What I Love This Week: Roses & More
The last week has been…a lot. Some days it’s really hard to focus on style, fashion, & travel when there’s so much going on in the world. I have to remind myself to take a break from the news and “touch grass” to keep from going down an anxiety spiral. I’ve been making a point on my daily dog walks to notice all of the lovely flowers and landscaping in our neighborhood.
I don’t know if it’s because I started dumping my coffee grounds in their planter, or whether they’re just liking the sun and warm weather, but my climbing roses have been putting on quite a show the last couple of weeks! (We planted these several years ago and I don’t remember the name.)
While they are very pretty, they don’t have much fragrance. The stems tend to be short and spindly, so arranging options are limited, but they really cheer up a room!
Coming up roses
I enjoy wearing a rose-based fragrance in the warmer months. But rose fragrances can sometimes get a bad rap as being “old-fashioned.” That’s why I’m always interested in formulations that have complex or unexpected notes.
I really want to try this one from Tom Ford. I love coffee notes in a fragrance!
If you prefer something light and fresh, this “Red Roses” cologne from Jo Malone has a lemon top note. (Citrus notes always feel summery to me.)
And this solid rose perfume (good for travel!) from Diptyque has several interesting notes, including litchi and artichoke!
Do you have a favorite rose fragrance?
(As a reminder, please be mindful of those who may have fragrance sensitivities. I don’t wear fragrance when I know I will be in public space, in close proximity to others.)
What I’m watching
When I need to unwind in the evening and don’t have the focus for reading, historical dramas are my go-to. If you have a Britbox subscription, I highly recommend “Outrageous,” a series about the 6 Mitford sisters. It’s quite a story!! (And I’m really enjoying the costuming!) Have you seen it?
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You are so right, Susan….I hear you. My anxiety level is approaching defcon 1. I so wish the new season of Emily in Paris was on now. That would be a perfect escape.
I adore Bvlgari rose essentielle, long discontinued but I stocked up. I tried Jo Malone red roses but preferred the velvet rose and oud. Have you tried that one?
Btw, I just happened on this post. Didn’t get it in my email. Would you make sure I’m subscribed? Thx! As always, love your photos.
Hi Linda, thanks so much. This post went out a few hours ahead of schedule; the email will go out in the morning. 🙂
I don’t mind smelling “old fashioned.” I started watching Outrageous but just couldn’t get into it. You are right about the gorgeous costumes, though.
The roses are very pretty and used to wear Tea Rose as a teenager. Had to ditch the scent when I started to suffer from migraines. Watched Outrageous and it is faithful to the book it is based on (which you should read). Hopefully there is a Season 2.
Ah, Roses! We downsized housing a few years ago, and I sacrificed my rose bushes. They were planted near our entrance, so the scent would great me coming and going. Maybe the perfume options you feature could revive my memories.
Re roses. If you want scent, David Austin roses are one way to go. Cindy Hattersley is a fan of them, although the climate where she currently lives doesn’t support them.
We are all feeling the strain of current events, I believe. Turning to nature is a great stress reliever, as are our furry companions. My favorite rose scent has always been JOY by Jean Patou. My father in law brought some home for me from a trip to France some 40 years ago. It is a classic.
I love Izia by Sisley.
Susan, thank you for acknowledging the craziness we’re living through right now. The other bloggers I follow continue to post as though everything is normal. I do understand it’s a fine line but it also makes me a little crazy. Digging in the dirt is the best therapy for me. My garden is my gym and my sanctuary! Thankful for you.
My favourite rose fragrance is Paestum Rose, by Eau d’Italie. Lovely–not too sweet. I discovered it at perfumeniche.com, a Canadian website that reviews perfumes and sells decants and splits. Ships to the U.S., too.
Hi Susan: I know what you mean. That’s a beautiful rose you have! I love rose scent but not as a perfume or candle. The Tom Ford fragrance sounds interesting but I didn’t care for Jo Malone’s Red Roses. I like her Earl Grey Tea and Cucumber (I think that’s the combo) and she does one called Sea Salt or something that I like as well. I’m getting awfully tired of Xfinity movies (except TCM) and Prime Video, so maybe I’ll check out Britbox. I think last British subscription I had was Acorn.
I read a biography of the Mitfords years ago, so I was very interested to see how their story would be presented in Outrageous. I’m enjoying it very much, but I’m spoiled by streaming and waiting a week between episodes is hard! I’m also watching Patience on PBS, another good British series.
I too feel like the heaviness of the world is on my shoulders. I’m in the D.C. area and summers can be oppressive. One way I get to pretend I’m in a rose garden is to use a rose body wash. I use one by Andalou Naturals in their rose scent. I don’t know how “clean” this brand is but I enjoy using it in the summer when showering is a treat.
I love rose-based fragrances and alternate between Gris Dior, Portrait of a Lady, Othoniel Rose, and Paris Paris, depending on the season. Frédéric Malle makes a nice, subtle rose-musk linen spray called Dans Mon Lit – I use it to scent my pillows and sometimes will spray it on my clothes in lieu of using perfume if it’s a really hot day.
Yes, these days the news is tough, particularly in LA right now, and there are days that I just need to tune it all out (while remembering how lucky I am that I can do that). Gardening is helpful – going to try the coffee grounds trick. I just planted a new climber, a Zephérine Drouhin, and it’s supposed to be prolific and fragrant – we will see.
