?
Thanks.
Hi Lisa, I don’t actually own this coat, as I was afraid it would be too long. I’ve ordered something similar from J.Crew in a Petite size, will report back.
Thank you! I always read the reviews and they mentioned it being oversized. Not good for me a I would look like I wrapped myself in a down comforter. Being this short is difficult. Vince is now offering Plus sizing but not Petite. Love their clothing but always a trouble with length of sleeves, dresses and skirts.
I think Amber by Laboratory Perfumes is perfect for colder days
I wear the same scent, Coco Chanel, year round, but I use it very sparingly. I kind of don’t feel “dressed” without it!
I wear Chanel 19 pretty exclusively, and have for about 25 years. I very occasionally wear La Petite Robe Noir, or Chanel No 5.
My daughter says she likes it when I ‘smell like Mama’.
From my early twenties, when I began wearing scent daily, until my sixties, when it became impossible to find and then I think discontinued, I wore only Fleurs de Rocaille. I tried many before I found one which pleased me, who want a scent with a history (thinking of the saying what is the use of wearing a scent which generations of men have not swooned over) and my husband. The only one has been Mitsouko.
Nancy, do you wear the Eau de Parfum of Fleurs de Rocaille? It is available on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Caron+Fleurs+de+Rocaille&i=beauty&rh=p_n_availability%3A-1&linkCode=osi&tag=goto09-20
Thank you, Carlene – I am sad to say that Caron dropped the s and reformulated it as Fleur, it did not have the same magic. Still on memory lane, I am remembering Jasmin and Sortilege by Le Gallion, I had forgotten them, wore them for about a year, Sortilege when I wanted to be especially seductive. I wish i could ask the objects, who would now be quite mature also, if it was effective…..
I have found a lighter version of Chanel No. 5 called Eau Premier. My mom and grandmother both wore No. 5 so it brings fond memories but this fragrance seems updated.
For years, my spring and summer fragrance has been Chanel Cristalle. The one I have worn forever, year round, is a Bulgari scent called Pour Femme. I can no longer find it and think it’s still being made, now called Splendida. Does anyone know?
I like Ysatis by Givenchy and have worn it for years in fall and winter, but usually only when going out. But now I might start wearing it at home.
I discovered Ysatis when I was about 20 and an au pair in Luxembourg, and have worn it ever since.
I’ve always been jealous of those women who have a signature scent but I’m too fickle with fragrance, and like you, I change my fragrances with the season. However, I always wear a rose-focused perfume (so I suppose I have a sort of signature?) and alternate between these four Diptyque scents: Othoniel Rosa in the fall, Eau Capitale in the winter, Essences Insensees Rose de Mai in the spring, and Eau Rose in the summer. I loved Serge Lutens and for a long time wore Un Bois Vanille, and then La Fille de Berlin – the company makes some amazing perfumes, and the boutique in the Palais Royale is a wonder!
I have several favorite scents. I love Jo Malone fragrances – my two most favorite and used are the Wood Sage & Sea Salt (woody) and White Jasmine & Mint (light floral). White Jasmine & Mint was the first Jo Malone fragrance I fell in love with and it was my signature for a long time, then they discontinued it. I was so happy when they brought back from the archives last year, and it now seems to be permanent again. She designs the scents to be mixed, and I love these two together. From Thanksgiving through January, I love her Pomegranate Noir. I also like French Lime Blossom and am currently loving Poppy & Barley and Fig & Lotus Flower. I am experimenting mixing these with Wood Sage & Sea Salt.
I recently discovered a new brand that is sold online – Phlur – which I like a lot. I first tried Olmsted & Vaux, which is named for the two men who designed Central Park. It is citrusy with white ginger and orange, a really nice clean and crisp fall scent, I think. My favorite is Ameline, a rose fragrance with pink pepper and patchouli and sandlewood. Many are unisex fragrances. Their website has extensive information on each fragrance and – get this – they have a playlist for each fragrance that evokes the feeling of the fragrance! You can order samples and then apply the cost to your first purchase. It is a clean fragrance, very high quality.
I also like Saint Laurent Libre and Mon Paris and Chanel Gabrielle.
Funny about “Chergui” – It’s a dry and hot wind blowing in Morocco, in a way very similar to our Santa Anas!!
Wanted to add the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chergui_(wind)
Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille is my fall/ winter scent. So delicious and rich. The tobacco lays under the vanilla in the loveliest way.
I’ve always worn perfume pretty much 24/7/365. I’ve tried different scents, but for years & years it was Calvin Klein’s Obsession, but they changed the formulation & ruined it. Then Givinchy’s Organza, & they promptly stopped making IT. Then Black Orchid (Ford) for a while. Every time people talk about their perfumes I take notes as I’m still looking for “that one”. I’ve been wearing Lancôme’s La Vie est Belle lately but it doesn’t last very long, which is either a problem with modern scents or my body chemistry changing as I age. Very frustrating. Now & again I simply revert to patchouli oil & call it a day. I’m actually thinking of switching to a man’s cologne as they seem to be distinctly muskier & longer-lasting (I wear my husband’s cologne now & again, which he says confuses him no end).
Iziah by Sisley is the most gorgeous perfume I have ever smelled, and it is the only perfume I wear.
Hi Susan,
The topic of fragrance certainly inspired a lot of comment! It’s been fun to hear what other women are wearing and I wish we had a scratch and sniff button on the computer so we could all share samples.
A few bits and bobs (as you wrote awhile ago) from me:
First I want to thank you for something enjoyable to read in the morning. There is just SO much upsetting news and it’s been hard for me not to spiral downward from all of the negativity. Your blogs are refreshing and I appreciate how you keep finding something new to write about, share with us. Please know that it’s important, at least to me, to have something simple and fun to think about. Even the joy of shopping has been taken from us so we can do some vicariously through your recommended sites.
I have learned about and purchased from French Kande, Madewell, Sezane and the lip product from Brian+MW because of you.
Now we also have The Latest to look forward to. Please know that the time and thought you spend on doing this counts.
Thanks so much, Wren! Your kind words have brightened my day.
What a fun thread! I have no problem wearing whatever smells right on me, from that inexpensive violet-scented cologne water I bought in a tourist shop in Wales to my Amazone (Hermes) and Dioressence. I love to experiment and wish that more of the great perfume houses would make those tiny bottles to indulge me!