Thirty years or so ago I planted a Zepherine Drouhin by our bedroom window and the scent was lovely. I read somewhere it was Theodore Roosevelts favorite flower!! It finally succumbed to hot Texas summers and we have since moved but I miss that beautiful rose and its sweet scent.
I love rose fragrances and Darby Rose by Chantecaille is my current favorite. I’m on my second bottle which is really saying something for me, I hardly ever finish a bottle, let alone buy a second. It’s the most beautiful rose, light, fresh, but also has a bit of depth in the dry down. Perfect for spring and summer.
Thank you for acknowledging the stress of the current climate, and also thank you for the link to the little tin of rose perfume. It reminds me of perfumes my grandma used to give me, and even though I don’t wear perfume now, I ordered this for the nostalgia factor. I purchased just a few things from the N Sale today, but I made sure to click through to Nordstrom from your site so that you’d get the commission. You are the only fashion blogger I follow who ever acknowledges life outside the fashion bubble, and I appreciate it.
If you don’t mind me saying, you might also enjoy following Kim at Northern Cal Style – she regularly talks about current events. In fact, some comments are critical of that, but most of her followers are glad she does it. She is currently, or has recently been in Europe on holiday, I’m looking forward to her posts when she comes back!
I love our roses. The former owner(s) planted 87 different kinds of roses. The climbing ones must have been here for many many years because they have climbed up about fifty feet into the tall pines. What a show they put on last month! Now my zinnias have come on and they make wonderful arrangements around the house. I understand how challenging these times and especially frightening in your area. So yes get out in the garden and breathe.
Susan, I love your rose bouquet. I have been using a lovely organic line of perfumes by Red Flower. They only offer three different perfumes and some include rose oil. You might enjoy these more complex and totally natural scents. As always, I enjoy your posts and pictures.
I am also watching Outrageous. I’ve got enough reading material now but want to go back and re-read some of Nancy MItford’s books. I love your photos. I don’t have formal roses but have been loving my peonies this year – gorgeous and fragrant. I just have to try not to bring in the ants with them. I live near the ocean, and the beach roses are great this time of year. Thank you for this lovely and peaceful post!
Nancy Mitford’s book, Love in a Cold Climate was made into a movie. It is very campy and very funny. I think the movie captured the essence of their father better than the current television series. A few years ago I read Diana Mitford’s autobiography and was disappointed to see she was pretty much a Holocaust denier
Oops, it was a three part series made in 2001 with Rosamund Pike and was a compilation of Love in a Cold Climate and the Pursuit of Love. Highly recommended (if you can find it)
I hear you about stepping away from the news! My garden (roses!), knitting projects and reading allow me some breathing room … except my current book is “All the Water in the World” by Eiren Caffall. So far, the characters have drawn me in, but the premise feels way too possible right now.
Flowers really spark joy, don’t they?
I don’t think of rose note perfumes in the summer. I’m wearing Jo Malone’s Wood Sage and Sea Salt currently. Very refreshing in the heat.
I am going you see whether I can find Outrageous.
Greetje
Greetje, it is a BBC production, but my husband downloaded it from the internet for me as I don’t subscribe to Britbox. It is a BBC production.
I am loving Outrageous, too – I’m a sucker for semi biographical programming about British aristocrats and this one is a corker.
I’m also trying to remember to focus on what’s beautiful and brings me joy even as I seethe with unhappiness about the state of this country and the world. As a teacher said in a recent meditation I listened to, we see more of what we focus on, so I’m hoping that by reminding myself of the beautiful I can keep my energy up for fighting the good fight for those who cannot.
Your roses are beautiful!
Thank you!
Hello, and thanks for acknowledging that there is life outside of fashion. Sticking our heads in the sand will not improve anything. Meanwhile, it is baseball season and I’m enjoying every game.
Susan –
Thanks for not giving any space to the Amazon Prime Event. It is just a relief to not see promotion for that guy….
I don’t wear a rose fragrance, but I do have a bottle of Heritage Store rose facial mist which is really refreshing in the heat. Your roses are pretty and isn’t it nice that even a small bouquet adds color and life to an interior.
I have a decant from perfumeniche that has a most definitely not Grandmamam’s eau de rose! It is called Haunted Rose from Future Society and is very different! It is slightly smokey in the dry off but still lovely to wear of a summer evening. It’s definitely a ‘what are you wearing’ type of scent!
Thank you for acknowledging the world/local situation. We have many American tourists and seasonal residents who seem to have lost their usual joie de vive and ( sadly) seem to apologize a lot. Hoping they feel some peace and quiet on our ‘gentle Isle’ this summer!
Love your petite bouquet!
Your roses are charming! I love that kind of arrangement, a gathering of short-stemmed roses in a pretty glass. How fun to read your rose perfume recommendations and everyone else’s in the comments section. After drenching myself in Tea Rose as a teen (thousands of apologies to anyone who was within a mile of me back then), I don’t tolerate rose perfumes well. The only one I truly like is Ta’if by Ormonde Jayne. I find it stunning…but if you read reviews, some call it the rose perfume for people who don’t like rose perfumes, so be warned. 😉 As other have said, thanks for acknowledging the world beyond style and travel. Getting a break from it is critical–whether in the garden or on walks (with your dog, as you said), or through books and TV–but pretending it isn’t happening isn’t helpful. So thank you 🙂